Another Ad Hoc Experience

As I mentioned before, our hotel was located almost next to Ad Hoc in Yountville so after we had slept off the big meals of the previous day, we tromped through the rain to brunch at Ad Hoc late Sunday morning.

The last time I was here, I loved Ad Hoc - this time, I just liked it. I guess it really depends what's on the menu for the day. I was so hoping for a repeat of the fried chicken we had last time.

The first change was that there was no longer a basket of Bouchon Bakery pastries :( Instead regular bread was served. Don't get me wrong - it was nice bread. I just had high expectations from last time...

We started with a salad of frisee and smoked red trout, which was really good - even for someone who's not usually a fan of smoked fish and salad. This, like all dishes here, is served family-style - so we cleaned the plate very quickly between the four of us.

The main course was smoked beef shortribs with homemade tagliatelle. The beef was delicious and cooked just right. And the tagliatelle was really good - thin and flavorful and tossed with some great mushrooms. This was served with some broccoli rabe - the photo on the right is after I had served myself a good sized portion.







I had been disappointed to see Rum Baba as the dessert of the day. I'm not one for liquor in my desserts. In my mind, there's nothing worse than biting into a delicious looking dark chocolate truffle only to find a liquer-filled center. All things considered, the Rum Baba wasn't bad. Especially if you slathered it with the accompanying chantilly.


The first photo is of the special $25 bottle of Blue Ribbon Ale that is only available at Thomas Keller restaurants. See last post for the back story.

All in all, not quite as stellar as my first experience, but still an excellent value - and the service was as good as always. Wish this place was closer to where I live...