Valette — Restaurant in Healdsburg

Won’t be back anymore.. every time server made a mistake he acted like no biggie happened, no apologies or whatsoever.. this shouldn’t be level of service at the 100$+ per person restaurant..

Food is good, but experience was ruined by the server and tons of flies attacking us the whole time we were there.

Discovered this place last year - loved the experience. Food, service, ambience - everything was amazing.

This year staying a bit away from Healdsburg, had to drive 1.5 to get to Valette. No biggie, thought it was worth it.

Without further ado..

It was 5.30 pm, we asked to be seated out on the patio. Total of 3 tables occupied.. Tons of flies - got worse when food came out. Server came, told us what’s worth trying on the menu, we listened, thanked him but said we know what we want and ready to order. Order consisted of two appetizers ( I was having one appetizer as my main course and we were sharing burrata), one entree with a separate side(for my husband), two bottles of water and two drinks.. Simple order, nothing to be confused about.

We got bread, then appetizers came out. Shared burrata, I finished my poke but there was still no drinks.. we asked a busboy that came to grub the plates about our drinks. 5 min later the server emerging with a glass of white wine but no second drink. My husband asked if the wine I got is the wine that we ordered, - he said yes (it was not, per receipt). Then we reminded about the second drink, server acted like he remembered the name of the beer, but it was wrong so my husband told him what it was. He brought the beer back, said cheers and walked away. To me it’s outrageous. It’s one thing that you made a mistake, another is to act like it’s absolutely no problem. When the duck came out, there was no additional side that we ordered with it.. the server said enjoy and was about to walk away but we reminded him about the missing side. And once again… he acted like nothing happened, walked away and 10 min later we had the missing side..

At this point I was so annoyed by flies, they were all over my plate.. I got up and waited for the check.

Needless to say that no apologies, discount or anything...

This restaurant was recommended by friends who visited several years ago. I believe something changed recently as other reviewers pointed out. We had the scallops, halibut, and steak.

The bread reminded me a bit of king Hawaiian rolls - it was good, but did not belong in a restaurant of this class (should have been our first hint)

The scallops were good - a bit too salty for me, but the presentation and the combination of flavors were spot on. They were perfectly cooked.

My pork was flat out bad :( it came with fresh fava beans, which I expected to be at least a bit steamed / cooked - they were not, which clashed with the pork tenderness. The pork chop was tender, but it was also undercooked in some areas - you don’t undercook pork and chicken! I had to cut around the underdone pieces and finally gave up because I wasn’t enjoying the dish anyways. The pork and the beans were over some bean puree and chimichurri-type sauce. There was also a splash of chili oil on the side of the plate. The spice in the chili oil and chimichurri was so overpowering, that I did not taste anything else. Even the chanterelles (which caught my eye and were the main reason I ordered the dish) were flavorless because of the overpowering spice. Our waiter offered to bring me something else, but I was already full on bread and whatever I tried of the dish. He ended up comping the dish for us, which was much appreciated. But the fact remains that it was not good 🥺

My mom’s halibut was good, but a bit overdone - it was not as tender as halibut normally is.

The atmosphere/ setting was more akin to an upscale bar than a fine dining restaurant. It was fine for me, but - again - not what I would have expected from a restaurant that charge...

Valette came highly recommended, and there were things to appreciate: the outdoor ambiance was lovely, and the heaters made for a cozy evening. We were seated early, which was a thoughtful touch. We opted for the Reserve Tasting Menu — something not mentioned on their website, which might catch other diners by surprise.

The meal included caviar two ways, their well-known scallop dish, rabbit with gnocchi, duck, and a smoked, deconstructed s’more. Of those, the scallop dish lived up to its reputation — delicate, beautifully presented, and clearly the highlight. Dessert was also well done: rich, but not overly sweet. However, the rest of the menu was underwhelming. The rabbit and gnocchi was overly heavy and lacked balance, and the duck was dry — disappointing at this price point and caliber.

Service was friendly, but overall lacking. Our water glasses and a diet coke went unrefilled for most of the meal. There was also a persistent sense of upselling that left us feeling more managed than cared for. A hiccup with our reservation not being marked as “attended” added an unnecessary hassle at the end of the evening.

To be fair, we presented a challenge — one of our party was nauseated and chose not to order (and didn’t sample from our plates). While it was clear this was not ideal for the restaurant, they did accommodate us, albeit reluctantly.

In comparison to other Sonoma County experiences, Valette didn’t measure up. For truly exceptional food and service, our best meals were at Roof 106 (superior in both food and service), and the wine + food pairings at J Vineyards and Kendall Jackson easily surpassed this in both creativity and execution.

Valette wasn’t bad — but for the price and the buzz, it...