“Attention. To. Detail. Over the past couple of years I've heard my wife talk about wanting to go to The French Laundry, so this year I surprised her with a very early birthday surprise up in Napa! After coordinating with two other couples and booking reservations, I got an email asking for any special occasions or dietary restrictions. I informed them of the birthday celebration and the fact that we had someone who was gluten free. When we got there they knew our party and wished my wife a happy birthday and brought us to our seats. When we looked at the menu we all noticed that they printed "Happy Birthday (wife's name)" on the top of the menu, which we got to keep after the dinner. A few at our table got the wine pairings which are tailored to how much you'd like to spend and the sommelier did not miss. Each meal was an experience and at one point someone in our party was obsessed with how good the asparagus tasted. They also substituted every gluten item for our party member that was gluten free so they got to enjoy every course, which was a worry in the back of my mind that was put to ease. At the end they invited us down to the kitchen and we got to (briefly) see the chefs at work. Then at the end, each couple got their own menu, wine list of the pairings we had and some goodies for a late night or morning snack. My wife got her own happy birthday chocolate bar from Thomas Keller as well! This was all of our first times at The French Laundry and I don't believe it will be our last either. Amazing experience with great friends and we will be back!“
“Attention. To. Detail. Over the past couple of years I've heard my wife talk about wanting to go to The French Laundry, so this year I surprised her with a very early birthday surprise up in Napa! After coordinating with two other couples and booking reservations, I got an email asking for any special occasions or dietary restrictions. I informed them of the birthday celebration and the fact that we had someone who was gluten free. When we got there they knew our party and wished my wife a happy birthday and brought us to our seats. When we looked at the menu we all noticed that they printed "Happy Birthday (wife's name)" on the top of the menu, which we got to keep after the dinner. A few at our table got the wine pairings which are tailored to how much you'd like to spend and the sommelier did not miss. Each meal was an experience and at one point someone in our party was obsessed with how good the asparagus tasted. They also substituted every gluten item for our party member that was gluten free so they got to enjoy every course, which was a worry in the back of my mind that was put to ease. At the end they invited us down to the kitchen and we got to (briefly) see the chefs at work. Then at the end, each couple got their own menu, wine list of the pairings we had and some goodies for a late night or morning snack. My wife got her own happy birthday chocolate bar from Thomas Keller as well! This was all of our first times at The French Laundry and I don't believe it will be our last either. Amazing experience with great friends and we will be back!“