{"id":126010,"date":"2025-06-09T16:14:32","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T23:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/?p=126010"},"modified":"2025-06-09T16:14:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T23:14:32","slug":"following-a-string-of-lukewarm-reviews-french-laundry-named-top-cult-favorite-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/following-a-string-of-lukewarm-reviews-french-laundry-named-top-cult-favorite-restaurant\/","title":{"rendered":"Following a String of Lukewarm Reviews, French Laundry Named Top \u2018Cult-Favorite Restaurant\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chef Thomas Keller\u2019s renowned Yountville restaurant, The French Laundry, has been named California&#8217;s \u2018best cult-favorite restaurant\u2019 by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lovefood.com\/galleries\/202005\/the-best-cultfavorite-restaurant-in-every-us-state-and-dc?page=6\">food review site LoveFood.com<\/a> \u2014 a nod to the enduring appeal of the three Michelin-starred establishment despite its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/two-wine-country-restaurants-ranked-among-most-expensive-in-us\/?utm_id=b25saW5lQHByZXNzZGVtb2NyYXQuY29t\">famously steep prices<\/a> and a recent string of lukewarm reviews for The French Laundry and Keller\u2019s Per Se restaurant in New York City.<\/p>\n<p>According to the U.K.-based food review and recipe website, The French Laundry \u201cchanged the game of modern American fine dining back in the 1990s \u2014 and\u00a0people still talk about (it) in admiring tones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The LoveFood list was compiled based on a combination of user reviews, industry awards, accolades and firsthand experiences by the site\u2019s editorial team. California landed two additional entries on the list: Chez Panisse in Berkeley and The Ranch House in Ojai.<\/p>\n<h5>From glowing reviews to recent criticism<\/h5>\n<p>Operating under Keller since 1994, The French Laundry has long been considered a pinnacle of American fine dining. The Michelin Guide \u2014 which awards the restaurant its highest three-star rating \u2014 defines such establishments as offering \u201cexceptional cuisine worth a special journey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The restaurant, originally opened in 1978 by Don and Sally Schmidt, features a daily-changing tasting menu, often updated twice a day based on what\u2019s freshly harvested from its culinary garden.<\/p>\n<p>Following decades of mostly glowing reviews, The French Laundry and Keller\u2019s Per Se restaurant have received some biting criticism over the past few years.<\/p>\n<p>In 2016, The New York Times critic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/01\/13\/dining\/pete-wells-per-se-review.html\">Pete Wells described<\/a> a mushroom soup at Keller\u2019s New York restaurant Per Se \u201cas murky and unappealing as bong water.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/26\/dining\/french-laundry-per-se.html\">A recent follow-up review<\/a> by Times food columnist Melissa Clark, published Nov. 26, 2024, echoed Wells\u2019 concerns, calling both Per Se and The French Laundry overpriced and past their prime.<\/p>\n<p>Clark\u2019s critique gained particular notoriety after she confirmed to multiple outlets, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/food\/restaurants\/article\/thomas-keller-french-laundry-20290670.php\">including the San Francisco Chronicle,<\/a> that she had been served mushroom soup from a bong during her visit to The French Laundry \u2014 a wink to Wells\u2019 earlier comment.<\/p>\n<p>Then, in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/food\/restaurants\/article\/thomas-keller-french-laundry-20290670.php\"> a May 19 San Francisco Chronicle article<\/a>, food critic Mackenzie Chung Fegan recounted a recent visit to The French Laundry, during which Chef Thomas Keller initially asked her to leave \u2014 apparently unsettled by recent negative reviews, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/food\/restaurants\/article\/french-laundry-17488932.php\">including a 2022 critique by her predecessor Soleil Ho<\/a>, who wrote the restaurant was \u201cno longer worth the splurge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After a 30-minute conversation, Keller invited Chung Fegan back, and she rejoined her party for the full tasting menu. Keller later attempted to comp the meal \u2014 an offer critics are prohibited from accepting. \u201cIt\u2019s the ultimate display of power,\u201d Chung Fegan wrote of the chef\u2019s gesture; in the end, her party paid the full bill.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement nearly a month after Chung Fegan\u2019s visit, Keller said, \u201cUltimately, it was my responsibility to feed and nurture them. I think we did that, and they had a wonderful time from what we could tell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>See the full list of restaurants at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lovefood.com\/gallerylist\/202005\/the-best-cultfavorite-restaurant-in-every-us-state-and-dc\">lovefood.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>You can reach intern Rosemary Cromwell at <a href=\"mailto:rosemary.cromwell@pressdemocrat.com\">rosemary.cromwell@pressdemocrat.com<\/a>. On Instagram <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rjc.img\">@rjc.img<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following decades of mostly glowing reviews, The French Laundry and Thomas Keller\u2019s Per Se restaurant have received some biting criticism over the past few years. But some disagree. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":126017,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[113,5992,5,25145,749],"tags":[615,4055],"layout":[5590],"class_list":["post-126010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eat-and-drink","category-napa-getaway","category-things-to-do","category-trending","category-whats-new-sonoma-county","tag-french-laundry","tag-thomas-keller"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3.1 (Yoast SEO v25.3.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The French Laundry Earns Top Ranking Amid Tepid Reviews - Sonoma Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore why The French Laundry remains California&#039;s best cult-favorite restaurant, despite its steep prices and mixed reviews.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/following-a-string-of-lukewarm-reviews-french-laundry-named-top-cult-favorite-restaurant\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"website\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Following a String of Lukewarm Reviews, French Laundry Named Top \u2018Cult-Favorite Restaurant\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explore why The French Laundry remains California&#039;s best cult-favorite restaurant, despite its steep prices and mixed reviews.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/following-a-string-of-lukewarm-reviews-french-laundry-named-top-cult-favorite-restaurant\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sonoma Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SONOMAmagazine\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-09T23:14:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/bs_042125_FrenchLaundry1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sofia Englund\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sonomamag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sonomamag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rosemary Cromwell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/following-a-string-of-lukewarm-reviews-french-laundry-named-top-cult-favorite-restaurant\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/following-a-string-of-lukewarm-reviews-french-laundry-named-top-cult-favorite-restaurant\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sofia Englund\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6a918ab24ba8099f0389e965dcaa44dd\"},\"headline\":\"Following a String of Lukewarm Reviews, French Laundry Named Top \u2018Cult-Favorite Restaurant\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-09T23:14:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/following-a-string-of-lukewarm-reviews-french-laundry-named-top-cult-favorite-restaurant\/\"},\"wordCount\":520,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/following-a-string-of-lukewarm-reviews-french-laundry-named-top-cult-favorite-restaurant\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/bs_042125_FrenchLaundry1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"french laundry\",\"Thomas Keller\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Food + Drink\",\"Things to do in Napa\",\"Things To Do in Sonoma\",\"Trending\",\"What's New in Wine Country\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/following-a-string-of-lukewarm-reviews-french-laundry-named-top-cult-favorite-restaurant\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sonomamag.com\/following-a-string-of-lukewarm-reviews-french-laundry-named-top-cult-favorite-restaurant\/\",\"name\":\"The French Laundry Earns Top Ranking Amid Tepid Reviews - 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