Family Style at Ad Hoc

Yountville is Thomas Keller country.  And rightfully so.  French Laundry, Bouchon, Ad Hoc, Addendum - all highly talked about and highly loved.

If you want a casual but quality family dining experience, Ad Hoc is the place for you.  On Easter Sunday, we landed a lunch reservation on Open Table.  We were hoping to get fried chicken on the menu, as Addendum was still hibernating.  But you only find out the menu for the day on the day itself.  And what is on the menu is all that you'll get.  It's fixed family style that increases in quantity depending on how many people are at the table.

For our particular menu, we had an Endive Salad, Fish and Chips, Ribeye, a cheese course, and Sundaes.  I was really impressed with the fish and chips - the best fish and chips I've eaten so far.  Perfect batter around a light white fish.  This kitchen does magic with fried dishes.  The salad was a bit underwhelming and the ribeye wasn't too special either.  But everything was fun, quality, and the service was excellent.  They even accommodated with an extra cheese plate when one person at our table couldn't eat the goat cheese.  This is what service is about, and these are the memories you take with you.  The sundaes were a fun ending, especially with kids at the table.  It's admittedly easy to prepare as it was deconstructed.  But, these were some of the tastiest sauces ever - caramel, chocolate, and strawberry.  You can taste the thought put into these toppings.

I'll definitely find myself at Ad Hoc again.  If I really want the fried chicken, though, I'll make it out back to Addendum since it's finally during these warmer months.  It's a fun idea that you don't know the menu until that day and it's family style.  It creates an opened minded dining experience with the warmth of sharing everything with your table.

Apple and endive salad

Fish and chips

Ribeye with Yorkshire puddings and creamed spinach

Goat cheese with honey toast

Parmigiano

Sundaes!