Gina2003

If you only had one night in Healdsburg, where would you have dinner? Two women in their 40s looking for great food and wine and nothing romantic. Have read other posts about Cyrus and Madrona. Will be there end of May. Thanks to fellow foodies.

NW_Native

A personal favorite of mine in Healdsburg is Ravenous. Located in a small house just SE of the main square by about a block or so, it's a smaller place with a nice courtyard in back that's great for a late lunch. Reservations for dinner recomended.

kimamom

Cyrus was spectacular when we were there last March, excellent food and service. ***kim***

Grassshopper

I'm a big fan of Madrona Manor. It doesn't have to be romantic.

socialworker

Well, last year we had an incredible dinner at Madrona but they were closed for dinner on Mon and Tue....not sure if schedule is still the same....That may help in your decision making.

Value and quality-wise, if I had to pick between Madrona and Cyrus, I would have to go w/Madrona. The tasting menu w/wine pairings were heavenly at both places but the bill was at least 30% higher at Cyrus and I could not say it was 30% better!

kleroux

As a local, I think Cyrus is way over the top. For fun and very good food, I'd go to Willies......closed on Tues. They have a sea food base for this restaurant, but its lots of small plates and fun to taste and share. I'd go to Charcuterie for a great lunch..and they are open 7 days a week too. We like Hotel Healdsburg (Dry Creek Kitchen) too.

bill_boy

I second the earlier suggestion on Willi's Wine Bar.
The food here are very good and there's the robust and deep wine list by the glass to develop a good appreciation of different, well, wines.

socialworker

We also ate at Willi's and it was both good and fun....but for someone having only one dinner in Healdsburg? I must both respectfully and vigorously disagree.

easytraveler

kleroux: I agree completely with the Healdsburg Charcuterie for lunch!

Was so disappointed last time when I discovered they had "remodeled" in the back and those great flying pigs in the bathroom were gone!

Gina2003

The suggestions look great and looks like the day of the week will help decide where to go. Willi's closed for lunch Monday and Tuesday, Madrona closed on Mondays. So it might be Cyrus or Ravenous for Monday night dinner and Healdsburg Charcuterie for lunch on Tuesday. Although we'll be driving to a Tues night stay at SFO airport hotel, may make sense to have dinner in Wine country instead of at airport ;-), so may have a 2nd dinner option in Sonoma.

kimamom

Check out the General's Daughter or Cafe La Haye for a nice dinner in the Sonoma area. ***kim***

NW_Native

The General's Daughter was wonderful earlier this year. Also very expensive.

Another good choice is the El Dorado Kitchen at the El Dorado Hotel on the square in Sonoma.

txtree

I loved Cyrus. You can always eat at the bar. When we were there last year, the bartender was wonderful and mixed really amazing cocktails using unusual herbs, spices and other unexpected ingredients. A nice way to start a meal (food was also outstanding and wine list great).

kimamom

Agree with the previous poster on El Dorado Kitchen, we had a very nice lunch there, right across the street is girl and the fig which also has fantastic food! ***kim***

kleroux

Girl and the Fig, Generals Dtr, Cafe La Haye and El Dorado Kitchen are not in Healdsburg. They are in the town of Sonoma. The question asked was for restaurants in Healdsburg. The above mentioned restaurants are I'm sure great, but they are not in Hbg.

NW_Native

The original poster on 2/25 added this.
"Although we'll be driving to a Tues night stay at SFO airport hotel, may make sense to have dinner in Wine country instead of at airport, so may have a 2nd dinner option in Sonoma."

Some of us may have surmised Gina2003 was considering the town of Sonoma and not just the county.

Gina2003

Appreciate all of the replies and recommendations. Didn't mean to confuse anyone but I meant town of Sonoma. In any case, I have a separate post on restaurants along the way down from Sonoma (town) to SFO airport. It will be nicer and more relaxing to have a Tues night dinner closer to the airport (but not at the airport/hotel) than to eat in Sonoma and then have a 2-3 hr drive back to airport hotel. Thanks everyone. As always, folks are so helpful.

Gina2003

Cyrus was amazing. From the well orchestrated service to the incredible food ingredients and presentation, it was an event. We opted for the wine pairings which was quite intesting as I would not have necessarily chosen some of the wines that they presented. At the end of the meal, they present you with a printed copy of what courses you ordered....a nice touch. And when our waiter saw me writing down the wine pairings next to each of the courses, he asked me to stop writing. Ten minutes later, he returned with a new print-out which included each of the courses and each of the wines! It is expensive but if you're a foodie like me, I thought it was a great treat. All good.

kimamom

Glad you enjoyed Cyrus, the printed menu at the end of the meal is a nice touch. ***kim***

socialworker

Thanks for letting us know, Gina. We loved it also, not only for the wonderful food but for the gracious service that made you feel so comfortable.

We ate at both Cyrus and Madrona last year and are returning in a few weeks. We will be both staying at and dining at Madrona. It is great to enjoy the wine with no thought of having to drive back to the hotel!