A thread began on Chowhound discussing whether the French Laundry is overrated. I have never been to the French Laundry, but found what was said by 'sailorbuoys' (a friend) to be very interesting. She worked at FL over seven years ago, and has an interesting perspective about the French Laundry and the restaurant industry in general.
You can read the full post here.
Among the most eloquent portion:
When you eat at The French Laundry you are paying for someone's apprenticeship. You are paying the farmer (to follow Ms. Waters' work begun over 25 years ago) to grow her/his very particular crop, the one person cheese-making company, etc. This restaurant, CP and many others produce thousands of cooks, chefs and pastry chefs who have begun businesses that employ the same philosophies that they learned in these kitchens, or take them to uncharted territories of sustainability, community-interaction, 'green' building, intentional sourcing etc. (Have you heard of Nextcourse's work?)
The passion, dedication & unbelievably hard work that goes into this food & restaurant will never be measurable. From the farmers, to the slaughterers, to the dishwashers, to the commis', to the persons managing the room and staff of a landmarked (the building cannot be changed so that it will, by political design, only ever be able to seat over 65 diners) building and grounds.
While I don't know that I would ever feel comfortable paying the prices that the French Laundry charges, this post certainly gives another point of view.
Note: there is a possibility this thread will be deleted off of Chowhound. If that happens, drop me a note as I have a copy.
