The story
The French Laundry sits at 6640 Washington Street in Yountville, California, a contemporary American restaurant with a French accent that holds three Michelin stars in 2026.
Dishes here are small and built around pristine ingredients. Most of the vegetables, herbs and edible flowers come from a nearby garden, which the restaurant's own site presents as the Culinary Garden. One reviewer described an English cucumber salad with heirloom tomatoes as so fresh it prompted a rethink of how vegetables should taste.
Thomas Keller's other flagship, Per Se, cooks the same clean, precise American cuisine in New York. A closed circuit camera links the two kitchens, 2,900 miles apart, so the teams can talk as one unit. The Yountville building has its own quiet engineering too. A 2004 renovation added a geothermal heating and cooling system that uses the earth to absorb or release heat.
The list matters as much as the food, and the French Laundry was awarded a Wine Spectator Grand Award in 2007. Guests can lean on the sommeliers, who steer them toward wines by the glass, half bottles or full bottles. It is a sensible way to move through a French-leaning menu in the heart of Napa.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Dishes are small and prompt contemplation on the perfect marriage of fresh, pristine ingredients on each plate.With its California location, it's only natural that The French Laundry would operate with an eye to creating a minimal impact on the environment. After a renovation in 2004, a geothermal heating and cooling system was installed, which uses the absorbing qualities of the earth to radiate or reduce heat.Most of the vegetables, herbs and edible flowers used at the restaurant are sourced from a nearby garden. During our visit, an English cucumber salad with heirloom tomatoes was so fresh it made us question if we had ever really experienced vegetables they way were meant to taste.Thomas Keller's New York outpost Per Se is devoted to the same clean, precise American cuisine as The French Laundry. To make sure both kitchen teams are operating as one unit, there's a closed circuit camera in both kitchens so that the staffs can communicate with each other, even though they're separated by 2,900 miles.The wine is just as important as the food. This is Napa, after all, so put yourself in the hands of the sommeliers and let them steer you to one of the many wines by the glass, half bottles or bottles on offer.
Exceptional cuisine
Location
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