Located in downtown Yountville, Ad Hoc restaurant by Chef Thomas Keller is a Napa Valley institution that needs little introduction. This casual-ish concept serves a family-style menu inspired by seasonal Napa ingredients that changes daily, and reservations book quickly.
An Honest Opinion About Thomas Keller Restaurants from Someone Who Lives in Napa
Before we dig into this review of Ad Hoc restaurant, I need to tell you that I’m not really into the whole Thomas Keller fan club thing. After more than a dozen years working in the food and beverage industry, and now writing about the industry, I no longer consider his restaurants to be among the best restaurants in Yountville, or in Napa Valley, for that matter.
Dinner at French Laundry is highway robbery for the price versus what’s delivered. The restaurant is resting on its laurels and fleecing tourists seeking a unique Napa Valley dining experience.
Bouchon Bistro, which is just down the street from Ad Hoc, is busy; the staff seems to treat customers with a turn-and-burn mentality, despite the steep prices, and the food is just okay. Now that you know where I stand on this celebrity chef’s restaurants, let’s take a look at Ad Hoc.
Ad Hoc’s Downtown Yountville Location
Ad Hoc restaurant is located in the small town of Yountville, which is part of the larger Napa Valley region. If you’re driving to Ad Hoc from downtown Napa Valley, expect a 20 to 25 minute drive, depending on traffic. If you’re coming from St. Helena, plan on the same drive time. Those of you traveling from Calistoga, you’re looking at around 35 to 40 minutes.
The restaurant has a small parking lot in the back that it shares with Addendum, Keller’s famous fried chicken joint, but you should be able to find street parking within an easy walking distance.
A Family-Style Menu at Ad Hoc
The menu at Ad Hoc is served family-style, which means that each dish is served on a large tray or platter and is portioned to serve several people. The staff set the table with plates and cutlery, and when the courses arrive, guests serve themselves.
Ad Hoc’s menu changes daily, but you can always count on a salad to start: think Little Gem Salad with in-season items like grapefruit, pickled red onions, avocado, toasted cashews, and tarragon dressing, a meat-based protein like Braised Beef Short Ribs, Fried Chicken, or Skirt Steak, an interlude of a mini cheese board, and, finally, dessert.
Pro tip before you dine at Ad Hoc: Dessert is the best part of the Ad Hoc dining experience. It’s the only course not served family-style, and it’s always delicious.
A few supplemental courses are also offered. You will always see a supplemental caviar course on Ad Hoc’s menu served with house-made potato chips ($70). And a supplemental side dish.
Ad Hoc releases their daily menu the morning of, and you can sign-up for email alerts to get a head’s up of what will be served that day.
Ad Hoc’s Wine List
Before we get into the Ad Hoc wine list, if you’re planning on bringing a bottle to your reservation, be aware that corkage is a steep $50 per bottle with a two bottle minimum. Pretty hefty, even by Napa Valley corkage standards. Some local Napa restaurants will waive corkage for locals like me who dine, but not Ad Hoc.
Wines by the glass start at $15 for a NV Blanc de Noir from local winery Domaine Carneros, and eek up to $35 for a Red Blend from Modicum in Napa Valley. Bottles of wine range from $70 to $700+, with the average hovering around $120 to $150.
The list is pretty old school and definitely skews to tourists who want to dine at a Thomas Keller restaurant while they’re visiting Yountville. Lots of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons, with a smattering of Syrah, an okay selection of cool climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and some Zinfandel, among others.
The wine list at Ad Hoc isn’t really where my wine tastes sit right now, so I knew I was going to bring a bottle from home, drink something I really liked, and hold my nose at the $50 corkage fee.
A Family-Style Dining Experience
Before we get into the dining experience, the night I made a dinner reservation at Ad Hoc the following menu was served:
First Course: Kale Salad with carrots, marinated rancho gordo beans, celery, pickled red onions, tomato Parmasan vinaigrette
Main Course: Grilled Flank Steak with creamy mushroom artichoke rice, roasted broccoli spears, toasted pine nuts, salsa verde
Cheese Course: Italian and local cheeses with marinated olives, rosemary focaccia
Dessert Course: Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream with biscotti, raspberries, whipped cream
Price per person: $64, not including tax, gratuity.
What You Need to Know About the Atmosphere
Right off the bat, you should know that Ad Hoc is busy, and Ad Hoc is loud. The bar is always full, there are always guests waiting near the host stand to be seated for their reservation, and the guests in the dining room are very happy to be there, and the volume level reflects that.
I dined with my mother, and it felt like half the meal was me trying to shout-talk in order for her to hear me, and the other half of the evening, I was saying, “what?”, “what?”, because I couldn’t hear her.
This might be remedied by sitting on the patio, which appeared a little more relaxed than the frenetic dining room.
How is the Service?
The service we received was good, but nothing special. Some of the staff seemed a bit too eagle-eyed when it came time to clear plates, and it felt like once your fork hit the table they were upon you, trying to clear and reset. This made things feel more rushed and less relaxed.
The Food: Some Menu Highlights
The dishes at Keller’s casual restaurant are simple, straight-forward, and overall, good for the price per dish and the portion sizes. I don’t usually find salads inspiring, but the restaurant sources its lettuces and veggies from their garden right across the street from French Laundry, and the quality is excellent.
Flank steak was the entree of the evening, and it was cooked perfectly. A nice medium-rare with a very pink center that was slightly cool to the touch. The steak itself was very tender, had just the right amount of crust from the sear, and full of marinated flavor. Really well executed, whoever was on the grill that night.
What can I say about dessert: it was so good that if I was at home enjoying this homemade hazelnut ice cream, I would have licked the bowl. It was wonderful with the bottle of ,Arnot-Roberts Cabernet Franc, Watson Ranch I brought from home.
Making a reservation at Ad Hoc
During the busiest times of year in Napa’s wine country, reservations at Ad Hoc book quickly. Plan on making your reservation at least a few weeks in advance to secure your preferred time.
Pro Tip for Making a Reservation at Ad Hoc
Being a local means you learn a few tricks to making reservations at Napa Valley’s most popular restaurants. One thing I’ve learned about reservations at Ad Hoc is that some people who plan ahead and book ultimately end up releasing their reservations the afternoon of.
If you’re looking for a dinner reservation, and there’s nothing available the night before you want to dine, try checking that morning, then periodically throughout the afternoon. There will always be something that opens up.
I realize it can be tricky to plan around this, but if you’re flexible, you can almost always make it work.
Ad Hoc Dress Code
Curious on what you should wear when you dine at Ad Hoc? Ad Hoc restaurant does not have a dress code, but a lot of diners opt for “wine country-casual” attire. Think dresses in the summer, jeans with relaxed button downs, a few pairs of Jordans were spotted when I dined. You can come as you are, and dress up, or dress down.
For the record, I wore a summer dress with cowgirl boots.
Final Thoughts
Downtown Yountville’s Ad Hoc restaurant is the best restaurant in Thomas Keller’s restaurant group. Don’t bother with Bouchon Bistro or French Laundry. Go casual at Ad Hoc, bring a wine you like, if you’ve just visited a nearby winery, and enjoy dessert!