cyrus is serious
August 15, 2008
My dining experience at Cyrus Restaurant in Healdsburg, CA was a unique and tantalizing awakening of what dining out should be. Whomever is the mastermind behind the “build your own” prix fixe menu is an absolute genius. I suppose that would be the chef / owner Douglas Keane. Not only is this restaurant pushing the normal conventions of flavor combinations, somewhat Asian infused, they continued in their stalwart efforts by perfecting the complete dining experience.
I have only tried a very small handful of fine restaurants in my life. I tend to save going to those for special occasions or while on vacation. Since this was a special occasion for my friend Bethany’s pre-wedding girl getaway weekend, we did “Sonoma’s Greatest Hits”, Farmhouse Inn and Cyrus. We did good. The last thing one needs on a special occasion is a snooty, pretentious server. We experienced neither. It was welcoming, informative, professional and friendly service at every place we visited, from the sommelier to the server. I was very impressed.
After taking a much needed nap after 5 hours of wine tasting in a stretch Excursion limousine (so uncouthe, but the driving service did a car switch on me, which was admittedly hilarious and fun), we were all but enthusiastic to even leave the comforts of the hotel premises. Mind you, the restaurant was two tiny blocks away, we made reservations a month ago and it has 2 Michelin stars, but the words “room service” had been muttered in our groggy states. We pulled it together with a quick pep talk and were on our way. The pep talk being, getting charged $50 per person on my credit card for a no show. Manipulative on my part? yes. Selfish, not in the slightest as we haven’t been able to stop talking about what a special meal it was. In hindsight, i couldn’t have been happier about having this cancellation pressure because the meal will go down in dining history for me.
As we approached the restaurant, it seemed oddly quiet. It was a Sunday night at 9pm and was the only facade lit up on the street. Our hotel’s staff at the front desk pointed us in the direction and told us it was the hottest dining spot in Sonoma. Just what one needs to hear when shaking off an intense nap. Upon entering the building, it was still quiet. We were led to the back of a hallway, past an empty bar and entered the dining room et voila. Much like finding ourselves in Narnia, we entered a warmly lit dining room, lined in cascading, ruched cream colored drapes, that looked like the icing on a tiered wedding cake. Each table had a spotlight above and created a nice glow above each table. This art gallery lighting made complete sense in showcasing the works of art that were about to be placed before us for the next couple hours.
The prix fixe, build your own menu was a gourmand’s dream come true. You mean to tell me I can ditch the others? You mean to tell me I can skip dessert and make mine an additional savory course? You mean I can have tasting portions of what I actually want? WOW. I could barely contain myself. What a relief I did not have to convince a table of exhausted girls that we all had to be on board for the chef’s tasting. The other nice thing is whether you order a 3, 4 or 5 course tasting, they will adjust the portion sizes accordingly. Good to know. I’m going for 5 next time. And there will be a next time.
I was really gonna go for the Noah’s Ark special, from land to sea. I had pre-meditated my personal menu build online prior to leaving home and it was a group effort. Took some online polls on ichat, but much like asking my BF what shoes to wear with my outfit, I already knew where I was headed. Lobster, check, foie gras, check, but what’s this? A Cyrus BLT? hmmm and what they called strip loin is wagyu beef? America’s Texan answer to kobe beef? Never you mind I had it the night before, I was on vacation and after letting myself down while staying at the Parker in Palm Springs for the Glutton’s Delight and barely denting the $200 food credit, I said to myself, this is your time to shine.
Ok, so back to the curve balls for items NOT appearing on the online menu. The BLT was pork belly and tomato and lettuce which I had a bite of and it was amazing. Possibly in my top three picks for the night. I have to say having a food + design website has it’s perks. Everyone always let’s me, or rather insists, that I taste what they ordered.
The word that was said repeatedly throughout dinner was “interesting”. I will admit to finding the first couple canapes and amuse bouches interesting, in a weird way. The bitter beer ball popped in my mouth. That’s the thing that looks like an egg yolk on the top tier. I love little things, but they have to pack a lot of punch in flavor and not just cuteness. An intermezzo of chilled cucumber gelee and microgreens was a bit fussier than what I usually like so I was a bit worried about what was to come but as the meal progressed, I was happily brought down to earth with delicious course after delicious course, interspersed with some light conversation and jokes from the staff and our own awe and amazement of what was set before us.
The meal was orchestrated like a theatrical production and explained to us how it was to be served since we all had decided on different combinations of our tasting menu. I was subjected to eating my seared foie gras with peaches course by myself while the other looked on. I took my time making sure to mix in the dollops of garnish with the peach and the foie gras. I obsess over creating the ultimate bite. Life’s rough.
Aside from the refreshing lobster starter which was tangy and sweet combination, the other dishes I loved were the seabass with creamy sweet corn sauce and the risotto with chanterelles that came surrounded by foam and was not a starchy mess but rather a rice with a rich mushroom, velvety cream sauce. Foam is something I don’t totally understand. I usually have a sufficient amount of my own from foaming at the mouth when something looks tasty. The BLT was very good as well.
I did enjoy my wagyu and found the gnocchi good but the saltiness of the sauce was a bit overpowering. Also, I was excited about the ramps but they were pickled and pickled things don’t always make me happy. Aren’t they past their season anyways? That would explain the pickling. This is the kind of place where you would definitely order something you thought you knew but it would arrive with a Cyrus twist. Let’s just say if I was to return tomorrow I would get the seabass instead of the halibut and the risotto instead of the beef. or perhaps the poussin or the lamb. I truly did have a hard time deciding.
Did I mention the artisan breads? There were about 8+ different kinds being served to the tables in a large round basket by a server. There was brioche fontina, bacon, etc and all of manageable tasting sizes. Of course I chose the bacon one and was not disappointed. All the bread and candies, everything, is made on the premises. That alone is something to be proud of.
The service was impeccable and professional, but not pretentious. With our four top, watching the servers bring out our food was like watching synchronized swimmers come and place a plate in front of each of us in unison. Served from the right, cleared from the left. We were so fortunate to have Bryan as our personal welcome wagon. He took care of us from wine decisions to restaurant and menu questions to making sure I didn’t swipe the Staub miniatures on the table that were used to house two different types of sea salt. heeeee. That would be so declassé. They are discontinued if you are wondering. I asked since I was obviously obsessed with them.
Most places might give a bit of ‘tude after declining bottled water and ordering a couple glasses of wine rather than a bottle and oh did I mention we also passed on the caviar cart? He was nothing but informative and welcoming and really made us laugh. The guy has a natural flair for preaching the gospel of good dining by keeping things fun and light.
Before agreeing to a friend of a friend’s recommendation to go to Cyrus, I had read a couple blogs on it and noticed many had made comparisons to French Laundry. For a restaurant that has been around for only three and a half years that is quite an achievment. We of course would have loved to go to French Laundry, but the last time I checked, I didn’t quite have the winning lotto numbers. We settled on Bouchon for lunch the next day. As for the comparison to French Laundry, I asked our wonderful host / server / entertainer, Bryan, how Cryus felt in regards to the comparison. As I suspected, they are of course honored and delighted but I would also have to agree with him that it is comparing two restaurants of completely different approaches. French Laundry, without a doubt, is a place that should be experienced once in your life. When asked at the end of our meal at Cyrus how it had compared to Farmhouse Inn from our previous night’s dinner, it really was like night and day. All the food we had this weekend was delicious, and as the names of each restaurant invoked what they were, one was a down to earth farmhouse and one was a name reminiscent of a Greek god or Persian royalty.
And just when we thought it was over, after the plum and ginger soda, the miniature melon popsicle intermezzos and the desserts that 3 of us ordered, we had a candy cart get wheeled over with chocolates and basil popsicles, caramels, and all kinds of goodies. And to continue on this train to decadence, we also each received a take home brownie that came in a gold box.
I had actually forgotten about the box in my suitcase (yes I packed it!) and had also managed to stealthily take home the candies that I could fit in the fancy box since we barely touched the generous portion he doled out for us. It was a nice surprise a day after my return. Another souvenir we received was four custom copies of all the courses we had. Everything was completely considered and had an elegant touch, down to using the swoosh from their logo on the dessert plates for garnish. I would return here in a heartbeat, partially for the food but also for the stellar treatment we received. Places like this can go wrong fast, with the snobby air or the snooty wait staff. Pride and passion for service and food was thick in the air.
As we walked back to the hotel with our brownies and our menus in hand there was no regret in our content saunters. My only regret was that I didn’t pace myself during the day’s wine tasting to enjoy the wine pairings with my lovely meal. If you are in need of a fabulous dining experience while in Sonoma, Cyrus is a class act joint and has set a new standard for me.
Our menu:
Wallflour Top PIcks are noted in bold
Canapes
****
Amuse Bouche
****
Summer Squash with Hijiki Noodles, Miso stuffed Blossom and Sea Stock
Thai Marinated Lobster with Avocado, Melon and hearts of Palm
******
Seared Foie Gras with Two Peaches, Crispy Soba Noodles and Cashews
(a very generous portion with no supplemental charge!!!!!)
******
Halibut with Cannellini Beans and trotters, Crayfish Glaze
Sea Bass with Sweet Corn and Tomato Fondue, Lemon Verbena Nage
******
The Cyrus “BLT”
Sea Bass with Sweet Corn and Tomato Fondue, Lemon Verbena Nage
Strip Loin of Beef (code for wagyu beef) with Gnocchi, Hen of the woods and ramps
Chanterelle Risotto with Pea shoots, Parmesan Broth
*******
Chocolate Ganache Bar, Milk Chocolate Sorbet, Rasberry Tuile
Passion Fruit Baked Alaska and Lemon Almond Custard
******
Mignardises (candy cart)
take home brownie (best brownie ever)
***
Photo Disclaimer: Apologies that the photos are kinda blurry and dimly lit. I shy away from restaurant reviews for this reason since I would never want to portray the dishes in a poor manner. Please keep that in mind when looking at these.
*******
Cyrus Restaurant
29 North Street
Healdsburg, CA
707.433.3311 phone
2 Responses to “cyrus is serious”
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My dining experience at Cyrus Restaurant in Healdsburg, CA was a unique and tantalizing awakening of what dining out should be. Whomever is the mastermind behind the “build your own” prix fixe menu is an absolute genius. I suppose that would be the chef / owner Douglas Keane. Not only is this restaurant pushing the normal conventions of flavor combinations, somewhat Asian infused, they continued in their stalwart efforts by perfecting the complete dining experience.
I have only tried a very small handful of fine restaurants in my life. I tend to save going to those for special occasions or while on vacation. Since this was a special occasion for my friend Bethany’s pre-wedding girl getaway weekend, we did “Sonoma’s Greatest Hits”, Farmhouse Inn and Cyrus. We did good. The last thing one needs on a special occasion is a snooty, pretentious server. We experienced neither. It was welcoming, informative, professional and friendly service at every place we visited, from the sommelier to the server. I was very impressed.
After taking a much needed nap after 5 hours of wine tasting in a stretch Excursion limousine (so uncouthe, but the driving service did a car switch on me, which was admittedly hilarious and fun), we were all but enthusiastic to even leave the comforts of the hotel premises. Mind you, the restaurant was two tiny blocks away, we made reservations a month ago and it has 2 Michelin stars, but the words “room service” had been muttered in our groggy states. We pulled it together with a quick pep talk and were on our way. The pep talk being, getting charged $50 per person on my credit card for a no show. Manipulative on my part? yes. Selfish, not in the slightest as we haven’t been able to stop talking about what a special meal it was. In hindsight, i couldn’t have been happier about having this cancellation pressure because the meal will go down in dining history for me.
As we approached the restaurant, it seemed oddly quiet. It was a Sunday night at 9pm and was the only facade lit up on the street. Our hotel’s staff at the front desk pointed us in the direction and told us it was the hottest dining spot in Sonoma. Just what one needs to hear when shaking off an intense nap. Upon entering the building, it was still quiet. We were led to the back of a hallway, past an empty bar and entered the dining room et voila. Much like finding ourselves in Narnia, we entered a warmly lit dining room, lined in cascading, ruched cream colored drapes, that looked like the icing on a tiered wedding cake. Each table had a spotlight above and created a nice glow above each table. This art gallery lighting made complete sense in showcasing the works of art that were about to be placed before us for the next couple hours.
The prix fixe, build your own menu was a gourmand’s dream come true. You mean to tell me I can ditch the others? You mean to tell me I can skip dessert and make mine an additional savory course? You mean I can have tasting portions of what I actually want? WOW. I could barely contain myself. What a relief I did not have to convince a table of exhausted girls that we all had to be on board for the chef’s tasting. The other nice thing is whether you order a 3, 4 or 5 course tasting, they will adjust the portion sizes accordingly. Good to know. I’m going for 5 next time. And there will be a next time.
I was really gonna go for the Noah’s Ark special, from land to sea. I had pre-meditated my personal menu build online prior to leaving home and it was a group effort. Took some online polls on ichat, but much like asking my BF what shoes to wear with my outfit, I already knew where I was headed. Lobster, check, foie gras, check, but what’s this? A Cyrus BLT? hmmm and what they called strip loin is wagyu beef? America’s Texan answer to kobe beef? Never you mind I had it the night before, I was on vacation and after letting myself down while staying at the Parker in Palm Springs for the Glutton’s Delight and barely denting the $200 food credit, I said to myself, this is your time to shine.
Ok, so back to the curve balls for items NOT appearing on the online menu. The BLT was pork belly and tomato and lettuce which I had a bite of and it was amazing. Possibly in my top three picks for the night. I have to say having a food + design website has it’s perks. Everyone always let’s me, or rather insists, that I taste what they ordered.
The word that was said repeatedly throughout dinner was “interesting”. I will admit to finding the first couple canapes and amuse bouches interesting, in a weird way. The bitter beer ball popped in my mouth. That’s the thing that looks like an egg yolk on the top tier. I love little things, but they have to pack a lot of punch in flavor and not just cuteness. An intermezzo of chilled cucumber gelee and microgreens was a bit fussier than what I usually like so I was a bit worried about what was to come but as the meal progressed, I was happily brought down to earth with delicious course after delicious course, interspersed with some light conversation and jokes from the staff and our own awe and amazement of what was set before us.
The meal was orchestrated like a theatrical production and explained to us how it was to be served since we all had decided on different combinations of our tasting menu. I was subjected to eating my seared foie gras with peaches course by myself while the other looked on. I took my time making sure to mix in the dollops of garnish with the peach and the foie gras. I obsess over creating the ultimate bite. Life’s rough.
Aside from the refreshing lobster starter which was tangy and sweet combination, the other dishes I loved were the seabass with creamy sweet corn sauce and the risotto with chanterelles that came surrounded by foam and was not a starchy mess but rather a rice with a rich mushroom, velvety cream sauce. Foam is something I don’t totally understand. I usually have a sufficient amount of my own from foaming at the mouth when something looks tasty. The BLT was very good as well.
I did enjoy my wagyu and found the gnocchi good but the saltiness of the sauce was a bit overpowering. Also, I was excited about the ramps but they were pickled and pickled things don’t always make me happy. Aren’t they past their season anyways? That would explain the pickling. This is the kind of place where you would definitely order something you thought you knew but it would arrive with a Cyrus twist. Let’s just say if I was to return tomorrow I would get the seabass instead of the halibut and the risotto instead of the beef. or perhaps the poussin or the lamb. I truly did have a hard time deciding.
Did I mention the artisan breads? There were about 8+ different kinds being served to the tables in a large round basket by a server. There was brioche fontina, bacon, etc and all of manageable tasting sizes. Of course I chose the bacon one and was not disappointed. All the bread and candies, everything, is made on the premises. That alone is something to be proud of.
The service was impeccable and professional, but not pretentious. With our four top, watching the servers bring out our food was like watching synchronized swimmers come and place a plate in front of each of us in unison. Served from the right, cleared from the left. We were so fortunate to have Bryan as our personal welcome wagon. He took care of us from wine decisions to restaurant and menu questions to making sure I didn’t swipe the Staub miniatures on the table that were used to house two different types of sea salt. heeeee. That would be so declassé. They are discontinued if you are wondering. I asked since I was obviously obsessed with them.
Most places might give a bit of ‘tude after declining bottled water and ordering a couple glasses of wine rather than a bottle and oh did I mention we also passed on the caviar cart? He was nothing but informative and welcoming and really made us laugh. The guy has a natural flair for preaching the gospel of good dining by keeping things fun and light.
Before agreeing to a friend of a friend’s recommendation to go to Cyrus, I had read a couple blogs on it and noticed many had made comparisons to French Laundry. For a restaurant that has been around for only three and a half years that is quite an achievment. We of course would have loved to go to French Laundry, but the last time I checked, I didn’t quite have the winning lotto numbers. We settled on Bouchon for lunch the next day. As for the comparison to French Laundry, I asked our wonderful host / server / entertainer, Bryan, how Cryus felt in regards to the comparison. As I suspected, they are of course honored and delighted but I would also have to agree with him that it is comparing two restaurants of completely different approaches. French Laundry, without a doubt, is a place that should be experienced once in your life. When asked at the end of our meal at Cyrus how it had compared to Farmhouse Inn from our previous night’s dinner, it really was like night and day. All the food we had this weekend was delicious, and as the names of each restaurant invoked what they were, one was a down to earth farmhouse and one was a name reminiscent of a Greek god or Persian royalty.
And just when we thought it was over, after the plum and ginger soda, the miniature melon popsicle intermezzos and the desserts that 3 of us ordered, we had a candy cart get wheeled over with chocolates and basil popsicles, caramels, and all kinds of goodies. And to continue on this train to decadence, we also each received a take home brownie that came in a gold box.
I had actually forgotten about the box in my suitcase (yes I packed it!) and had also managed to stealthily take home the candies that I could fit in the fancy box since we barely touched the generous portion he doled out for us. It was a nice surprise a day after my return. Another souvenir we received was four custom copies of all the courses we had. Everything was completely considered and had an elegant touch, down to using the swoosh from their logo on the dessert plates for garnish. I would return here in a heartbeat, partially for the food but also for the stellar treatment we received. Places like this can go wrong fast, with the snobby air or the snooty wait staff. Pride and passion for service and food was thick in the air.
As we walked back to the hotel with our brownies and our menus in hand there was no regret in our content saunters. My only regret was that I didn’t pace myself during the day’s wine tasting to enjoy the wine pairings with my lovely meal. If you are in need of a fabulous dining experience while in Sonoma, Cyrus is a class act joint and has set a new standard for me.
Our menu:
Wallflour Top PIcks are noted in bold
Canapes
****
Amuse Bouche
****
Summer Squash with Hijiki Noodles, Miso stuffed Blossom and Sea Stock
Thai Marinated Lobster with Avocado, Melon and hearts of Palm
******
Seared Foie Gras with Two Peaches, Crispy Soba Noodles and Cashews
(a very generous portion with no supplemental charge!!!!!)
******
Halibut with Cannellini Beans and trotters, Crayfish Glaze
Sea Bass with Sweet Corn and Tomato Fondue, Lemon Verbena Nage
******
The Cyrus “BLT”
Sea Bass with Sweet Corn and Tomato Fondue, Lemon Verbena Nage
Strip Loin of Beef (code for wagyu beef) with Gnocchi, Hen of the woods and ramps
Chanterelle Risotto with Pea shoots, Parmesan Broth
*******
Chocolate Ganache Bar, Milk Chocolate Sorbet, Rasberry Tuile
Passion Fruit Baked Alaska and Lemon Almond Custard
******
Mignardises (candy cart)
take home brownie (best brownie ever)
***
Photo Disclaimer: Apologies that the photos are kinda blurry and dimly lit. I shy away from restaurant reviews for this reason since I would never want to portray the dishes in a poor manner. Please keep that in mind when looking at these.
*******
Cyrus Restaurant
29 North Street
Healdsburg, CA
707.433.3311 phone
August 18th, 2008 at 7:57 am
I couldn’t agree more!!!!!
August 30th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
This link was just sent to me and Cyrus was listed as one of the 10 places to eat before you die”. I do have a lot of work to do since I’ve only been to 2 places on this list, but couldn’t agree more with those 2 places. check it out.
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-23566978