Oozing with eco-chic, Spoonbar is a sprawling fishbowl of a space with room for nearly 250 — meaning elbow-rubbing is purely optional and being seen is the scene. Scott Beattie gets a top-shelf bar space for his lineup of properly concocted cocktails. In the kitchen, toque Rudy Mihal aims his knives squarely at a seasonal Cal-Mediterranean menu of skewers, small plates and destination-worthy bricked chicken.
The dining room (as well as the hotel) makes heavy use of reclaimed materials — from a former gym floor to recycled cafeteria-style bar seats and sustainable woods setting standards for eco-chic. Setting its sights on younger travelers and locals, the dining room includes an oyster and raw bar and communal tables for large groups, with prices in line with its demographic. Meaning not exactly cheap, but not breaking the bank either.
Those familiar with Beattie’s seasonally-inspired cocktails (first-inspired at nearby Cyrus) will feel right at home perusing his epic menus that read more like a J. Peterman catalog than a cocktail menu. Drinks range from a thrifty $6.50 for “classics” to around $9 for top-shelf specialty drinks. Compared with precious sips costing $14 and up around the square, his smaller sips seem like a bargain. The wine program includes several wines on tap.
Chef Rudy Mihal reigns over a Cal-Mediterranean small plates menu that, like him, refuses to be pinned down. Don’t miss the brick chicken with its crispy skin and couscous.
Mere blocks from its luxe-sibling, the Hotel Healdsburg, the h2h hopes to attract urban-minded travelers who appreciate its minimalist decor and amenities. Comparatively, room prices for h2hotel range from around $215 to $415 and up during peak season where Hotel Healdsburg can range from $565 and up per night (though insiders say you can sometimes get cheaper deals), with 2-night minimums during high season.
A big plus: Spoonbar is frequently open on holidays.
Spoonbar at the h2hotel: 219 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg, 707 922-5251
We went to the bar to have a couple of glasses of wine to celebrate a special moment , while waiting to have dinner with friends elsewhere downtown. We were handed the drinks menu and subsequently asked for the wine list. We then waited for over 10 minutes to be served, all the while the male bartender was not busy and hanging out at the other end of the bar. He did walk within spitting distance but ignored our efforts to catch his attention. You must know that their bar is small and the bar is a big plank of natural wood, so not very big. We ended up leaving, feeling that we either didn’t fit their demographics or offended the celebrity bartender when we asked for the wine list. We will never set foot in there again, nor the restaurant which reminds me of a school cafeteria. We were nicely dressed, all be it in jeans, clean cut and obviously old enought!!!! Having cut my teeth in the restaurant business, I know when I’m not welcome. We did go over to BARN DIVA, had a great bartender with a
welcoming attitude and great service!! GUESS WHERE WE ARE GOING BACK TO?!!!!!
No bargains here! Stopped by for drinks, was bamboozled by the confusing menu, and got charged $18 for a double martini of Skyy vodka. When we complained that the we were misled by their confusing drinks menu, we were basically told that the mistake was ours. Buyer beware, this place has ‘trap’ written all over it! Won’t be going back.
We’re celebrating our tenth anniversary there tonight. I’ll let y’all know how it goes!
Ate there last night. Definitely still figuring things out. Good crowd, it was full by the time we left at 8pm. The food was inconsistent. The lamb tangine was good, the skewered beef turned out to be ground beef on a stick – not very interesting, but the skewered meatballs were great. Interestingly, if you want domestic wine by the glass, it comes from a keg.