Food & Spirits
Sponsored by

French Laundry

18,637 Views | 82 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by schmendeler
Diggity
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
12:00p, 10/31/23
AG
Quote:
We had the early seating at 4 p.m. and we weren't finished until about 7:15, so it's an event. We had asked to tour the kitchen if possible so after dinner, a staff member came to the table and took us back. Chef Thomas Keller was working in the kitchen, and he came over, fist bumped us all, and took pictures with the group.
very cool.
Reply Quote
1
EclipseAg
User Profile Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to mpl35 • 12:15p, 10/31/23
AG
mpl35 said:
EclipseAg said:
During our trip, we also had dinner at The Girl and the Fig in Sonoma, RH in Yountville and Los Agaves in Napa (our casual night), as well as lunch at Farmstead in Saint Helena.

Highly recommend The Girl and the Fig and RH. Farmstead was an okay place for lunch but a bit pricy. We should have picked somewhere else other than Los Agaves for a casual dinner. Food was plain and service was poor.

Always fun to see others takes on the places I've been.

I don't care for the farmstead at all. Been twice and the food is mediocre at best. My wife made a note to not go back.

RH was middling to me but it didn't help that we had a bachelorette group next to us that was annoying. The food was solid but not spectacular.
I get it ... I'm not a picky eater at all so I tend to like most places if the atmosphere is good.
Reply Quote
bularry
User Profile Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
12:20p, 10/31/23
Anyone been to Thread in Healdsburg? Multi stars....
Reply Quote
EclipseAg
User Profile Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to Diggity • 12:22p, 10/31/23
AG
Diggity said:
Quote:
We had the early seating at 4 p.m. and we weren't finished until about 7:15, so it's an event. We had asked to tour the kitchen if possible so after dinner, a staff member came to the table and took us back. Chef Thomas Keller was working in the kitchen, and he came over, fist bumped us all, and took pictures with the group.
very cool.
Yep.

We had seen him earlier and the waiter confirmed that he was there most nights. But it was still a bit of a surreal experience. When he came over for photos I was starstruck. Between that and all the wine, I couldn't think of anything intelligent to say. LOL.
Reply Quote
mpl35
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to EclipseAg • 12:27p, 10/31/23
AG
EclipseAg said:
Diggity said:
Quote:
We had the early seating at 4 p.m. and we weren't finished until about 7:15, so it's an event. We had asked to tour the kitchen if possible so after dinner, a staff member came to the table and took us back. Chef Thomas Keller was working in the kitchen, and he came over, fist bumped us all, and took pictures with the group.
very cool.
Yep.

We had seen him earlier and the waiter confirmed that he was there most nights. But it was still a bit of a surreal experience. When he came over for photos I was starstruck. Between that and all the wine, I couldn't think of anything intelligent to say. LOL.
care to share a picture? Pretty awesome meeting Keller. Closest I've ever come to a celebrity chef was getting my food from Top Chef contestant Sheldon Simeon in Maui a few years back.
Reply Quote
JCA1
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
2:00p, 10/31/23
AG
Keller actually being there is really cool. He wasn't there the 2 times I've been.

My only celebrity encounters are Emeril at Emeril's in NOLA back in his heyday in the late 90s and Eric Ripert came out and talked to the table next to us at Le Bernardin.
Reply Quote
2
Mathguy64
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
2:02p, 10/31/23
AG
I've told this story before on a FL thread but I will tell it again.

I know an investor in the Keller Restaurant Group. His name is Bob Long. For many years Bob owned a vineyard in Napa and his wines were on the menu at the FL. He sold the vineyard for a tidy sum several years ago and he still lives in the area. He's offered to get me a table any night I want it. Its one of the few perks he has with the KRG. He can get a table any night just by calling. I have never taken him up because I have yet to travel there.

When he goes he has to pay, full price. He only goes a couple of times a year, mainly because he says it costs him several thousand a night. He eats for free one night a year at the annual shareholder's dinner.

Some day I will take him up on his offer.
Reply Quote
1
Diggity
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to Mathguy64 • 2:05p, 10/31/23
AG
make sure it's not a "retirement" night for TK

Reply Quote
2
BSD
User Profile Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
9:45p, 10/31/23
AG
Keller was there the last time I dined at TFL. I had never seen him there on previous visits. I guess he was always at Per Se when I was there. But that night, our 10th anniversary, the GM stopped by to thank us for dining and took us back to the kitchen. When we got back there, Keller came out of his office and said something to the effect of "it's great to finally meet you. Congrats on 10 years of marriage. And nice wine selection." I guess they kept notes of us having dined there several times and whether he had met us or not. We had brought a bottle of really nice burgundy to celebrate so I guess he was made aware of that too. They really pride themselves on paying attention to their guests and really do a great job of making everyone feel at home. I had a very quick conversation with him about having been there before, during, and after the renovation (he noted that as well) and my wife just fan-girled out. She was pretty embarrassed that she didn't say anything other than "oh my gosh" when she saw him walk up.
Reply Quote
6
Diggity
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
9:57p, 10/31/23
AG
How does TK feel about sentence structure?
Reply Quote
5
RangerRick9211
User Profile Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to EclipseAg • 1:26p, 11/6/23
AG
EclipseAg said:
Diggity said:
Quote:
We had the early seating at 4 p.m. and we weren't finished until about 7:15, so it's an event. We had asked to tour the kitchen if possible so after dinner, a staff member came to the table and took us back. Chef Thomas Keller was working in the kitchen, and he came over, fist bumped us all, and took pictures with the group.
very cool.
Yep.

We had seen him earlier and the waiter confirmed that he was there most nights. But it was still a bit of a surreal experience. When he came over for photos I was starstruck. Between that and all the wine, I couldn't think of anything intelligent to say. LOL.
Achatz swung by our table at Alinea years ago. Same story for my wife: we'd had a bit of wine, this was her end-game meal and she cried when he said hi. Lol, woman, pull yourself together!

Reply Quote
1
1 edit
BSD
User Profile Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
1:39p, 11/6/23
AG
Great story about the service at Alinea:

Somehow the valet service had switched keys and we drove off to my buddy's brewery without ours in the car (Nor anyone else's keys…I guess they took them out and left them on the stand with car running to stay warm) . We didn't realize it until we turned it off and got out at the brewery.
We called the restaurant to make sure the valet had them, and they did, so we told them we'd hop in a cab and head that way. The maitre d said no way, that they would bring them up to us at the brewery. He didn't want our evening to be inconvenienced any more by something they did. Sure enough, about 30 minutes later the maitre d himself shows up, hands us the keys, and has a few beers with us before heading back. We just thought that was really cool.
Reply Quote
4
schmendeler
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to BSD • 1:51p, 11/6/23
AG
Very impressive of them to do that. Also, maitre d def wanted time to chill and drink beer.
Reply Quote
2
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.