Every other great luxury meal that we’ve eaten has featured the rich, buttery delicacy, and its the one thing that would have propelled the food experience into the highest stratosphere. Though it’s a shame that California passed the arcane foie gras ban. The food, you ask? Of course, it’s excellent. We liked the red wine so much that we hunted it down the next day and bought some bottles to bring home to enjoy later. The sommelier gave us the perfect recommendations, especially the Retro Cellars 2009 Petite Sirah from Napa Valley. Not surprisingly, the wine list was extensive, sophisticated and accessible. It’s as if our table was under surveillance. In fact, we quietly commented on not liking one server as much as the others, and we never saw her up close again. Seriously, the service is impeccable to the extreme. Compared to other high-end dining establishments, The French Laundry’s service is like Secretariat at the Belmont or Michael Jordan on the basketball court. The restaurant’s attentive focus toward every last detail of the dining experience separates it from all other American restaurants. Have you had a pleasant experience or horrible shock at the corkage charged in a restaurant? Leave your comments below.Boxed Chocolates a/k/a French Laundry Swag Thoughts about our Dinner at The French Laundry in Napa Valley Ordering either of those Napa Cabs is $12.50 cheaper than bringing Charles Shaw Cabernet and paying the corkage fee and probably better as well, though we'll leave the value judgment to you. The restaurant has two listings at that price: 2011 Round Pond Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon ($47 retail) and 2010 Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon (a relative steal because it's $79 on Wine-Searcher, unless the listed wine is actually the $40 second-label " Le Pich." We can't afford to go eat there and order to find out, but if you do, let us know).
You can even drink Napa Cabernet for just $140 with your French Laundry meal. However, there are more than 100 wines under $150 on The French Laundry's list, including Napa wines such as 2012 Cliff Lede Stags Leap District Sauvignon Blanc ($24 retail, $70 restaurant), 2012 Stony Hill Napa Valley Riesling ($29 retail, $85 restaurant) and 2012 Arnot-Roberts Watson Ranch Napa Valley Chardonnay ($39 retail, $110 restaurant). The 2007 Dominus Estate has an average price of $188 on Wine Searcher. Schram" Brut has an average price of $96 on Wine Searcher (all prices excl. Presumably, Keller's high corkage fee is meant to discourage diners from bringing in their own wine from a visit to nearby Napa wineries but – incredibly – even at $150, sometimes it still might be worth doing.Ģ004 Schramsberg "J. Expect to pay £50 ($83.95) per 750ml bottle of still wine and £75 ($125.90) for a bottle of Champagne. Throughout the U.S., corkage charges rarely exceed $50 with a few notable examples: Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas charges $100 a bottle and Masa in New York charges $95. On the other side of the Pond, the Shangri-La hotel at London's tallest building, the Shard, boasts similarly high corkage fees. Thomas Keller Restaurant Group did not return an email and call from Wine-Searcher requesting a comment.
And it gives wine service a bad name," he added. "If you wonder why the average person has contempt for the idea of high-end diners drinking wine, this is a good example of why they do. I have to wonder if the wine service at The French Laundry is six times better. The Chef The Five-Star French Laundry is the domain of acclaimed American chef Thomas Keller, who began his culinary career working in a Palm Beach restaurant managed by his mother. "There are a lot of really fine restaurants with outstanding wine programs and great sommeliers where the corkage fee is $25 or $30. If you've found a special wine during your Napa Valley explorations, you can bring it along to drink at The French Laundry, for a 75 corkage fee. "It's plain old gouging," said Tom Wark, executive director of the American Wine Consumer Coalition. The huge corkage fee charged by Thomas Keller's two top restaurants in Napa Valley and New York City is believed to be the highest in the U.S., and probably the world. If you want to bring your own wine to The French Laundry or Per Se, you can, but be prepared to pay $150 a bottle for the privilege. © AFP | $150 corkage fee? No wonder Keller is laughing
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