22498 Thu Jan 02 17:23:08 -0800 2003 4 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 83394 We are planning to go to French Laundry for lunch. Has anyone been there lately? Is it worth the money? Is lunch there differnet from his dinner? Can we still get the tasting menu? Thu Jan 02 17:23:08 -0800 2003 0 Al 1 83405 While I haven't been there, friends of ours went in mid-December for their anniversary and loved it. They did the tasting menu and said that as expensive as it was (about $250 each, after wine and tip!!!) they felt it was worth it for a once-in-a-lifetime dinner. They were particularly impressed with the generosity of the truffle serving, having opted for the supplement with one appetizer. Thu Jan 02 20:21:49 -0800 2003 83394 0 Joan Kureczka 1 83416 I echo the other sentiments. It's a once in a lifetime thing to do - particularly if you do not make the reservations. Money the same as the other poster, but its as much for the show as the food. Put aside 4 hours. Fri Jan 03 02:14:48 -0800 2003 83394 0 Greg 1 83433 my wife, daughter and i were fortunate enough to dine at tfl in late december---as mentioned by others, a once in a lifetime event, unless of a very priveleged class. i just ran into a couple that claimed to have spent $1100 on lunch---although my family spent around $700 on dinner, with wine and tip. surprisingly, i really thought it worth the money, but i doubt that i'd spring for it again---i eat out a lot here in napa and would rather spread that 700 bucks around a little bit. rich Fri Jan 03 12:09:07 -0800 2003 83394 0 rich 1 83610 Went in November, I think it was. I didn't pay, but I have paid before and always find it worth the money. That said, it's a lot of money, so you may only want to experience it once! Lunch and dinner are the same now -- in fact, lunch can work out to be better because if they run out of something at lunchtime, it may not be available at dinnertime. They have 2 or 3 tasting menus plus the ala carte. Typically they have the Chef's Tasting Menu and a Vegetarian Tasting Menu. When I went last March (for lunch), they had an Offal Tasting Menu. I should have ordered that, but did not. -Peter Mon Jan 06 08:01:18 -0800 2003 83394 0 Peter Yee