French Laundry

The French Laundry is an American restaurant located in Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley. The chef and owner of the French Laundry is Thomas Keller.

Notable alumni of the French Laundry's kitchen staff include Grant Achatz of Alinea , Ron Siegel of The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton, and Duff Goldman of Food Network fame.

The restaurant has won several awards and is considered by many critics to be one of the best restaurants in the United States and the world.

History of the building

The building was built as a saloon in the 1900s by a Scottish stonesman for Pierre Guillaume. A law was passed in 1906 prohibiting sale of alcohol within a mile of a veteran's home. This caused Guillaume to sell the building.

In the 1920s the building was owned by John Lande who used it as a French steam laundry.

In 1978 the mayor of Yountville renovated the building into a restaurant. Don and Sally Schmidt owned the French Laundry for much of the 80s, and the early nineties. Even then it was the type of restaurant where reservations were difficult to get; and celebrities, and at least one president, had dinner.[citation needed] In 1994 Keller bought the restaurant, and kept the name, the French Laundry. Food This vegetable tasting menu was one of three menus available for Sunday December 4, 2005

There are three menus daily. Each is $240 including service. One is a prix fixe menu; the second is a degustation menu, and the third is a vegetable tasting menu. During the holiday season, the restaurant may offer special dishes that would not otherwise be on the menu.

Tasting menus consist of between five and eleven dishes, often with some optional courses for about $30 to $100 more - a "supplement." Unadvertised, but available by arrangement, is a special tasting menu with approximately twenty courses for around $400, as well as occasional special menus such as a truffle tasting menu for $995