SF Dine About hit the trail in May and with 6 adventurous-babysitters in place-members of our group we journeyed up to Yountville for a night away! We were all excited for what awaited us at Ad Hoc. This is Thomas Keller's "locals joint". This was a temporary dining room Mr. Keller set up while renovating the French Laundry. But the locals liked it so much, Mr. Keller kept it open. It's a simple set up - 1 menu each night. Everyone in the restaurant has the same menu and food is served family style at your table.
Expectations were high - this may be a locals joint, but it is Thomas Keller after all. The problem, I believe, was that our expectations may have been too high. Overall it was a very enjoyable evening and the attention to detail was not missed. But, when the main course fails to impress, there's not much you can do to recover. I would still recommend it to others. It's a fun way to dine (no big decisions, lots of sharing), all the little details are right on, the service is strong, and who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and have a great main course!
On to the ratings. A note from management. . .these ratings reflect the somewhat obscure recollection of one member of our group. It's been a month since our dinner and I'm having trouble recalling my own ratings, let alone those of the entire group. If you were at Ad Hoc and feel I am off in my memory - please add a note and let us all know!
Food: mid 80s
Great salads (though some thought a little salty). Great butter. It's a little thing, but the butter for the bread was a local variety and was smooth and rich. Then the trouble began - the pork tenderloins. They were perfectly cooked, very moist, but no flavor. Really, very bland. We all agreed we'd had better pork from Messr. Phan. Desserts were delightful and the real stand out was the special course of local cheeses, nuts, and a wonderful honey. The perfect combination.
Phu - To add to Mollie's comment on the Pork Tenderloin, they were cooked sous vide method, a new trendy form of poaching that I feel is overdone these days (some thanks to Top Chef Season 3 Winner Hung Huynh). The result was the most perfectly cooked pork tenderloin I have ever sink my teeth into, tender, moist and juicy. However, without the seared mark or sizzle, the pork just lacks flavor.
Atmosphere: 90
Casual, but modern. We had a nice table of 6 where we could all easily converse. And, getting away for the night, all of us parents were in a state of bliss.
Service: 92
I remember the waiter was very helpful to the 3 pregnant ladies - making sure we knew what was pasteurized and what wasn't. New plates and settings were all perfectly timed with each course.
Value: this would have been good value, but we opted as we usually do for a quite expensive bottle of bubbly that put us over the top! Salud!
Next up. . . .SF Dine About hits 5 years!!
