Ad Hoc
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
134 reviews
Yountville, CA
"Domaine Chandon is the perfect winery to visit while in Yountville, especially if you enjoy some sparkling. Eric and I chose the 35 minute…" read more »
264 Reviews for Ad Hoc
I came back to Ad Hoc July 21.
The menu was an endive and arugula salad, braised pork belly, cheese, and a brownie with vanilla cream for dessert.
The fried chicken night I went to was ridiculously amazing, this was just good. Would've been better but the saffron-scented rice that accompanied the pork belly was saffron-drenched. One member of our party commented (correctly) that it tasted like the inside of an inflatable pool toy.
Everything else was pretty top-notch though.
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07/10/2008
FRIED CHICKEN NIGHT IS THE BEST!
I was planning on just leaving that for the entire review - really,… Read more »
Only one adjective truly defines Ad Hoc for me: badass.
This stepchild of the Keller persuasion is by far one of the best places I've frequented in the Valley. What is so impressive about this place is how approachable they make the daily gourmet menu.
We were there on July 4th, and the place was hustling and bustling. The food was family style and oh-so fresh -- our waiter (totally awesome by the way) told us that the first course would be a few minutes because they were cutting the heirloom tomatoes for the salad on request. We didn't mind as it gave us a chance to enjoy the Yountville fireworks display.
The prawns were amazingly fresh and the flank steak was perfection. All the produce was basically a display of "our produce is better than yours anyday." And it's true! Last but not least, the homemade ice cream reminded me of childhood church picnics.
This approachable use of gourmet ingredients made this dining experience comforting. And that's really what dining is all about!
I am in love with Ad Hoc. After making reservations for Saturday, July 19 many moons ago, we eagerly anticipated what our menu of the day would be. I couldn't have been more pleased. We had the Heirloom Tomato Salad with House Made Mozzarella, Braised Beef Short Ribs served over House Made Tagliatette, Marisa Cheese Course, and Beignets with Strawberry and Chocolate Sauce.
Ummm... can you say pure heaven? All the dishes were simple, but executed flawlessly - which is what good, fresh food is about. One of my friends said the tomato salad was the freshest salad she had ever had - you know those tomatoes were on the vine that morning.
The short ribs were big and meaty, braised for 24 hours, so the meat was tender and melted in your mouth. It took me awhile to figure out the herb I tasted in the dish, until I realized it was tarragon, but obviously just a tiny amount since tarragon is not a subtle herb. It was just superb.
The cheese course had a small green salad accompanying it that had a mild vinaigrette kissed with honey and spiced nuts - which was so good with the strong crumbly cheese, that I could have licked the plate.
And I need not tell you that the beignets were unbelievable. Served with warm chocolate sauce, strawberry compote and vanilla pastry cream, one of my friends actually was trying to figure out a subtle way to lick her plate.
The meal, in a word, was just perfection. It was so simple yet so good - sometimes it's the simple things that are the best.
100 miles one way during $4.65/gal gas. 100 miles one way during a weekday. 100 miles one way during rush hour. 100 miles one way for Fried Chicken!
OpenTable made this ad hoc experience easy.
Sorry, gotta ding you one.
Only because I wasn't too thrilled on the courses outside of the main course (buttermilk fc, hudson ranch helga beans with tomato bacon stew ontop, fingerling potato salad) . The salad was good; melon and cucumber. The cheese course was good albeit sparse; Zingermans Creamery Lincoln Log with pistachio/almond nuts, jam. The dessert course was good; peach, apple, berry hodge-podge cobbler. $3 small glass of soda.
It would have been totally better if there was biscuits and corn-on-the-cob. And a chocolate-type dessert or ice cream sandwich.
Until next time. (but first time was still the best and hard to duplicate, and its +$3pp now)
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04/23/2007
Four-course pre-fixe for $45pp from the famed Thomas Keller, I'm in!
My friend made reservations for… Read more »
I hate to do this, Ad Hoc, but you were a bad, bad... anyways, -1 star.
Shrimp, no matter how you prep them for cooking, should NOT be pasty or mushy in texture.
On a brighter note, the turf portion of your meal was delicious, especially in combination with the creamiest, butteriest mashed 'taters & perfectly steamed asparagus. As always, the presentation was tops!
Also, heirloom tomato salad was beyond divine! Dee-vine!
Not to end on a sour note, but in addition to the mushy spotted prawns, the service at the bar was seriously lacking. I felt like we were invisible. That sucked. Really sucked.
Now, Ad Hoc. I want you to sit there and think about what you've done, & I hope that bad shrimp stuff will never, *ever* happen again. I expect more from you. And that goes for service, too!
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08/14/2007
That's right.
5-Stars.
I said it.
5-stars for Fried Chicken.
The most perfect fried chicken maybe on… Read more »
We were able to have the pleasure of experiencing brunch at this restaurant and I must say, it was unbelievably delicious. It was my dad's birthday and they couldn't have had a more perfect menu for him that day as he loves steak!
We were served rib eye steak, yukon hash potatoes, sunny side up eggs with heirloom tomatoes, and bibb lettuce salad with seared tuna and white peach crepes for dessert. Every single entree was delivered to us within a well timely manner as well tasted so good and fresh.
This time, the service was impeccable. The staff was very attentive, especially to our "bread" needs and was also willing to accommodate my mother's unruly dining needs. For the curious george's, she likes her steak well done and her eggs with no yolk. I know, right? But, thankfully, I have a husband who is not ashamed to ask these types of requests.
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04/05/2008
My fiance and I are huge Thomas Keller fans. We've been fortunate enough to eat at the infamous… Read more »
We loved this place!
The food was fntastic, the service excellent, and the atmosphere was inviting and unpretentious. Great place you MUST go.
I've been wanting to come here for a LONG time, and finally made it up on one of the best nights to go .. Fried Chicken Night! The scenery in Yountville was very nice, and the air was so fresh and clean when we left. I'd buy a house up there in a minute. We sat by an open window which was nice, as we got some fresh air. I noticed the tables didn't have any salt and pepper shakers / dishes, but it turns out that didn't matter.
You all know what the menu is all about, so I'll spare that. We sat right by the window in the corner, and got some much needed fresh air. The tables are spaced far enough apart where you will not know your neighbor's business, but close enough to be comfy. The thermostat was right behind me, and twice somebody came by to adjust it. I was thinking the guy was gonna smack be in the back of the head. It's not often you see somebody reaching behind your head! The music was pretty good, as the staff uses their own iPods. We heard Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eagles, and lots of other good stuff. The music is just loud enough to know it's there, and perk your ears up when you hear something familiar.
That night we had:
Baby Iceberg Wedge Salad. The salad came with oven roasted tomato, bacon, (still warm!), radishes and house made buttermilk ranch dressing. It pains me to say that the tomato was my favorite part of this salad, and not the bacon. Yes, that's right ... the TOMATO was better than the BACON. (I can't believe I just wrote that.) This salad was so good, I could have had only that and been happy. But then there's more. We had extra salad dressing for potato and chicken dunking.
Fried Chicken, no legs. Neither of us care for chicken legs, so we got extra thighs, breasts and wings. I am thinking of starting a list of my favorite fried chicken places, but the list is very short right now. I won't say what the other two places are, but Ad Hoc is the clear winner of the three. I need some schooling on good fried chicken! The chicken came with Fingerling Potato and Corn on the Cob. Each piece was better than the last. I can't clean my bones well, but the meat I was able to cut off the bone was tender, and juicy. Each potato was cooked evenly, and the corn had a pound of butter and some lime juice. Each dish was getting dunked into some sauce from the other dishes. Chicken and potato getting dunked in butter and dressing.
The cheese course was a Bonne Buche served with honey and almonds. I wasn't too sure about the honey with the cheese, but somehow it just fit. I was getting really full, and didn't want to miss the dessert. Thank God the service was painfully slow, and it took some work to get a few things straight, but I digress. We chalked it up to the server being shy.
For dessert, we had Fruit Salad with white peaches, mixed berries, shortbread, and whipped cream. My friend was terrified that coffee service is no longer available, but that turned out to be false. We both had our own pot of French Press coffee at 10:00 at night. We couldn't finish both pots, and will get just one for both of us next time. I must admit I was a bit worried about the berries, as every berry I have tried before Ad Hoc has been sour or bitter. Not here. Each berry was clearly distinct from the other and nicely sweet.
I think this was one of the best meals I have ever had. The salad was so good, my friend told me where to get the recipe. And I have it in my hands right now. The only thing I could not find at Canyon Market was the chives. But I have the Neuske's bacon ready to go!
Despite trying to go home to San Francisco, via Fairfield, (that's EAST, when we wanted to go WEST) it was a great evening.
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Ad Hoc deserves each and every one of the 5 stars. It was our first destination on our 4 day trip to Yountville. The four course dinner began with a salad of baby mixed greens with sweet onions, shaved radishes, and Persian cucumbers dressed in a red wine vinaigrette, served with tomato conserva on garlic crostini. It was followed by the confit of Snake River Farms Kurobuta pork that was braised for 10 hours. The braised meat, tender and flavorful, fell apart as soon as we sank our fork in it. Served with the pork were Santa Rosa plums, toasted walnuts, and Roman beans fresh from the French Laundry garden, along with marble potatoes butter poached for a couple of hours. You can taste the freshness in every bite. Next is the Mouco Cheese Co's Colo Rouge cheese with spiced nuts and Marshall's Farm honey. We liked their choice of honey so much we went over to Ranch Market Too and picked up a small jar. The meal ended with a warm chocolate brownie in a caramel sauce with whipped vanilla cream.
Our server, Katie, was warm and friendly. Katie suggested great wines to go with our dinner. She even rearranged our reservations with Bouchon for us so we were able to come back on Wednesday night for their infamous fried chicken. When we were back that night, Katie did not hesitate to come say hello.
The fried chicken on Wednesday was nothing short of amazing: buttermilk fried chicken with buttery mashed butter and fresh corn on a cob. It just does not get better than that.
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I'm a total wino so when I'm in Napa, my usual m.o. is to drink like a fool all day long so by the time dinner rolls around, I'm wiped out and snoozing in the car. However, the thought of finally getting to eat dinner at Ad Hoc motivated me to pace myself on a day where the wine started flowing at 9:50am. And yippee, it was so completely worth it!!!
Here was last night's menu:
Starter: Watercress, endive, shrimp and cherry tomato salad in lemon vinaigrette. There was so much shrimp and it was cooked perfectly and the veggies were all crisp and fresh. The combination of flavors was so refreshing, delicious, and perfect for a super hot summer day.
OK, now if you're on any kind of a diet whatsoever, stop reading this now as you'll probably gain 5 pounds just reading about the rest of the meal...
Entree: Fried chicken was the entree. I don't eat chicken but they always have a vegetarian option (and sometimes fish) if you ask. Last night's fish was cod, which was pan fried without any sauce. The cod looked plain but with the first bite - my mouth was doing backflips! I've never had fish that was this plain and yet this unbelievably tasty. It was so moist and seasoned perfectly with just salt and pepper. Usually, I drown my food in as much sauce as I can get my grubby little paws on but this fish didn't need any sauce at all. In this case, simplicity = perfection! My friend had the fried chicken and she loved it. The entree comes with 4 pieces and since she only ate 2, I brought the leftovers home for my finger-licking-fried-chicken-loving husband and he said it was the best fried chicken he's ever had (and this from someone who's always on the hunt for the perfect fried chicken).
Sides: Mashed potatoes - these are not at all like any I've ever had. Loads of butter and cream in a garlic confit. AMAZING! They were perfectly whipped - not all smooth ala KFC but with a bit of texture.
Corn - Perfectly cooked, still on the crisp side with plenty of butter.
Cole Slaw - Seasoned shredded cabbage and red cabbage. It wasn't heavy and mayonnaisey but light and refreshing.
Needless to say, after consuming all that, we were incredibly stuffed and could barely breathe. Then they brought out clean plates for the next course - eek.
Cheese Course: Goat cheese with cubes of red and yellow watermelon with balsamic vinegar drizzle. If our bellies didn't feel like we'd just gobbled up a tribe of pygmies, we probably would have enjoyed this course a bit more.
Dessert: Chocolate brownie souffle with caramel and ice cream. I could only manage about 2 bites but it was rich and chocolatey and very very good.
The service was efficient and solid. The only minor complaint I'd have is that towards the end of our second course, it seemed our waiter couldn't bring out and then clear away the plates for our remaining courses fast enough. I looked at my watch and we'd been there for an hour and the place was starting to fill up. I know that they need to turn the tables over but we were eating the food as quickly as they were bringing it out and it just would have been a more pleasant ending to a fabulous dinner to not feel like they wanted to kick us to the curb mid-meal.
Wine is served in glass tumblers which isn't a deal breaker and most people probably don't care but for some reason, I don't enjoy drinking wine out of tumblers (although a 40 out of a paper bag is a-ok). But that for sure won't deter me from coming back and enjoying everything this great restaurant has to offer!
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Omg kill me over the 48 hour slow cooked short ribs, juicy and tender. I kinda got turned off because they served us cheese for the 3rd course o,0...the dessert was shweet, but I had hoped the cookie would be warm on the ice cream sandwiches. We had like a party of 11, lost track of time when we all realized we have a long drive back to Oakland and SF because we all got work tomorrow -,-...
Don't let good time kill your time o-: ...if you don't have work the next day of course..
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Lucky for Grace I am on a personal quest to INCREASE my carbon footprint.
I just leave the Escalade running while I leave the fridge open to cool the entire kitchen while every TV in my house is playing "Rock of Love" re-runs on VH1.
Given that I was dominating Northstar's downhill runs all day, I figured I needed to make up for not using any gas so I met up with her in Napa for an evening of family style dining.
Ad Hoc is just one of those cool places that I can see myself going back to.
I always get excited with family style dining because I secretly know how to screw everyone over by taking more than my fair share.
C'mon, I had to deal with like 50 cousins growing up all trying to jam me at the dinner table.
Did I occasionally beat them?
I was fat. They weren't. Enough said.
Getting back to the point, Ad Hoc knows how to serve a meal.
The flatiron steak was neither flat nor did it taste of iron but Jesus Christ it was good.
I am a cheese whore, but my favorite part of the meal was not the cheese platter, it was the buttermilk parfait.
The soon-to-be groom got a couple servings of it while I watched with disdain and envy.
Some of the items were a bit over salted but hey, people say I am slightly salty and they still love me.
Go figure.
Nameless.
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Simply Divine. The meal is etched in memory:
Lola Rossa and Burrata Salad
tomato and basil marmalade, toasted crostini
gioia burrata, pickled red onions, mixed olives
Beef Short Ribs with *Hand-cut Pappardelle*
wild mushrooms, english peas and pea shoots
Fleur De Lis
k & j orchards rainier cherries, white peaches
mint syrup
**Warm Chocolate Brownie**
caramel bourbon sauce, candied pecans
I have a strange fixation with pigs, especially cast iron ones (talk to my therapist), so loved their decor. It's got a "we're so good, we hardly have to try vibe" and excellent service (literally shirt off their backs and Barry Manilow serenades). As Trinh T. says, what happens in Yountville stays in Yountville . . .
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PHENOMENAL. Four course meal: scrumptious salad with endive and apple cider vinaigrette, spicy tri-tip with perfectly roasted potatoes, and a tasty horseradish aioli, garlic crostini with tomato marmalade and gruyere cheese, and for dessert: panna cotta with a balsamic vinegar reduction and a pine nut cookie.
I don't eat red meat, but I made an exception for this meal. On that note, the bathrooms are well designed. One stall with a super-duper powered flushing system.
I pretty much love Thomas Keller.
Archie saves the day, as he drove all the way from Tahoe to Napa just to join us for dinner to get me out of a tough predicament that I had gotten myself into. My hero!!!
On this evening - - 8 of us dined here, and this was my second visit.
The menu consisted of a fabulous arugula salad w/ summer vegetables, excellent flatiron steak (best flatiron I have ever had to date), two excellent sheep's cheese with nuts and marmalade, and a buttermilk parfait that we all went nuts over.
I'm now wholly convinced that whatever Ad Hoc serves up on any evening, it will be well worth the price, and they make SURE that it's good. Still a bit on the saltier side of things, but not enough to take away from the meal, in my opinion.
Ad Hoc is pretty much one of the most consistently reliable restaurants that I can think of, within driving distance. While they ARE generally a bit on the saltier side - - - it's STILL good, and if I could, I'd give them more stars.
I love this place, and I absolutely LOVE the concept!
Thanks again, Archie - - you're the BEST!
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02/18/2008
It's perplexing.
Ad Hoc served us one fine meal - - worthy of four strong stars. Actually - the… Read more »
So much fun to eat here with a large group! We ate here on pork loin night & wouldn't you know 6 of our 8 don't eat pork! No matter -- they were able to do a delicious filet of sole for the non-pork eaters. Service was charming and attentive. We got a lot of extra attention from Nick, the General manager. He ended up bringing us a few glasses of wine "just because he wanted to". Food was everything you've read on other reviews, fresh, pleniful, delicious.
I want to go back on fried chicken night!! FYI -- call ahead & you can find out when it is. They alternate between Mondays and Wednesdays. Never on a weekend. Wah.
You know when endorphins are at an all time high because you just split four pastries at bouchon with your best girlfriends and then walked over to rent bikes for a 1.5 hour bike tour of Napa Valley, just to work up an appetite for the most beautiful brunch spread ever? This would be the build-up to a perfect meal, Tony Bourdain style.
Sitting down at Ad Hoc on Sunday (Happy belated Father's Day to all you proud papas out there!) to look at the following menu nearly brought tears to my eyes.
Sunday Brunch at Ad Hoc that day featured:
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Spring Vegetable Garbure
A mix of fresh veggies lightly cooked in a chicken broth
Porcheta
Thick slices of roast suckling pig over a perfectly toasted and buttered slice of palladin, topped with butter lettuce and tomato marmalade, all topped with a sunny side up egg. Sweet sweet love on a plate.
Crespelle
An Italian-style crepe filled with lemon custard, and strawberries, topped with candied pecans and chocolate and caramel sauce.
All of that was cooked perfectly, completely well balanced, served by a friendly bunch of waiters, family-style in a sunny familial dining room. And accompanied with a bellini and a bottle of wine? Perfection.
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11/13/2006
I expected more from Mr. Keller. :O Did I just say that?!!! There's the plan and the execution.… Read more »
This review is a bit biased because Thomas Keller is known to have wifey and me wrapped around his little finger like the worthless little bitches we are... in our eyes, the man can do no wrong.
We started our day in Yountville at Bouchon Bakery (Keller's standalone bakery) gorging ourselves on macaroon cookies and pastries made with pure love (and half a ton of butter) to get us in the mood for dinner. After a detour to a couple of nearby wineries, my posse and I were buzzing and eager for grub.
We booked Ad Hoc a few weeks in advance and were anticipating a solid meal. What we got, well exceeded our already high expectations. If you read about the history of Ad Hoc, you'll understand that it was never meant to be a formal restaurant experience. In concept, Keller was shooting for something more like "dinner in his mom's kitchen". In other words, a set menu with no choices. You eat what the man cooks, or you get out of his house. Choices are for chumps.
Sample menus feature deliberate "homestyle" food, but with the requisite Keller gourmet twist (you are, after all paying fifty-bucks a head for the experience). The menu changes daily and can be viewed online if you're not sure about the offerings. Rumor has it that fried chicken nights are most popular...
Our night consisted of a lovely spinich salad, roast wagyu steak with picquillo peppers, cheese from cowgirl creamery, and a slammin' cherry tart for dessert. The food was exquisite and service was casual but very attentive.
Keller is da man! I grovel at his feet...
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When I first heard about this unique restaurant model I was highly intrigued. With that said I expected every dish to be prepared flawlessly and guess what?...they were! Every morsel was perfectly seasoned. I could actually taste the salt and pepper in every bite.
On the night we went we ate Frisee salad with beets, Stuffed pork with rice, Goat cheese with pine nut brittle and blackberry jam and for dessert a banana pastry topped with strawberries and vanilla bean ice cream. This was one of the best meals I have had in Napa.
I'll be back in July to try the Fried chicken everyone is going gaga over.
I'm in love..... unfotunately it's a long distance relationship. Went for dinner and brunch and now I'm totally whipped. OH Why OH Why AD do you have to be so far away? 4 course meal for $48 served family style in a very cool setting with HOT servers and a good wine list.......hmmmmmmmmm I'm getting all hot and bothered. Excuse me now, I need personal time alone.
As much as it pains me to write this, I was underwhelmed with my dinner at Ad Hoc. For the most part the food was good to great but our service was severely lacking.
The first thing we noticed when we sat down was the menu - I've been following the menu online for some time and the first course is almost always a salad. I was happy to see that tonight they were serving soft shell crab but one of my dining companions can't eat seafood (note-the menu for dinner was not posted online as of this review at 9pm on Sunday evening) We asked our waiter if he could sub out the crab for something else and he said he would check with the chef. He came back and asked if she was allergic to just shellfish or all seafood - she stated all seafood and he went back to the kitchen. When our first course came out she was served corn, chorizo and potatoes (the original side with the crab) and...salmon. At that point she didn't want to make a fuss so we didn't send it back but we did let the waiter that she couldn't eat ANY seafood yet he seemed unaffected.
I enjoyed the crab and thought it paired especially well with the chorizo and corn. Our main course was a beef blade steak with caramelized shallots, watercress, sweet carrots and pencil asparagus - this was the course the was fantastic on all levels. The steak was perfectly cooked and all of the sides were buttery goodness as well.
At this point I need to get back to our server. When we initially ordered wine he tried to up sell us from a $37 bottle of Riesling to a $60+ dollar bottle. We were fine with the less expensive bottle which paired perfectly with the crab. Before our steak course I asked for a glass of pinot noir - when one of my friends also asked for a glass he said "How about a bottle?" We were fine with that but then he said "I have something better than what we pour by the glass..." We thought it would be of comparable price but when the bill came we saw that he once again was on the up sell - not a huge deal but the bottle he brought us was approx. $30 more than the bottle we initially wanted.
Our final two courses were nice - cheese with toast and a little jar of jam and a do it yourself ice cream sundae. I'm not a huge dessert guy but loved the option of carmel or chocolate sauce with the sundae (we all used both!) as well as the toasted walnuts to sprinkle on top.
I hate to harp on the service but that's a huge reason why Ad Hoc only received three stars - I'm not sure if it's restaurant policy or not but with both of our bottles of wine our waiter poured the initial taste but then left the bottle for us to pour our own. It wasn't because the restaurant was busy - we were the first table in the place. Personally I didn't mind but my friends thought it unusual. Also, even though he took our coffee order during the cheese course we didn't get our coffee until after we were done with our sundaes.
I really wanted to love Ad Hoc - I've heard such fantastic things and had been looking forward to this dinner since we made our reservation over a month ago. Maybe it was an off night, maybe my expectations were too high but my initial visit left me with a bitter taste in my mouth and at this point I'm not sure if I'd ever return.
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If heaven was in a form of a large wooden salad bowl, it would be Ad Hoc's mixed greens salad with smoked brook trout. We didn't really pay attention to the waiter when he first came around and gave his 5 minute spiel about everything being locally grown, locally caught, free range chicken, etc --but after the first bite, we just looked at each other and went, "damn, this is one good salad."
The white verjus vinaigrette was so light yet flavorful and the trout had the right amount of smoked saltiness. The brunch menu also included brioche french toast in a blackberry sauce with a side of mascarpone cream. Everything was scrumptious- starting from the family style mimosa (ah yes, biiig bottle of champagne) to the buttermilk panna cotta....everything was so memorable.
Oh, and here's a cool site of Ad Hoc's menu archives: http://www.inuyaki.com...
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My family and I had been driving around all day visiting wineries and finally buying snacks and do dads in the quaint little downtown of Sonoma. When we headed to Yountville for our 7pm reservation at Ad hoc we were sleepy and not all that hungry. As we entered the large open dining room with dark wooden floors and simplistic table set ups I felt a small rush of disappointment. Was this really Thomas Keller's other restaurant? It looked so boring. The menu of the day featuring a salad, short ribs, cheese, and ice cream sandwiches was far less interesting than I was expecting. We waited at the bar where we were given filtered tap water.....palate perks up...new thought..'I've never quite had water like this..' The bar tender gets us two beers and some sparkling wine for my mom. The bar tender did a fabulous job picking my beer which was close to tasting like La fin du monde but even better. My mother's sparkling wine was the perfect combination of dryness and fruitiness.
Then we were seated. I asked the server if we could move, which he happily agreed to do. The place we desired was right near the window. It was still sunny outside with a cool breeze coming through. The chairs had a velvety seat cover that made me rethink every review I'd ever written (Here I'd been so busy considering the oyster that I often forgot to consider my bum). My father, who is 80 and partially death, could hear everything we said.
Our server was excellent, a bonafide foodie who guided us along the wine list with stellar suggestions. We never had to call her over, nor did we ever feel like she wasn't around when we needed her. The wine she selected, a pinot, tasted just as good on each consecutive sip as it did the first. It was quite literally as smooth as the filtered water we were served at the bar.
Our first dish was a salad with red and yellow tomatoes, a heartier lettuce (romaine), anchovies, and a creamy dressing with a citrus flavor (sorry didn't write it down, productivity and pleasure were not necessarily pairing well at that time). The lettuce was a beautiful green with a clean and crunchy texture. The tomatoes were brightly colored and came from the French Laundry garden. They were unlike any tomatoes I'd had before, not overwhelming sweet and sliced thickly enough so that their juices could be secured in one jam packed bite. "I have never had a tomato like this before." I heard myself say it, but I didn't' know it was me. The dressing, served on the side, was delectable enhancing rather than deviating from the raw richness of the ingredients themselves.
Then came the second course, short ribs. Though I've heard about it a lot, I've never had anything cooked sous-vide, nor did I expect to experience it at Ad hoc. I assumed I would have to visit the French Laundry or Alinea to experience such techniques. After tasting those ribs I am a true believer in the benefits of cooking meat sous-vide. The product (in this case meat) is placed in air tight bags where it is then cooked in water for long periods of time in temperatures well below the boiling point. The procedure is so sensitive that just one degree difference in temperature could be a difference between having the best meal of your life and going to the hospital! When done successfully the meat retains much of its original form and is immensely flavorful. Our short ribs were big hunky pieces of meat with fat and meat interacting as one. The meat was so tender it seemed to crumble, omitting juices on its way. How do I describe what I tasted like? It easily fell apart in my mouth, its flavor taking full range over what seemed like the universe. The fingerling potatoes it was served over were also tender but were also accompanied with a buttery flavor. The silky onions were better than caramelized they seemed to be mimicking the texture of water.
We got ready for another round of sparkling wine, sad to see the end of that ever delightful bottle of pinot. The song was starting to go down, but we were still happy. The cheese plate, which came with almonds and cherry jam was called 5 Brownings. I was not too impressed, but maybe that's because I have been eating a lot of cheese lately? Or maybe I was still thinking about the short ribs?
But who cares, the ice cream sandwiches came next! Tasty chocolate chips encapsulated nicely cut slabs of vanilla ice cream. Every time I took a bite I thought I'd popped one of the chocolate chips, the chocolate running down onto the cream. It was a swell way to end things.
My father, whose taste buds are no longer what they used to be, was delighted with the meal and couldn't believe I knew about this place 'in the middle of nowhere'. My mom talked about it the next day on the phone. I was impressed with Ad hoc, truly impressed, and now I am impressed with myself for knowing about it and sharing it with those I love.
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I have a problem with prefix menus because I'm a picky eater. Don't get me wrong, I love most foods. But there are a few things that I just DON'T eat. Like goat cheese. And eggplant.
When I saw that Ad Hoc was serving corned beef brisket for Sunday brunch, I thought, "no thanks, better Bouchon."
But, I'm glad we ended up going because, if brisket can taste that good, I will try any menu Ad Hoc comes up with, even if it includes goat cheese (maybe).
But not to worry fellow picky-eaters, the laid-back servers are sensitive to food issues and allergies.
Our menu:
morel, spring pea and smoked salmon fritters with horseradish creme fraiche, and greens with pickled red onions
corned beef brisket with poached eggs on levain
white nectarines with mascarpone creme and mint
I can't wait to try one of their dinners!
245 REVIEWS???!!! Are you kidding me?!! Well then, I gotta write something on this mofo! I've probably had one of the most unique experiences here over EVERYONE. I can guaruntee that! I came here for mother's day brunch and was fortunate enough to have their Fried chicken on the menu! Chicken and Waffles BABY!!! YEEEAH! I can't pinpoint what it was about the chicken, but it was super crispy and super moist...it didn't leave that heavy greasy feeling either...and I'm pretty lightweight!
Now, let me get to the juicy part! the meal came with spinach, poached eggs and bacon. Awesome combo. The spinach tasted like butter and garlic heaven...all until I found the flying beatle looking insect in my spinach! Who do I look like Andrew Zimmerman? Is this a food challenge that i wasn't aware of? Ad Hoc filming an episode of FEAR FACTOR?
I wasn't freaked out about it though, I'm chinese, and I've seen much worse in my times...( hahah what a stereotype!...sorry, I never ate a dog.) Anyway, the waiter was shocked probably just as shocked as I was, but he should be lucky I didn't jump up and make a scene about things like a monkey with rabies.
To rectify my suffering...I re-uped on a whole 4 more pieces of fried chicken, another serving of four poached eggs, 4 more waffles and omitted the spinach...but bacon,definitely more bacon. I ate ALL of it to myself cause everyone else was full. YUP...it was THAT GOOD.
I woulda loved more pastries but that's just a stomach filler! All-in-All, this place is REAL good. Just watch out for the veggies!
I'm definitely coming back, and they better remember who I am, otherwise I'm revising this review and requesting for a much larger compensation package than what I got....after all, I still paid for my meal, which I thought they should have comped, don't you?
This could be the best Brunch I have ever had. And believe me if your saw my girth you would know that I know a thing or two about brunches.
Yes it's a fixed menu. Yes the food was amazing, Yes the service was attentive but not over powering and yes I think it's great value for money.
We'll be back.
This place is great! Came here with a group of girl friends for a special occasion. The ambiance if contemporary, comfortable, and homey. The staff, friendly. I loved that the menu is prix fixed, making it easier on all of us to order. We ordered beef ribs which were SO incredibly tender and tasty. I could have done without the cheese plate before dessert but that was only because I was already pretty full from the rest of the meal which was delicious! The brownies took a long time, but I wonder if it was freshly baked before it came out. Worth it!
Because of our special occasion, a couple of the serving staff were so kind and humorous as to indulge in our dares and games. Thank you for being so much fun and playing along with our charades.
I can't wait to come here again another time and try something else their chef can cook up. Yum-O!
One word: MAGGOTS!!!!! Yes, folks, our cheese course had to be re-done because our cheese was alive with little white worms. Afterwards, they overcharged our party by $200.00. Thank god our sober pregnant friend caught the mistake. You would think that after the live vermin incident, the management or chef would come out to make sure everything was ok, or they would at least comp our coffee as a gesture of goodwill. But no. Nothing. Na Da. Sorry to do this because overall the food and our waiter were great. But really, service and management are important as well, and no formal apology for things crawling on your food is just wrong.
Great food for the price. I went when they were serving skirt steak, not my favorite cut. However, they sous vide the steak, then pan seared it, giving it the texture of a filet mignon, but the flavor of a skirt steak. These people really care.
Went for their infamous fried chicken nights (alternating mondays and wednesdays, so once per week). 4 courses for $48.
Delicious early summer salad, including tomatoes, lettuce, corn, red onions, potatoes, olives and more in a nice champagne vinagrette.
Buttermilk chicken brined for 10 hours. They will bring you as much as you want/can eat. The standard portion is 1/2 a chicken, which should be enough for most, but go hungry. The chicken was wonderfully crispy; the small bird had a great flavor and the chicken came with a side of mashed potatoes with parmesan cheese, english sweet peas and guanciale on top.
Cheese was 2 cheeses on a board, with walnuts and honey. A nice spanish goat's milk that went well with the honey.
Ice cream sandwiches with vanilla ice cream and home made chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Worth saving room for seconds.
Good service. Wine list was a little odd; tried several wines before I found one I liked; they were gracious about letting me try.
The unpretentiousness of the service and ambiance is refreshing. The food uses the best locally sourced ingredients prepared simply. Not fireworks, but comfort food done to a whole other level. All food served family style, only one set menu per night.
I wish you didn't have to have the cheese or dessert though. Then I wouldn't have been "forced" to eat the ice cream sandwich that was temptingly placed before me.
Not inexpensive, but a fair value. Finger licking good.
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Commoners food "Butermilk Fried Chicken" eaten with silverware and 1st class service! Who would have thought. We dined at F Laundry before and Bouchon - both are impressive in their own unique way. FL all the way upper class food, presentation, service and quality. Bouchon's fresh oyster is one of the smoothest, and the best! Ad Hoc is a different breed. I kept thinking of how it got so famous over fried chicken? First bite, it seems ordinary. But as you eat more, it grew on you! The skin was crunch and not too crunchy, the inside meat was super dooper tender! I guess they must have marinated the meat overnight. Even the breast that I usually hate, were not as tough or dry as they usually are. That really surprised me. I finally understand why people are so willing to pay $48/ person pri fixe just for their fried chicken! Dessert wat berries with the panna cotta sweet creme, which is DIVINE!!
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4.5
i'm in love ... in love with thomas keller ... let's just say it's to the point of wanting to contact him directly and ask him to partake in my wedding ... any objections???
this place is SIMPLY AMAZING! 2 words to sum up the quality of the food? PHENOMENAL & PERFECT! i can't really tell you HOW MUCH i LOVE this place ... given that he paid $113 for brunch, i must say, the place and the food was definitely PHENOMENAL with a big fat P ... and it was WELL WORTH EVERY FREAKIN PENNY ... a casual setting with such fine food ... can you believe i was actually F-U-L-L after my brunch? and i normally get hungry every 5 minutes... actually, i DID get hungry after an hour though ... even when i stuffed my face with such fine goodies from the bouchan bakery (another t. keller's establishment, i'll yelp it tomorrow!)
getting into yountville is an experience of its own, the street "washington" that is ... it's SOO cute ... SOO SOO cute!
so i was having a really grumpy week (read next review : Get Fit SF Training) because i had some shit with my ex-personal trainer ... and i have to say, Ad Hoc was the best way to cure me since i was definitely down in the dumps ...
why does it deserve 4.5 and not 5? well, it would've SOO been a fat 5 but keep in mind, i am a diner, and not only a foodie, but the food, i have to say, it IS a 5 stars.. not ONCE did the server ask how our food was AND i have to say that i was disappointed by his service ... i say this because, i'm quite the gal who's quite observant and pretty smart when it comes to the bill... it's true, everytime i go to some party, i'm always the one calculating the tab since i'm quite the smart one*. lol... anywys, the MENU CLEARLY STATED that iced tea was $3 but if you look at our receipt (photo uploaded) it says $5. i know it's ONLY $2 difference, but it's the principle ... i ask the server before he paid for the bill, asking what the difference of the $3 tea and the $5 tea was because the menu clearly SAID $3. he then said, "good eye but we just updated our menu and it's $5 ma'am.." MY theory is, if the menu says $3, then, you should totally give your patrons for $3. iono ... not a big deal since it's only $2 considering the fact our brunch was $38, but yea ... anyhow, the iced tea was brewed PERFECTLY. it was smooth... just the way i liked it, and you get unlimited refills :)
anywys ... the concept at ad hoc was simply brilliant! it's ALL about family style how everything is given in one platter/bowl depending on how many people you come with... the presentation, the flavor, omg, i can go on and on .. it was PERFECT! the interior ... contemporary furniture, the color scheme, and the tables even had a mirror reflection for those are self conscious when it comes to having food stuck in your teeth ...
the menu changes daily, and it's prix fixed ... for $38, the first course (i forgot to take the pix) was a lettuce salad w/big eye tuna and OMG, the tuna was SOOO good. you get like 6 huge chunks ... and DAYAM ... it was SOOOO good ! with a side of dijon vinegarette ...
add $10, you get yourself a cocktail .. their peach flavored bellini was fabulous! perfect for the peachy crepes we had for dessert! yes, it's true... their vanilla whipped cream w/candied pecans and berry sauce was delish (pix uploaded). personally felt that the whipped creme was unnecessary but overall, it was fab!
2nd course: you're looking at a prime midwestern ribeye. no joke. you get it with these fresh green, red, and orangey tomatos... w/a fried egg, and it was SOOOOO good ... of course, you can't forget the potato hash that had bacon bits and grilled onions which i'm not joking when i say this, it was seasoned PERFECTLY! not ONE potato was burnt.
anyways, i would SO come back again. in fact, i'd TOTALLY love to try bistro jeanty or per se or better yet the FRENCH LAUNDRY ...
seriously, i'm SO in LOVE with thomas keller right now ... *LE sigh*
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I have died and gone to heaven.
First course was a green bean and potato salad. Very healthy and probably the best salad I have had in my entire life.
Second course was some sort of robs. SO GOOD. The meat was tender and falling off the bone. The vegetables were a little undercooked, so I let my husband eat it.
Third course was sheep milk cheese from wisconsin paired with honey and walnuts. Mmmm yum!
Final course was a trio of beignets. And after having beignets at the most famous restaurant in New Orleans, I must tell you that THESE ARE THE BEST I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE.
You must eat here!!!
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