When the two Michelin-starred Cyrus restaurant left the tony Hotel Les Mars in 2012 after its purchase by entrepreneur Bill Foley’s entertainment group, there was a collective breath-holding over what would take over the space.
The answer was Chalkboard, an “upscale casual” Wine Country restaurant that opened under chef Shane McAnelly in 2013.
Though Healdsburgers can be a fickle bunch, especially when a beloved chef like Douglas Keane left abruptly over a dispute with Foley. But McAnelly’s homemade pasta and well-prepared dishes won over even jaded diners.
After McAnelly’s departure in 2020 for Bricoleur Vineyards — he is now heading the kitchen of Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen — Chalkboard lost some of its luster.
On March 24, it shuttered for good, with some displaced staff moving to Foley’s steakhouse, Goodnight’s. However, a new restaurant is already in the works. Foley reps have confirmed that a “Latin cuisine” concept will take over this summer. The Hotel Les Mars website lists the new restaurant’s name as Arandas.