Michael Bauer

…the current menu seems even more complex in its ambition and pacing. Many courses come right to the edge of excess — but never tumble over because the dishes are so unified and balanced. Every ingredient has a voice, amplified by what Breeden and the other chefs do with it.

Previous to the remodel I heard rumblings that the restaurant had become a little staid and predictable, a charge that seems to plague any legacy restaurant that sets standards others copy. What was once unique becomes commonplace.

But the remodel seems to have given Keller and Breeden a new perspective. It’s still the French Laundry, but the dishes are more exciting and the service staff under longtime manager Michael Minnillo is reinvigorated.

The French Laundry feels like a newly minted four-star restaurant.

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