i’m just worried you’d want cab with every course, and i was hoping to go straight thru with some old clos du mesnil 
finally landed a 1 top for end of the month. i’ve only been trying since august, so not that bad ![[shock.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0b1dcf699ec319f43254f92e3f145786dcd93904.gif "shock"){kind=small}
Oh, too bad it is just for one. I was going to bring an SQN. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
you are indeed a funny girl ![[stirthepothal.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/f40faec63ca1018898a40805efbf9f0066a3d205.gif "[stirthepothal.gif]"){kind=small}
ok merrill, here goes…
amuse
gougeres and salmon cornet
jose dhondt b de b
oysters and pearls
fritsch, gruner veltliner, schlossberg, erste lage, 2011
white truffle infused custard
gonzalez byass, palo cortado, apostoles 30 anos, jerez
terrine of foie gras
domaine p baudouin, les zersilles, quarts de chaume 2010
atlantic monkfish piccata
clos de pape, cdp blanc, 2010
maine sea scallop
f carillon, les referts, puligny montrachet, 1er cru, 2011
liberty farms pekin duckroti a la broche
poggio antico, brunello di montalcino riserva, 2007
saddle of millbrook farms venison
la rioja alta, gran reserva 904, rioja, 2001
cabot creamery’s clothbound cheddar
saa
les fruits tropicaux
okinawa brown sugar ice cream
maralumi chocolate
mas amiel, maury, 1980
dinner was amazing and worth the wait. i’m glad i forgot to bring my bottle of burg and went for a pairing, as i didn’t know corkage went to 150 from 90. the only thing i would do differently would be to skip the supplemental foie gras dish as it didn’t completely thrill me, although the wine pairing with it was excellent.
any photos?
Did they try to push any “cuvee french laundry” schramsberg blanc de blanc on you?
no photos
no schramsberg pushing either
they started with the dhondt and i never even heard a mention of the schramsberg
Once a restaurant becomes this inaccessible to you, you have to accept the fact that you are not “in the circle” and move to other places that do want you. Or you need to meet newer and far more wealthy and affluent people.
i hear ya joe. trouble is my wealthy and affluent friends wouldn’t waste their time or money with a place like this. that’s how they got wealthy and affluent ![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
Maybe. I remember my sister trying to get a reservation at the French laundry this last summer for her husbands 50th. He is a lawyer with a real high salary somewhere in the $400-$500k range. Every day she would call right at noon to open table. Then called the restaurant. Then people she knew. Months went by. I visited her and we drove to napa and the restaurant. No go. They did eventually secure two seats months after he turned 50. Man, for me that would be a complete anti climactic birthday dinner. But that’s me.
I got in by calling in a few days before my preferred Friday/Saturday for the wait list and not expecting anything to happen.
Friday afternoon I got offered an early dinner which I actually couldn’t make in time, and then later on I got offered a Saturday lunch which I took.
Not anticlimactic at all. Lots of celebrations along the way to keep me busy!
Merci, Mark. I somehow think my venture into the Salon and the resulting dinner was the way to go for me. I actually prefer (these days) to have fewer courses, more of each of the few courses I select, and forgettabout dessert.
Ms. Kessler and I got out of La Grenouille sated, happy, and feeling quite indulged. I think my out of pocket was $240. Next time, however, I will not send the wait staff into a scurry by picking up my tiny lamb chop with my fingers. I did not realize finger bowls still existed.
hi merrill
while i agree that the salon will keep me content until my next "big’ visit, every few years the full ride is warranted and deserved. i knew it had been a while since i’d been when one server told me i don’t like baguettes, as it was in the computer from my last visit in 2010…the thing is, i love baguettes, proving that stored information is only as good as the person entering it ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
The wine pairings look nice.
I agree - given the corkage and wine list markup, that wine pairing looks like a good choice.
Paid in is not a set thing. U discuss what u want to spend and they do it accordingly. I thought they were more than fair about the choices fwiw.
Autocorrect strikes!?
Right. Pairings are not set on the menu.
$150 corkage? Ouch.
How much was the wine pairing?