Saturday, April 2, 2011
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Chinese osetra caviar:
... was the ticket at the French Laundry. These ova oriented themselves on 2 bit-sized blini with chive creme fraiche in the best eggs and flapjack dish ever. We worked up to this roe-tation with a half bottle of 1998 Billecart-Salmon:
... with salmon cornets:
... and gougers:
... followed by a chilled carrot velouté:
Medjool dates, hearts of palm and cilantro sprouts enhanced the earthy sweetness of this taproot tonic.
Earshell clam with compressed cucumber, soy milk foam, radish, avocados and soy cream:
... was a shellfish sashimi sensation followed by a breaded pork jowl over crab infused rice with broccolini, mint and lilly bulbs:
... that were lit up with a 2007 Nigl Riesling.
The signature truffle custard with a chive chip:
... egg-shelled in silkiness transitioning to more black truffle puree in an appeeling Gros Michel banana and Belgian endive salad dotted with hazelnuts:
A microplane flew over tagliatelle showering strands of dente dough with black truffle in a fragrant fungus flurry:
These ribbons were tied with a bow of butter wound up with a wondrous 2007 Hudson Valley Chardonnay.
Sturgeon confit:
... was a perfect pave of fish flesh fortified with a horseradish creme fraiche, beets, chard and a crisp sturgeon croquette.
Butter poached lobster tail:
... was given legs with bluefoot mushrooms, salsify, green garlic and bone marrow pudding with a sauce Bordelaise.
We got a peek at a whole roasted lobe of foie gras before it returned to the kitchen to be plated with cauliflower, frisée, green almonds and little apricot fruit roll ups to gild the liver (levitated with quatre épices.):
Shatteringly crisp-skinned Guinea hen breast with mustard greens, Tokyo turnips and apple:
... roosted with a 2006 Joseph Roty Gevrey-Chambertin.
Superior Snake River beef:
... was sous vided, seared and swathed with potato puree, peas and pea shoots and capped with pommes Maxine. A foie gras-sicle was grated over the top to create an offal snow storm that melted marvelously into this cowstruction companied with cherried chugs of 2005 Livio Sassetti Brunello di Montalcino.
Instead of the usual slices of fruit and nut breads, the cheese coarse came with a sun dried tomato roll to echo shades of the caponata crowning a pecorino crusto nero with artichokes, jingle bell peppers, mustard leaves in a ring of espelette oil:
Tiny ginger pearls floated in a lychee tea with Asian pear and a quenelle of lychee sorbet:
... before a mango lassi with coconut foam, mango sorbet and coconut sherbet:
Pastry Chef Courtney Schmidig deftly dispensed delicate desserts that offered finessed final flourishes to a magnificent meal.
A golden glass of 2000 Disznoko Tokaji Aszu gilded our gobs along with a smacking pistachio cheesecake with orange sorbet, Morello cherries and orange segments:
Cappuccino semi-freddo with donut holes:
... wound us back to breakfast after a 5 hour feast finalized with mignardises and shots of espresso.
Chef Devin Knell and his team kicked culinary ass with this righteous repast that ended with our anxious anticipation of our next visit.
The French Laundry
6640 Washington St.
Yountville, CA
707.753.0088
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