That was great! Thank you!
What’s it like getting a reservation these days? Many years ago, your best shot was to check for cancelations on an evening with terrible weather.
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Nice report @Mr_Happy! I went probably 12 years ago for a late lunchtime reservation, which was perfect since it extended into early evening. Those supplements can double your bill - we avoided them too. I still have the little metal shortbread holder, I use it in my car to hold quarters for parking.
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I didn’t set it up but the reservations were made about a month in advance. They were prepaid on Tock. We had very early dinner reservations at 4:30 pm on a Sunday.
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What an odd story. SF Chronicle’s food critic visits The French Laundry with friends, without intending to review it. Keller takes her aside and asks her to leave. The discussion goes on for a while, then Keller relents and cooks them a full tasting menu, for which they are charged $1.00. If you hit a paywall, you can usually read Chronicle articles in incognito/private mode, or maybe a subscriber can provide a gift link.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/thomas-keller-french-laundry-20290670.php
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Wow. I’m kind of speechless. Wow.
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Agree with both of you – exceedingly odd story that left me kind of speechless.
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thank you for posting this. i have tremendous respect for Keller and all that he’s achieved, but this tale is truly perplexing.
i have empathy for him, in that he feels the loss of a dear friend which was in part owing to circumstances brought about by a critic (in his telling. and i don’t dispute that reviews can have outsized power over restaurants). but was this thought through?
what is the policy recommendation here, we don’t serve critics anymore? considering that he’s created an institution in the French Laundry that can be argued is ‘critic-proof’, i can’t possibly see the value in engaging in this. a lot of the criticism of his flagships are they they seem to exist outside of time: he should be having the last laugh though, as eaters clearly still appreciate his brand of stodginess (the bookings don’t lie).
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Keller’s insecurity is really showing.
Truly sad. And pathetic.
Sort of like his food at French Laundry.
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Thanks for posting this. I was able to read it. How sad and odd, and I don’t know what else to say except to say that I think it might be good for him to take a sabbatical.
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I read the article…weird and sad. The insecurity kind of makes sense. He wasonce at the top of the food chain. His famous attention to details (AR monster) likely contributed. But he had an exceptional run….so a little basic human empathy but no tears. Everything changes, tastes, demographics and the nature of restaurant criticism. Not a fan of the food critic. My take is if this was a personal visit should have stayed a personal visit and not write about it. Two dick moves doesn’t make it okay but I guess that’s the nature of being in the public eye (for both).
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I can’t red it as I’m not a subscriber
Not a subscriber here, and it opened without any issues 
Oops. I have ad blocker
Gosh, is she saying a celebrity chef is also a human being with basic insecurities?
Weird, sure, but worth such a long write-up?
Meh.
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Apple News link, might/might not work.
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Here’s a “gift” link to the sfchronicle version.
No “backsies”.
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I’m not sure who thinks more of themselves in this little drama.
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