It was a cold and misty day in October when I found myself in Yountville in Northern California. Motivated by a desperate need to "get the hell out of Los Angeles" (it happens, often) and single, I was hungry after a rather lackluster tasting at Cakebread Winery. Being a fan of Thomas Keller - by collected legend more so than experience - I knew of Bouchon, French Laundry and Ad Hoc - but had never experienced the lore.
I walked into Bouchon and looked at menu. After dining at Bistro Jeanty the night before, I wasn't that much in the mood for another turn at French cuisine. Plus, I felt very single in a room of couples and just wasn't feeling it.
I continued down the road to Ad Hoc, Keller's more casual and American bistro style restaurant. Immediately, I felt that this was it. Did they have a reservation available? Why yes, they did. I ate. I savored. I had an experience of oral pleasure, peacefulness and happiness that I had rarely experienced up to that point in my life.
