Caviar, black truffles and fish tweezers for Christmas at Thomas Keller’s Finesse store
You may not be able to afford a dinner at the French Laundry -- heck, you might not even be able to get a reservation -- but that doesn’t mean you can’t share a little bit of that clothes-pinned magic. Thomas Keller and his staff have put together a collection of goods from the restaurant or inspired by it at the Finesse store.
And if you can’t make it to Yountville to browse in person, you can shop online.
The gifts run from Nieman-Marcus fantasy to the downright practical. You can buy a kit for making blini for caviar (fish eggs included, plus a half-bottle of Champagne) or for making black truffle risotto (truffle included) for $500.
If you’re really feeling plush, there’s the Thomas Keller signature knife set from MAC -- $900 for five knives, plus a steel and a carrying case.
MORE: The California Cookbook, a stunning database of great recipes
But there are some more affordable gifts too. There’s a kit of kitchen essentials -- a blue Bragard apron with the French Laundry insignia, a silver skimming and tasting spoon and a bain-marie pot for storing everything -- for $130. Or you could get a baking set -- a copy of the Bouchon Bakery cookbook, a bowl scraper, a whisk and a white logoed apron -- for $105.
There are even some presents that might qualify as stocking stuffers (albeit, very nice stockings). They’re not on the website yet, but if you call the store, you can order a Kuhn-Rikon vegetable peeler for only $7, a Messermeister culinary tweezer (for picking pin bones from salmon, etc.) for $15, or that bright blue French Laundry apron for $49.
Sadly, dinner reservations are not for sale. They must be earned the old-fashioned way, by spending hours on the phone.
Finesse the Store, 6540 Washington St., Yountville, Calif. (707) 363-9552.
ALSO:
GIFTS: 12 chef cookbooks that really work
GIFTS: Omnivore salt from an old Sicilian recipe
GIFTS: Sunglasses from old Mondavi wine barrels
More to Read
Eat your way across L.A.
Get our weekly Tasting Notes newsletter for reviews, news and more.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.