During the wait time, I was picking my brain and scrolling my mobile phone’s contacts to see who might be able to pull some strings for me. I couldn’t try on Open Table because they only have available through that service two tables for four and we were a group of six. The first hour and a half that I attempted to make the call, the phone was always busy. I marked my calendar and made sure the kids were taken care of so I could concentrate on my goal. I checked my agenda and my “reservation day” landed on a Saturday. First of all, reservations are accepted exactly two months prior to the calendar date you wish to attend. You see, meticulous planning and dedication is required- but will not assure you a positive result- to achieve such a challenging feat. I consulted with Maryse and Cristina and they told me (without consulting their husbands) they were in!Īt first, people called me crazy, hopeful, even pretentious and most conversations about my desire to get a reservation at the famed locale ended with a condescending, “good luck with that…”. I had read about it so many times throughout the years that I felt that if I was going to do a pilgrimage to one of the meccas of the global foodie community, Napa Valley, I might as well go all out. I am sure there are many great restaurants in the Napa Valley, and we visited some of them, but none as reputable as TFL. Of course, the #1 item on my list was to have dinner at The French Laundry.
We -the ladies- agreed to gather all the information about what we wanted to do during our stay and then meet on a future date to choose the options we would include in our itinerary and finalize all the details. By the time we had set up a date, half of the group had opted out due to conflicting schedules with other family/work related matters and only 3 couples were on board. We knew this would entail a bigger commitment from all of us, because it required more time and money than previous getaways.
In 2013, for our fortieth birthday celebration we decided to take a trip where most of us had never been before and Napa Valley was the unanimously agreed destination. The first time was a weekend in Vieques, the second year was in Culebra, both smaller islands east of Puerto Rico. Since 2008, almost every year, my close friends from high school and I have chosen a weekend to celebrate our birthdays, all together, sans children. Of course, it is not written in stone, simply serves as a guideline that we can work around. Attractions, geography, history, weather, culture, traditions, people, night scene, language, gastronomy, museum exhibits, festivals, its primary economy, you name it! Also, I like to make as many of the reservations ahead of time and create a written document (this time was an EXCEL table), that serves as a blueprint of how our days will flow and the basic information we will need during our stay. However, when it comes to traveling, especially if it is in a group and to a far away location, call me unadventurous or a travel nerd, but I don’t like to take many chances. Many will agree that I am a pretty flexible and laid back person when it comes to my daily chores, my little routines.
With Chef Thomas Keller at The French Laundry’s kitchen However, I have some recipes lined up to publish in the near future, but first, to commemorate the upcoming 20th anniversary of The French Laundry under Chef Thomas Keller’s tutelage, I want to share with you my experience when I visited the renowned restaurant a little over a year ago. Although I have been active on my Foodielady Facebook Page, it’s been over 6 months since I don’t post on this platform.
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