THE FRENCH LAUNDRY >

With the weight of history and all of its accolades, Thomas Keller’s French Laundry can be intimidating if you’ve never been there. Luckily, it’s not an experience that asks much of you. Rather, the menu is the ultimate in haute comfort cuisine, accompanied by an expert serving staff that will gamely adapt to fit your needs, even if the extent of your wine knowledge begins and ends with, “What color is it?” In an abrupt departure from the silence in that space before the remodel, there’s now music playing in the dining room.

Still, it’s an intense experience — that’s what you’re paying for, right? Classic Keller dishes like the Oysters and Pearls and the salmon cornets are as precise as photographs, mimicking exactly the ones served more than a decade ago. And after eight savory courses, the half dozen dessert plates laid before you land the killing blow. Finally, the little goody bag full of chocolate truffles and some fresh bay leaves plucked from the garden carries the warmth of a relative packing a shopping bag full of warm Tupperware as you leave Sunday night dinner. What’s surprising? What’s impressive about the French Laundry, outside of an expertly executed three-hour dinner, is that it all unspools devoid of tangible pretension. It’s a weird thing to say about a dinner that included a $150 truffle-filled macaroni and cheese dish, but it’s true. The French Laundry is quite possibly one of the Bay Area’s most fun restaurants, at least in the category of fine dining. The staff is playful. The service is attentive. More importantly, the team working the dining room is malleable, morphing their approach to the vibe of the table instead of dictating levels of enjoyment. Order: The tasting menu, which changes seasonally while keeping a few classics like the Oysters and Pearls and salmon cornets, begins at $325 per person.

6640 Washington St., Yountville. 707-944-2380 or www.thomas keller.com/tfl. Dinner nightly, lunch Fri.-Sun. Reservations required. Credit cards accepted.

— J.P., S.H.