Thomas raises money to purchase the building from the Schmitts. He hires Laura Cunningham to oversee the dining room and opens the doors to his restaurant a few weeks later. The restaurant serves American food with French influences. The opening night in July is an unmitigated disaster. But the team persevered, and quickly The French Laundry is named one of 10 Best New Restaurants by Esquire’s John Mariani. Later that year Michael Bauer of The San Francisco Chronicle nominates it for Best New Restaurant and awards it four stars—only to be topped by Herb Caen’s five-star review by the year’s end.
