When a Michelin-starred chef makes you a hamburger, it’s reasonable to expect the best hamburger of your life (or at least a top five).
At Studio Barndiva in Healdsburg, celebrated chef Erik Anderson delivers with The Gallery Burger, a Gruyere-stuffed patty (also known as a Juicy Lucy in the Midwest), pillow-soft sesame bun, pickles and caramelized onions atop a pool of Bordelaise sauce, made with red wine and lots of butter.
It’s simple, it’s complex, it’s goofy, it’s fancy. I loved everything about it.
But a question that nagged me at the newly opened Studio Barndiva: Why is a chef awash with critical accolades cooking hamburgers?
The answer is that the longtime restaurant is returning to its roots as a gathering space promoting ecological literacy, art, nourishment and the covenant of reciprocity. I have no idea what that means, exactly, but the owners say they’re ready to simplify.
“We’ve been proud of everything we’ve done over the 20 years we’ve been here, but we’re trying to get back to what makes us happy. We have always put an emphasis on sourcing locally. By expanding our menus in new directions, this will allow us to reach even more local farmers growing unusual things,” co-owner Lukka Feldman said in January.
It was an unexpected move for the restaurant to cast aside its elaborate multicourse menu for an a la carte menu that riffs on the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich, creamy tikka masala and crispy chicken Paillard as some of its mainstays.
The restaurant also moved its dining room to the more expansive art gallery next door. The original restaurant is reserved for private events.
In 2022, I experienced an astounding meal at Barndiva that included goat cheese croquettes with lavender honey, a dehydrated tomato surrounded by basil gelee and August Sun Gold tomatoes, and a trout bathed in saffron sauce.
It was worthy of a Michelin star, which Barndiva has been awarded for three consecutive years.
But Michelin stars are a funny thing. They create huge expectations from destination diners, crippling pressure for chefs and, sometimes, a loss of the restaurant’s core audience, who are priced out as menus get more and more elaborate. Stars can be greedy monsters that consume everything in the quest for inclusion in the French restaurant guidebook.
It’s also worth mentioning that Healdsburg is awash with stars and tweezer-perfect food, making it even more challenging to stand out.
“We have always believed that the reason people go out to dine is not a fixed star, Michelin or otherwise. We all long to return to tastes that trigger happiness and memory, to be excited by new food experiences, step into a room filled with music and engaging conversation. On the simplest and most profound level, the sound of other humans having vibrant food and drink experiences gives us agency to enjoy ourselves more fully in the world,” read a blog on Barndiva’s website.
Putting those words into action, the Barndiva team hosted discussions in November and February around consumer waste with thought leaders Julia Marsh of Sway, a compostable seaweed packaging company; Beth Rattner of the Biomimicry Institute; and Toby Corey of Cruz Foam, an environmentally sustainable solution to Styrofoam.
The event featured 3D-printed terracotta cups from GaeaStar, filled with craft cocktails from Barndiva’s resident mixologist, Scott Beattie. Future discussions are in the works.
Just weeks into the transformation, the agri-chic gallery, with open rafters, ambient statement chandeliers and casual bistro seating (as well as a large communal table) is consistently booked.
Diners are noticeably more local, wearing fleece and boots rather than silk and heels. Service is smooth and attentive but with far fewer servers and staff. You’re as likely to have a cook — possibly even chef Anderson — deliver your meal as a server.
The question remains how the affably earnest Barndiva Gallery will balance a personality-driven menu from Anderson with a more casual a la carte menu, dramatically lower price points and a local vibe.
It’s a bold U-turn for the Barndiva leadership team, but I think one that suits it.
Best bets
Goat Cheese Croquettes, $12: Crispy bites that ooze with warm goat cheese and tomato jam. A drizzle of sweet, floral honey. Perfection.
Mt. Lassen Trout Rillettes, $16: This is where Anderson’s talent shines. A petite ramekin of shredded trout lightly capped with fat and dotted with egg yolk jam and chives. Rectangles of toasted brioche, buttery and warm, are perfect utensils for getting the rich, silky spread into your face.
Crispy Chicken Paillard, $24: It’s not the chicken Paillard I was expecting. I’m still searching for as juicy, lemony, caper-y and soul-satisfying a Paillard as Chef Ralph Tingle’s Bistro Ralph version. It might even be worth swapping out something similar on the Barndiva menu, knowing how beloved the now-gone Bistro Ralph was to locals. But Anderson’s version takes a different angle, with hyper-crispy breading, a tingly green chermoula and garlicky drizzles of tahini. The pounded chicken is supple and delicious.
The Gallery Burger, $21: When $25 burgers barely get a blink lately, this version is a steal of a deal. Juicy ground beef studded with fresh thyme and the Gruyere (as mentioned earlier) is just brain-explodingly good. The addition of Bordelaise takes it over the top, though on a second visit, the pool of sauce was more of a small puddle. Boo. Order a side of thin frites to sop up the gooey cheese and sauce you’ve dripped everywhere.
Tikka Masala, $30: You first notice that it’s not that weird traffic cone orange color, a good start. Creamy, spicy and beautifully seasoned with plenty of cumin. Served with lemon rice, cooling raita (cucumber yogurt dip) and paratha. It’s hard to do Indian cuisine without a tandoor oven, so the paratha was a bit oily.
Turkish Bazlama & Hummus, $10: Whoever makes this Turkish flatbread (similar to pita or naan) is a genius. It’s served steaming, tender and warm, perfectly paired with a simple hummus and quality olive oil.
The drinks
One of the big draws for Barndiva Gallery is the crafted cocktail menu from Scott Beattie. Where his mind-bending craft cocktails were a nice add-on to the wine program at the former Barndiva, here, they shine brightly as a main event. There can be a bit of sticker shock on some, like the $24 Winter Manhattan made with Ransom bourbon, High West double rye, Italian vermouth, vanilla bean, bitters, Seville orange oil and octogenarian farmer Ken Gradek’s Sonoma County Asian pears.
It is the best Manhattan you will ever have, lead by warm spice and citrus, smooth bourbon and sweet Amarena cherries. Instead of hitting you square in the jaw with boozy heat, Beattie’s cocktails make a surprising first impression (wait, that’s not what I expected); move into a complex middle (yes, that’s familiar, but somehow different); and rewards you with lingering finish (oh, yes, that’s very nice). They’re long sippers, not gulpers.
The Belly Rub Shrub, $18, is made with turmeric spirit, raw turmeric shrub, ginger, markut lime oil and bitters. Round slices of pickled beets hugging the glass give Yayoi Kusuma vibes. Plus, you can pretend it’s healthy.
Best of all is the Philmaitai, $24, with three types of rum, lime, Orgeat and a coconut fat wash. Beattie can explain the science, but it starts with a reserved hit of rum and barely there lime, quickly blooming into a familiar tropical Mai Tai flavor that’s sweet but not too syrupy and finishing with a light flavor of almond and coconut milk.
All of the drinks can be made nonalcoholic without losing the intensity using zero-proof spirits. A well-crafted list of wines by the glass or bottle rounds out the program, and for a limited time, there’s a supersecret cocktail menu with simple martinis, margaritas, gin fizz and a Japanese high ball with Hojicha tea for just $12 each.
Studio Barndiva is at 237 Center St., Healdsburg, 707-431-7404, barndiva.com. Open for dinner Thursday through Sunday. Reservations are highly recommended, although there is limited walk-in seating.