SingleThread Farm - Restaurant - Inn — Restaurant in Healdsburg

What's a perk of having two weddings? Two anniversaries! Since our two weddings were a month apart, it made sense to have a month long celebration!

As part of the festivities, we booked a two night stay and dinner at Singlethread Farm. This was hands down my favorite stay to date!

THE SUITE The suite room set the standard for my future dream house. We are talking fancy smart appliances, heated floors, and the nicest Matouk sheets I've ever slept on. I didn't want to leave!

Upon check in, we found plentiful welcome treats, including house chocolate, wine, and ice cream. The complimentary minibar included Pliny the Elder(!) and delicious Revive Kombucha.

BREAKFAST, DAY ONE For our first breakfast, we opted for in-room service. I chose the Japanese Breakfast, and he got the French Omelette with Dungeness crab and caviar. We also added a side of toast, bacon, fresh squeezed satsuma juice, and iced almond milk matcha latte.

The presentation was lovely - by far the nicest in-room breakfast I've experienced. It reminded me of a Kyoto ryokan breakfast. The flavors were delicate and simple, focusing on the quality of ingredients. The salmon was perfectly cooked to highlight the texture, and the dashimaki tamago was impressive.

DINNER Since it was a rainy day, they skipped the rooftop bites and took us straight to the seated first course. We were given the center table with the best view of the kitchen - amazing! The lovely woodsy presentation of the first course was a show stopper and set the tone for the meal.

Highlights: Black Cod - My favorite dish of the night - heavenly soft texture, and the accompanying cod bone broth provided more rich cod flavor, with the green sauce adding brightness.

American Wagyu - Two courses featured wagyu. While these were delicious, they didn't resonate with me as much as the seafood courses. I did enjoy the Sonoma Grains and felt that the rich umami from the shiitake and beef broth could have stood alone without the wagyu.

Wagashi - This final dessert course reiterated the woodsy theme with a gorgeous presentation of lavender chocolate, Japanese cheesecake, and pineapple sage.

The drink pairings throughout the meal were a variety of whites, light reds, and sake. All the pairings were quite good, with a few being harmonious.

I enjoyed the leisurely pace of the 11-course meal, with total meal time just over three hours. The portions were such that I didn't feel uncomfortably stuffed like most tasting menus.

After the meal, we each received a personalized menu, with a different handwritten note from Chef Kyle and Katina. The different notes also reflected the meticulously detailed and warm service that we experienced throughout our meal and stay.

BREAKFAST, DAY TWO He got the English Breakfast - a whimsical, Alice in Wonderful themed homage to Heston Blumenthal. The fluffy scrambled eggs even came out in an iSi canister. Other than the sweet bakewell tart, the food wasn't my style though. The black (blood) pudding was especially not my scene, but I still tried a bite to confirm this.

I chose the Sonoma Breakfast. This was more agreeable, though nothing was standout other than the soft, extra buttery Koji bread. The cheeses were stinky in a way I didn't appreciate, the granola tasted oxidized, and the yogurt/salad were forgettable.

FINAL THOUGHTS Though the last meal was the weakest, I left my stay feeling thoroughly impressed and satisfied. I felt that SingleThread Farm excelled as both a restaurant and inn. We suggested that they open up the farm and R&D for tours. Hopefully we can also experience the farm part of the vision in the future!

I highly recommend the overnight SingleThread Farm experience as a special treat. Kudos to the amazing staff, especially Haley, and to Chef Connaughton for taking time away from meal prep to chat when he saw us checking out. I'm looking forward to a return visit - this time with...

SingleThread's ambitious focus on seasonal offerings translates loud and clear on the menu, plating, and execution during each period.

The unforgettable tablescape awaiting our arrival trumped an initial long wait when the weather hampered our plans to enjoy the rooftop garden. An intricate mossy green and floral centerpiece display took our breath away and piqued our curiosity. Our first bites hid within the arrangement and signaled the start of a memorable meal.

A second visit finally allowed me to spend time on the rooftop garden. The stunning sunset faced me immediately as I walked upstairs, and I quickly regretted leaving my sunglasses behind. "Would you like a pair of sunglasses?" I paused and turned around to find our hostess happily holding a tray of, you guessed it, sunglasses of all shapes and colors. A sunglass menu? That was a first, but I can't say it surprised me.

Back to that first introduction to the "SingleThread way," I spent a good amount of time foraging for each delectable piece out of that incredible spread highlighting seafood and vegetables. Once removed from the table, I couldn't help but sit basking in the afterglow. Only one word came to mind then: wow. Where do you go from there?

HITS:

The (summer menu) Box Crab course (grilled baby corn, basil, kani miso) remains my favorite of them all. The sweet corn custard and the soft and rich crab accompanied by the baby corn included butter I could have (and maybe did) spread on everything. The dish disappeared in seconds, and I felt great regret over it. Why didn't I savor it slower? Bad gluttonous move, I confess.

The (summer menu) Black Cod (tama miso, squash blossoms) prepared tableside, delicately balanced components in both flavor and texture.

I enjoyed the signature Sonoma Grains course both times, but preferred the Early Autumn in Sonoma version better: wagyu short rib, black garlic, and matsutake tea.

Other favorites included in the autumn menu I loved were the Shima Aji (squash relish, zucchini puree, herb dashi), the Inada (Gravenstein apple, myoga, sansho), and the amuse-bouche Egg (steamed custard and smoked sabayon topped with Passmore Ranch caviar).

Throughout dinner, service remained professional, yet approachable. At no point did it ever feel overbearing or stuffy. I especially treasured our interaction with the sommeliers both times: every question expertly answered, and every suggestion on point.

A pincushion, complete with thread in the signature Singlethread color palette, arrived at dinner's end with a "pinned" check. To conclude, the staff presented a beautifully designed keepsake menu, adorned with a delicate fresh bouquet. Inside, each dish was described on a menu listing the night's courses. On the opposite side, a small thank you note was showcased beneath a paper rosette cleverly hiding a packet of (komatsuna in the fall, hakurei in the summer) heirloom seeds inside. Pay it forward. Plant the seeds. Seek change. Inspiring, to say the least.

SingleThread is best defined, admired, and enjoyed as a whole and not in isolated tidbits of favorite bites. Whether obvious to the diner or not, every detail has its place, and I continue to discover more with each visit. Their concept and practices stand alone in its approach in the area and beyond: a single thread sewing a most wholesome (and exquisite) experience for the most discerning guests led by a team of harmonious giving hearts.

KNOW:

It is located about an hour northwest of Yountville.

The lunch and dinner menus are the same.

During the warmer months, the rooftop gardens are open daily, beginning at 4:30 PM.

The rooftop gardens are closed during lunch services and the cooler months.

Restaurant bookings are released at 9 AM PST on the 1st of every month for the following month.

Parking is available street side or on their private lot directly behind...

We had heard so much hype and positive review about this restaurant that we were excited to experience our meal. I have eaten at many three-star restaurants and this one was the most disappointing. We are experiencing major buyer's remorse. Think twice and hard whether you wish to spend this level of money for an experience that is a big show but that suffers from several fatal flaws.

When we arrived at our table there was a beautiful multilevel flower display containing 7-8 different small dishes mostly fish based. While this was a beautiful display titled Last Spring in Sonoma, we thought it was odd that the many raw, sushi-like dishes were made in advance and just sitting there. The rule of fine sushi is to minimize the time from preparation to consumption. Single Thread's approach runs counter to this philosophy which seems odd for a restaurant whose extremely high price would suggest the utmost attention to quality. In addition, when I sought advice on how best to order my path through the dishes, the server responded with "however you like." In every fine omakase experience I have enjoyed, the sushi chef is extremely intentional as to the order of progression from light to more full flavored dishes. At times the service felt rushed while at other times it lagged and we sat around waiting for what was next. At Single Thread, the approach is more self-serve buffet than multiple Michelin starred restaurant which should have a clear intention and expression to every dish.

Several courses sometimes seemed quite confused. Another disappointing dish titled Strawberry Moriawese consisted of the all you can eat buffet in a bowl theme. It was a bowl of tuna, squid and halibut with various vegetables both pickled and raw. These three proteins are radically different from one another. Serving them in a single bowl with the same sauce and accompanying vegetables seemed to express a confusion of treatment rather than a deliberate and thoughtful structuring of taste and texture. The overall philosophy seems to be "more is more" and you feel overfull rather than satisfied from all the food which is in direct conflict with fine Japanese cuisine that emphasizes simplicity and the revealing of the essence of the underlying ingredients.

As you will undoubtedly be aware, Single Thread is expensive. While I understand that delivering extremely high quality ingredients expertly prepared is expensive, the overall taste and satisfaction of dining at Single Thread falls so far short of its asking price that I would seriously caution anyone from dining there. Emblematic of this over pricing is the wine pairing. We chose the lowest tier selection in which you receive 3.5 glasses of wine according to the sommelier. The cost was $300 which with a 20% tip comes to $360 per person. The wines were good mostly from small local wineries but nowhere near worth $100+ per glass, especially considering that most are between $40-60 a bottle.

I wish I could provide a better review. I love the approach and philosophy of Single Thread. However, I write this review in the hope of saving at least a few people from making the mistake that we made by eating there and paying $1,000 per person for the privilege of being severely...