A Love of Latin

Thomas Keller is most known for his Napa Valley restaurant The French Laundry and its famous garden located directly across the street in Yountville.  And if you don't know about The French Laundry, then most foodies are aware of his restaurant Bouchon which is located in several locations throughout the United States.  But few are probably aware of his other Napa Valley restaurant located just minutes down the street from The French Laundry and Bouchon which serves just as excellent of food in a casual environment.

Similar to The French Laundry the menu at Ad Hoc is preset for the evening and only announced on that day, so if you are a limited eater then I'm not sure that this restaurant is for you.  But once seated they do ask if you have any food allergies, so you should not be concerned by that.  Your only choices for the remainder of the evening will be beverages and whether or not you want to partake in the optional meal supplement.  All courses are served family style and with each new course you also get a fresh plate and silverware, so no need to worry about keeping your plate or fork clean.

The first course was a salad made of vegetables picked that morning from The French Laundry Garden.  I've never tasted vegetables so fresh tasting and crisp - just off the farm.  This was not the easiest plate to share as I wanted to just eat off the main plate to be sure I got every bit of yumminess.  That was the one down side of the dressing being served beneath the veggies on the plate.

TFL Garden Tomato & Cucumber Salad (brokaw avocado, belgian endive, english peas, oranges, frisée, sesame dressing)

The second course was indescribable.  Usually when short ribs are prepared, in order to break down the connective tissue the meat is slow cooked for hours and all the marbling is gone having drained to the bottom of the pan to make a hearty au jus.  But these are not your usual braised short ribs.  I've never had anything like them.  Once you slice into them the meat is pink and tender and full of marbling.  No short rib will ever come close to the ones I had at Ad Hoc that evening.  The vegetables again were fresh from the garden and the potatoes were as creamy as could be.

Braised Beef Short Ribs (garlic whipped potatoes, broccolini, blistered shishito peppers, mokum carrots, tokyo turnips, sauce japonais)

We decided to get the additional entree with our meal, but it just resulted in the meal being too much food.  My husband noted that this entree was probably his least favorite of all of our courses, and I would probably agree.  That said, Ad Hoc's least successful is better than most restaurant's specialities.  And while I'm not much of a fan of calamari, this calamari was cooked perfectly and really held the flavor of the subtle curry.

Seafood Curry (rock shrimp, pei mussels, monterey squid, jasmine rice)

When the cheese course was served my husband grabbed a slice of cheese before I could even take a picture of the plate.  The cheese alone was decadent, but once drizzled with honey, it was heavenly.

San Joaquin Gold (candied cashews, honey, k&j orchards pluots)

By the time the dessert course was served there was "no room at the inn."  I struggled to finish my panna cotta which had a subtle earl grey flavor.  In fact I had seen many patrons take their oat tuiles to go, but I didn't want to miss one bite and to be able to experience the flavor combination.  Ultimately I never finished my panna cotta and found myself rolling out of the restaurant, but I have no regrets.

Earl Grey Panna Cotta (yellow nectarines, oat tuile)

This was not our first trip to Ad Hoc, nor will it be the last.  Previously we experienced their Sunday brunch which is just as wonderful, and I hope that some day I can experience their fried chicken as it has a reputation as strong as that of The French Laundry.  If you're in the Napa Valley I strongly recommend going to Ad Hoc with its Michelin quality food in a casual atmosphere with a reasonable price of $52 per person.