the french laundry / 6640 washington street / yountville ca / 707-944-2380 / dinner 5:30-9pm daily, lunch f-sun 11-1pm / reservations accepted up to 2 months in advance (recommended, and be prepared to call continuously exactly at the moment when you can call for a reservation) / tasting menu extremely expensive ($240)

i wonder if yountville became what it is after the french laundry opened (i think it was 1993 or 1994 according to what i overheard from the waiter as he told the table next to us), or if the french laundry opened when yountville was already what it is. i think it was the former. at any rate, the french laundry is located safely away from the so-touristy-it’s-surreal area of the town. across from the restaurant there’s a vegetable and herb patch for the restaurant, where there are beets, zucchini, watermelon, various herbs, etc. it’s a strange place for an herb garden – right next to all of the cars! – but it’s cool to see it there. there was even a little patch of corn growing there. (more…)