This is thought by many to be the best restaurant in not only the Bay Area but the country. It’s a special occasion place, but Thomas Keller’s menu is not stuffy. He has dishes with fun names like Mac ‘n Cheese (with truffle oil), Pearls and Oysters, and Coffee and Donuts. Obviously, these are creative and upscale concoctions and not your mass market renditions.

The service is some of the best I’ve had anywhere. The servers are very knowledgeable. In fact, one time our waiter was a chef who owned a restaurant in France but came to the US to wait for Thomas Keller. That’s how much he wanted to learn from the famous man.

Cuisine:	American
Price:	Nine and seven-course tasting menus are $175 (the portions of the nine-course are smaller than those of the seven-course). Otherwise, entrees are $25-45.
Dress:	Jackets for men, business casual and up for women. Don’t wear jeans, even if they are of the $150 variety.
Noise:	Not a problem at all.
Reservations:	You need to plan far, far in advance to dine here. Getting reservations is nearly impossible. First, they are taken exactly two months from the date you want to dine. Second, when you call for reservations, the phone will be perpetually busy. Though they take reservations from 10AM to 5PM daily, chances are, when you finally get through, the whole date will be booked up. You will have to try all over again with another day. There are also a few tables available through OpenTable, but these are also hard to snag. Otherwise, stay at a nearby B&B or hotel where the concierge has connections and can book a table for you. This process also applies for groups of eight or more, but they get to book a whole year in advance. (OpenTable)
Payment:	Cash and credit cards.
Parking:	Street parking is not a problem and there is a free lot across the street as well.
Date place?	Of course, if you can actually get in…
Homepage:	www.frenchlaundry.com/tfl/frenchlaundry.htm