Cyrus — Restaurant in Healdsburg

There was a time in my life where my main "hobby" was going to every single Michelin starred or highly rated fine dining restaurants in whatever city I was in for work or pleasure and it was fun no doubt but post pandemic and developing a love of my own far more simple home cooking the appeal of a 3 hour gastronomical adventure of techniques and textures has greatly lessened.

But when you find out a chef who's food you remember from almost 20 years ago has reopened his restaurant and you happen to be that area for the first time in a year well yes you jump on a last minute reservation and I am glad I did.

At 325 a person plus a set percentage service charge it's more or on par with other Michelin starred restaurants in the Bay Area, definitely the higher range especially if you are use to other countries or cities. To me it was completely worth and here's why:

It has a confident point of view and dedication to that and a absolute LOVE of food.

There was not a single dish I did not enjoy, there were some I enjoyed more but not a single thing we ate was anything other than exactly what the chef intended presented at the right time, right temp. Not a single dish was too much, overworked or underdeveloped. That is extremely hard to do especially when you are trying to create a multicourse meal that works harmonious while not monotonous.

When I say it's not fireworks meal I don't mean you wouldn't be delighted. It is definitely leaning more on the Nordic style and Asian influences than the El Bulli ones but you see that interest in taking the most basic flavour building blocks of sweet, salt, sour, umami and bitter and creating absolutely delicious bites most directly in the opening and closing acts of an arrangement of savouy amuse-gueule to begin and a dessert set of mignardises.

All the course in between those were excellent. My favourite was the chawanmushi but it is literally one of my favourite things to eat but this was definitely different than what I am used to as a play on chicken and the egg with a Korean fried chicken and then a very large amount of shaved Australian truffle. The chawanmushi along with the savouy amuse-gueules and a spot prawn dish were served in a shared dining table places in the kitchen.

Most dishes were served either in the kitchen dining table (for a max of 12 people per seating) or the dining room. When we arrived we brought to a lounge where there were drinks for purchase and a consomme. It was pleasant but it felt like something more could have happened. I was surprised I wasn't offered a glass of alcoholic or non-alcoholic bubbles gratis but maybe that has gone out of style.

We had two additional bites in the kitchen proper of the foie gras oreo which of course was delicious and a single bite of a5 wagyu.

The dishes served in the dining room were the more traditional sized entrees and you will not leave here hungry. My spouse's vegetarian main was very creative and delicious and my lamb was simply prepared but I can't think of a better way to serve it to highlight the local product.

We ended the meal in the chocolate room. I think I was thinking of Tickets's dessert trees in Barcelona or Alinea's splatter dessert course but it was a more subdued experience. Not worse but different and in some ways very in keeping in the simple luxury that was a quality through out our whole meal and I always love when restaurants give you treats to take home which they do here.

Ambiance and service:

It is California wine country modern. Simple, sleek but warm lines. Modern classic but not stuffy. There are calm and tranquil views of young vineyards. The service was very good but not omnipresent which I prefer. The servers and the chefs who brought food were all very knowledgeable.

I would be happy to try their menu again in a...

Cyrus was SPECTACULAR. Warm. Whimsical. Approachable. Special. Delicious. It was just incredible watching a Top Chef Masters winner (and fellow dog lover)—and all of Cyrus—do what they do best. And what they love doing because I felt that love come through from every single person. There were so many courses and so many wine pairings (we got to try a 1967 Barolo 🤯) and surprises around every corner, including a chocolate waterfall and levitating chocolate boxes!!!

Of course your dishes will be different because they're based on what's in season, but this is what we had (ranked):

Billi Bi cream of mussel soup: I now know the true meaning of "a chef's signature dish." Just Google Billi Bi to learn it's unique history 🤤

White asparagus: This is at the top of my list because I've had asparagus a hundred times and it's never tasted like this. It's just like when my dad, whose favorite food is Taco Bell, tried Manresa's "Into the Garden" salad. So this is what vegetables are supposed to taste like!

A5 wagyu: My husband said serving wagyu is cheating. I said I wanted more of that melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness!

Baos: Best baos EVER EVER EVER. So soft and squishy. I could've eaten a dozen of these.

Cheese course: The cow+sheep+goat cheese is served inside a brioche 🤤

Chicken with crispy skin + truffles: Umami bomb. Plus, who says no to crispy chicken skin??

Foie + abalone + dashi: Chef Keane made a lot of dashi on Top Chef Masters and I'm so glad I got to try it! Plus, I ❤️ me some foie!

Amuse bouche: Bites representing all the tastes: Sweet, sour, salty, umami, bitter. Brilliant! And so fun!

Blue crab gochujang: A whole lotta fresh crab mixed with gochujang. Like the best Korean crab salad.

Pork with mushrooms: The most tender pork

Rose palette cleanser: So odd! The rose was surprisingly not overpowering or floral... the sorbet was cold, the foam was warm... it confused us, but in a good way!

Firefly squid: Sooo cute! But a little fishy...

Rhubarb dessert: I'm not a fan of rhubarb

Silken tofu: I'm not a fan of tofu, but the freeze-dried soy sauce and blood orange were neat!

Medai sashimi: I don't like raw fish

My husband did the wine pairing. It was expensive at $280, but the pours were generous. There was one champagne, one beer, and one sake included. We were surprised to learn that Cyrus's Cyrus came from OCK and Alexander's Steakhouse. No wonder he looked familiar! And we all graduated from SCU! And he's from our favorite place ever, Maui!! Small world 🤯 I tried a cocktail with gold flakes (Geyserville Gold: milk-punch, agricole, oolong, tamarind, pineapple) and had 2 glasses of champagne (Aubry Premier Cru, Brut, Jouy-lès-Reims NV).

We're already trying to figure out...

I went... so you don’t have to. With the hype around the reopening of this restaurant, Eater’s write-up, and the price tag, I was expecting more, and they did not deliver.

In the first 10 minutes of arrival, I had already been rubbed the wrong way. A party had entered a minute before us as I stopped outside to take a photo, so when we came in, there was no one at the door to greet us. We just stood there for 3 minutes or so - but if you know you have a bunch of reservations coming in at the same time, wouldn’t you prepare for that? Strike 1.

Finally, we were greeted by a man in an apron, which was confusing because I thought he was a chef - but turns out this is all the staff’s uniform. We were ushered into the bubbles lounge and told to choose wherever we want - standing by the window, lounge chairs with a group of other women, or some hotel cafeteria looking tables. When we chose our seat, the sommelier greeted us, wished my partner a happy birthday, brought him his wine pairing (we only got one because I don’t like wine), MY caviar addition - which he placed in front of my partner (psshhh), and then was about to leave. Was I expected to watch my husband drink and enjoy my caviar for 30 minutes?! He didn’t even offer me a drink menu until I asked. Strike 2.

Anyway, from there on, the experience was alright.

Pros: Their beverage program: Geyersville Gold milk punch - highly recommend, non-alcoholic pandan drink, and Salt N Pepa Margarita were all good. Wine pairing was good too. Also - whisky cart!! They had Rip Van Winkle which apparently is a doozy to find. The staff, while a little unorganized at first, were great - everyone was really knowledgeable and enthusiastic about what they were serving/doing The kitchen portion of the meal - had the best dishes and the best aesthetic. Also the most interactive, being able to check out the kitchen and talk to the chefs.

If you come, come with moderate to low expectations. Especially for the chocolate closet - I was expecting Willy Wonka madness, or at least a wall/cart of chocolates to choose from, but it’s just one bite while you stare at a chocolate fountain (that you can’t even touch) making unappetizing sounds as it slaps into the drain.

The food is the same fare at every stuffy fine dining place. There were no dishes that really WOWed us or stood out. Perhaps the palate cleanser - refreshing with diverse textures. I was burping lemongrass for the rest of the...