What It's Like To Eat A $445-Per-Person, 5-Hour Dinner At The French Laundry In Napa Valley

Arnold Inuyaki / FlickrThe French Laundry — Chef Thomas Keller's iconic Napa Valley restaurant — is no stranger to accolades. It has topped Restaurant magazine's annual list of the world's best restaurants, and Anthony Bourdain has called it "the best restaurant in the world, period."

Now The Daily Meal has named it the best restaurant in America for 2013.

What makes the restaurant so great? It's a combination of a stunning location, stellar service, and outstanding food. The chefs create two unique nine-course tasting menus every day, and make sure no ingredients are repeated throughout the meal.

Arnold Inuyaki, who writes the blog Inuyaki — 'Surprisingly Good,' ate at The French Laundry and met chef Thomas Keller in December 2009. He shared pictures from the incredible five-hour+ meal with Business Insider.

Back then, the price-fixe menu cost $240 per person; today it's $270. Add in wine, and the cost jumps significantly. But if you are going to splurge on a once-in-a-lifetime meal, this should be it.