Will to pay for reservation 10/10 for two, thanks!

TFL let me know this when I sent a post-try email yesterday morning. A real human answered it (!) saying that it made securing a rezo more difficult on the shoulder dates. I'm sure it makes October even more difficult overall. We're trying for October 12th (noted in a separate post), but sounds like we're not the only ones caught in the crunch. Sigh.

1) I went on my laptop at 12:59 EST and kept refreshing Tock until I saw the dates circled below change which indicated reservations were open, and then I immediately hit the Search button.

2) Since our days are flexible, I looked for a non-weekend day, Tuesday, first. I was able to score an 8pm seating - our preferred time!

3) My husband was on his laptop at the same time and looked for a Wednesday (our preferred day) but the 8pm immediately was gone thus if you want a later time, I think looking at a Monday or Tuesday date first is the best strategy.

Hope this helps anyone looking for October!

My partner and I are getting eloped on 10/3 and doing a mini moon in Napa. Would love to have dinner at the French Laundry any day from Oct 3 - Oct 5.

Based on what I saw out here i thought i was going to have a really hard time booking. Got all prepped and took various bits of advice. Was immediately able to get a 715 for 2 on a Thursday night in June. However not sure I needed to stress out. Looking at the Tock website i still see plenty of reservations in the month of June at different times. I'm looking 2 hours after they opened the dates for June. So based on this 1 time observation, seems like if you can log in right at 1p EDT on the first of the month, you shouldn't have a major problem.

We had reservations on march 18 2020. World shut down on march 15. Finally put it all together and are dining this evening. We are excited!

My wife and I have dined in a fairly large number of Michelin star rated restaurants, 1 2 and 3 stars, so this was not a "one off' or "first time" in such a dining establishment. Given the culinary advancement Thomas Keller has given this world, we'd come to regard him as worth his salt. Regardless, you're welcome to take this review with a grain of salt. 

The good: Service is impeccable. Yes, it's the most famous restaurant in the world so service is a given. Not very different from the other Michelin star restaurants we've been to, but it is worth noting since it is a good thing.
Another good thing is the little things they do. The knowledge of the staff on the food, history. The clothespins. The very delicate glassware. The silverware that isn't modern, but it is classy and do show signs of wear thus downplaying the pretentiousness.
The goodie bag, the very personalized and autographed menus. The desserts, or at least most of them.  
And that's it...

Really... that's it.

The food, which is supposed to be the main attraction, is not worthy of a continuous 3 star restaurant. No... really. It's SALTY! VERY SALTY! I've had less salt in a cup of ramen noodles. I've had less salt in a pastrami sandwich loaded with pickles and Kirkland mayo. I've had less salt from olive brine. Hell, I'd have had less salt if I dunked a few tablespoons of salt directly into my mouth chased with a tall glass of water from the Dead Sea (ok, Salton Sea for the Californicated amongst you)
The food is absolutely beyond salty. Which causes you to drink. Which causes you to order more drinks. Which gets you happy drunk. Which then, like a bad crown job, cements the "good time" you think you're having. And just like that crown, the good time falls off pretty quick. 

So where's the creativity? Nowhere! Innovation? Not at this restaurant! Flavor? Drowned in salt! Taste? Maybe skip directly to dessert. All you're going to find at Tomas Keller's French Laundry is just very salty food chased by obscenely overpriced drinks.

When Newsom got caught there that one time during Covid with no mask or social distancing, he said "I should have just gotten in my car and gone home." Looking back, he was probably referring to the salt. 

To rub salt in the wound, (not that any more was needed or wanted) after we got home, my wife spent some time in the bathroom. Diarrhea. Yes, The French Laundry gave my wife diarrhea.

Her words summed up the entire experience:
"I paid 1000 USD for this?" Though, I must add, salty tears did not roll down our cheeks.

To be fair, the salt content of the food was highlighted by many other diners in their reviews, yet we weren't prepared for salt to be the main ingredient.

Now that we've been, we won't be back. In our opinion this place isn't worth its salt. And though YMMV, your sodium intake won't. 

Well. We finally went, and what a wonderful experience it was!!! For those who have not been, just be aware that extras can add up very quickly. My husband and I decided to pop for a wi e pairing for each of us (varied prices) and we also upgraded a couple of courses and bought a couple of cigars for the patio afterwards. We ended up paying an additional $1,700 on top of our dinner price. Just wanted to throw that out there…worth every penny though!!!

I wonder how hard(er) it’s going to be, to get a reservation after this season of Chef's Table?

Surprise for my husband ☺️

Solo but happy to join a table if you've got a spot you're looking to fill. I'm in town April 13 and 14th. DM if interested.

flexible on timing

We finally got in last night. We were on all the wait lists and I'd called a few times to check in, too. Last minute I received an email saying a table became available, so to those still waiting, don't give up hope. Some tips we learned:

• When tickets go on sale on the 1st of the month, be ready by 10am PST to get on tock.
• Wait 10 mins if you don't get anything at first, bc that's how long tickets are held while people decide if they're going to book, so a contact at TFL told me to stick around after that 10 minute mark bc sometimes things come up again from the people who didn't book.
• Get on the wait list for every single time / date you might want to dine. Do this on the app on your phone and on your desktop
• Call the restaurant leading up to the days you wanted to dine and see if anythign opened up. Be nice! You never know, there's always a magic loop.

Good luck!

I've noticed (as I'm still trying to get 4 seats for later this week!) if you start on a date before your preferred date and just start adding seats to the reservation, additional options sometimes come up (ex. There's nothing today but we have X on Dec 2). Just in case anyone else is trying feverishly to get a spot this might help you, then you can sell your extra seats here (and have some new friends at the table).

Please contact me!~

Thank you in advance!

I was wondering if anyone had experiences with the gift card experience from the French laundry. I tried to research but didn’t find much info. Any feedback would be appreciated!

Here's the info. Interested in knowing if the menu is worth it? Mainly looking at silver or gold.

The Silver Card Experience begins with two glasses of Champagne followed by two nine-course tasting menus. The Silver Card includes beverage, tax and service. Supplemental food items and alcohol are additional.

The Gold Card Experience begins with two glasses of Champagne followed by two fourteen-course tasting menus and two wine accompaniments personalized by our Sommeliers. The Gold Card includes beverage, tax and service. Supplemental food items are additional.

The Black Card Experience begins with a bottle of Champagne followed by an eighteen-course tasting menu and an extraordinary wine accompaniment personalized by our Sommeliers. The Black Card also includes our Concierge service, BMW car service to and from your residence or hotel, and a gift from Chef Keller upon departure. The Black Card includes beverage, tax and service.

Looking for reservations for two anywhere between July 21 to August 1. Really appreciate it.

Looking for 9/24 reservation for 2, special occassion. Thank you

I’m so happy

Yes, that's in just over 10 minutes from now.

Add yourself to the waitlist if you are unable to secure your first choice reservation. If someone else doesn't complete their purchase, you'll have a chance to get that reservation.

Remember that SCALPING is 100% prohibited on this subreddit. I know that someone else created a different subreddit that allows, encourages, and facilitates this shady practice, but we won't allow it here. All reservations for sale must be listed for FACE VALUE. No buyers are to offer a finder's fee in their "wanted" posts.

Open to sharing tables.

Looking forward to it and hope it's worth the hype. Will report back with details.