I've had the privilege to eat at Michelin three-star restaurants all over the world. There are three things I expect when I pay the prices these establishments can command:

Ingredients I can't get at home: at La Pyramid in Lyon I had an amazing dish of a sautéed meat I couldn't identify or translate from the menu, which turned out to be the cysts that grow on the throats of ducks raised for foie gras. They were tender and delicious (and I'm glad I didn't know what they were until after the meal).Cooking techniques I can't implement in my own kitchen: in fairness, I have a sous vide, I do spherification and have used liquid nitrogen. I want a dish that makes me wonder: how did they do that?Impeccable service: wait staff who are attentive yet not intrusive. My water glass is magically always full and waitrons presciently anticipate my needs.

Since The Restaurant at Meadowood burned down in 2020 (how many years will we have to wait for the rebuild?), there have been two remaining Michelin three-star restaurants in the area: Single Thread in Healdsburg and The French Laundry in Yountville. I was able to book both impossible-to-reserve restaurants this past year, the former just last week. The experiences could not have been more different.

At Single Thread, we were met at the door and welcomed with a cup of fruit tea and invited to view the kitchen and interact with the chefs. At The French Laundry we waited patiently until we were eventually led to our table. The ambiance at Single Thread was clean, modern, a spartan Japanese aesthetic with soothing Asian music at a volume that engaged but did not interfere with conversation. By comparison, The French Laundry's décor was dated, stuffy, juxtaposed against 1970s rock played so loudly it was difficult to hold a conversation.

The first order was drinks. Cody doesn't consume alcohol, and when he inquired at Single Thread we learned that they have a non-alcoholic pairing with the tasting menu. I could spend the entire column discussing the incredible care the staff put into these libations but will include only one highlight. There was a tea made with beetroot that came with a tiny pitcher of yuzu. On its own, the drink was warm and coffee-like, but when the yuzu was mixed in the color changed, the temperature quickly cooled and the flavor profile transformed into a tart citrus. We were pleased and amazed on every level.

At The French Laundry, Cody asked about non-alcoholic options and was told (and I am quoting here): "I'm sure we have some non-alcoholic stuff." Stuff? At the French Laundry? It was an Miranda Priestly moment. French Laundry did have a non-alcoholic sparkling wine option. After the first glass, we were unable to flag our waiter the entire rest of the evening for a second.

The opening dish at Single Thread was a mesmerizing array of single-bite sushi and seafood. It dazzled the eye and the palate. There was a tuna nigiri with some sort of gelée that was the single best bite of sushi I have ever tasted in my life (Cody concurs).

At The French Laundry we had ... oysters and pearls. It's a fine dish, one that hasn't changed in decades. At the prices charged, I expect innovation. During the next course at The French Laundry, I accidentally dropped my knife (it was an honest-to-goodness accident, not a Pete Wells staged litmus test). No one noticed. I had to borrow Cody's knife for the course. At the end of the night, the knife remained on the floor next to me.

The 11 courses at Single Thread (including an intermezzo that was a course, not a palate cleanser) were each complex and balanced with ingredients I had to translate from Japanese, and many I'd heard about but never tasted before (despite having visited Japan). The flavors were unique and ranged from enjoyable to challenging (though never too challenging). There is a special joy that comes with being in one's 60s and discovering a new flavor, and I had that experience more than once that night.

There was buri o-tsukuri (yellowtail) with a salted Japanese plum and Japanese ginger, leeks, and black trumpet mushroom that brought together fresh and briny flavors that, pairing yellowtail with the mushrooms, had the tase and feel of a surf-and-turf. A poached kinmedai (a fish highly prized in Japan) with thin slivers of celtuce (a Chinese lettuce whose stem with a texture like asparagus) brought a gamey umami to the delicate fish. Next came a salad with goma dofu, a fermented black sesame tofu that, mixed with salanova, sorrel, mint kiwi and sorrel brought a mix of bright acid and deep, dense flavors to every bite.

For space (because each dish deserves mention), I'm going to skip over the Dungeness crab trio and snap pea course and go for the wagyu with white asparagus, morels, almonds and green peppercorn jus. It may be the best beef I have ever had the pleasure to taste -- fork-tender, mildly smoky, cooked to a perfect medium-rare. I pause here to contrast it to the beef pavé at The French Laundry, which was so rubbery and unpleasant that I stopped at a single bite. Did the waiter notice and ask if there was an issue with the dish? No. He asked if I was finished and carted it away.

The second "meat" course at Sliver Thread wasn't meat at all but thinly sliced young bamboo served with a duck liver parfait, koshihikari rice and kinome (leaves of a prickly ash tree). I was overwhelmed by the depth of savoriness I experienced with this dish. Had it not been so delicious the umami might have been overpowering, but it kept my palate balanced right on that edge. This dish alone would bring me back. Finally, there were two dessert courses made of a multitude of varied bites in the not-overly-sweet Japanese tradition of desserts. Too many to describe, all were pleasing and perfectly executed.

There were three choices of wine pairings. I went with the middle reserve at $500 (the $1,500 for the once-in-a-lifetime pairing was too decadent even for me). I have experienced too many wine-pairing menus to count, much less remember. This one was remarkable and one I will never forget.

From time to time, one finds a wine that makes one specific flavor pop. I remember a Grenache that made the taste of cherry explode, and a Gewürztraminer that magnified the taste of fish. Finding these combinations is serendipitous and a rare pleasure. Every single pairing combined a wine with its flavor twin, which heightened the profile of the dish. I asked and was told a team of sommeliers works on the pairing menu. Anyone can pair a Cabernet Sauvignon with a steak, but a wine that specifically and magically magnifies the smokiness of the wagyu or sting of mint ... that is the work of a master.

I am not going into detail on the remaining courses at The French Laundry. They were generally well executed and entirely unremarkable. Where the ingredients at Single Thread required detailing (many flown in from Japan each day), everything at The French Laundry could be purchased at Safeway. What was once my favorite restaurant in the world is now a fallen star, while Single Thread shines like a planet in the clear night sky. Perhaps it is the fate of all great three-stars to eventually fade, but for now, there may not be a better dining experience in the world than one can find at Single Thread.

The tasting menu at Single Thread is $435 per person. Wine pairings range from $300 for standard to $500 for reserve to $1,500 for the "unforgettable." The non-alcoholic pairing is $150. The tasting menu at French Laundry is $390 per person, with similarly graded wine pairings from $300 to $1,500.

Single Thread is located at 131 North St. in Healdsburg. For more information, go to singlethreadfarms.com. The French Laundry is located at 6640 Washington St. in Yountville. For more information, go to thomaskeller.com/tfl.