The Madrona hotel and restaurant in Healdsburg has introduced a two-course, prix-fixe lunch designed for diners short on time.

Available Wednesday through Friday, the $45 menu is intended to be served in about 30 minutes and includes a choice of starter and entrée.

Options include the estate-grown salad, caviar and onion dip, kale-and-furikake pasta, and the Madrona burger served with roasted onions and beef-fat fries. Guests can also add a rotating by-the-glass wine pairing.

Reservations recommended.

1001 Westside Road, Healdsburg, 707-395-6700, themadronahotel.com

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SingleThread in Healdsburg has once again been recognized as one of North America’s best restaurants, ranking No. 16 on the 50 Best organization’s North America list.

This is SingleThread’s second appearance on the regional ranking, which includes restaurants in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean as part of the broader World’s 50 Best Restaurants program. Mexico is featured on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

At the May 28 awards ceremony in New Orleans, SingleThread, which holds three Michelin stars, moved from its previous No. 8 ranking in 2025. It retained its title as Best Restaurant in the West and remained the highest-ranking California restaurant. Other Bay Area restaurants recognized were San Francisco’s Saison (No. 22), Benu (No. 33), Atelier Crenn (No. 44) and Sons & Daughters (No. 45).

Chicago’s Smyth earned the top ranking this year, followed by Eight in Calgary and Restaurant Pearl Morissette in Lincoln, both in Canada. Dakar Nola in New Orleans and Mon Lapin in Montreal completed the top five.

New York secured 13 spots on the list, including Atomix (No. 7), César (No. 10), Le Veau d’Or (No. 12), Le Bernardin (No. 13), Kabawa (No. 14) and Jungsik (No. 18).

Since 2002, “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” has served as a snapshot of some of the best destinations for unique culinary experiences and has highlighted emerging gastronomic trends.

North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list joins other prominent accolades, such as the annual Michelin stars and James Beard Awards, as well as various national and regional “best of” lists that can significantly influence a restaurant’s success.

Judges for the North American awards are selected from a pool of chefs, restaurateurs, food journalists and gourmets, according to the organization.

SingleThread is also on the extended World’s 50 Best restaurant list at No. 80, along with American restaurants Le Bernardin (No. 90), Atelier Crenn (No. 96), and New York’s Cesar (No. 98). Atomix (No. 12) is the only American restaurant that currently breaks into the top 50. The 2026 World’s 50 Best awards will be held in November.

A full list of winners can be found on the 50 Best website.

SingleThread, 131 North St., Healdsburg, 707-723-4646, singlethreadfarms.com

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After years in Michelin-starred kitchens, chef Jason Pringle is restarting his career in a borrowed corner of a Healdsburg cafe.

On Thursday through Sunday evenings, after Acorn Café closes, Pringle and a small crew take over the kitchen, swapping espresso machines for spice tins, fresh herbs and stacks of fresh pita dough.

The menu draws from the memories of his grandmother, Juju, now 97, who was raised in Morocco during the French protectorate — a culinary crossroads shaped by Berber, French, Middle Eastern and Spanish influences, layered with aromatic herbs and warm spices. It is a foundation that formed Pringle’s palate early and continues to pull him toward the flavors of North Africa.

For now, the arrangement is temporary, as he searches for a more permanent Healdsburg brick-and-mortar. For a chef who has spent much of his career in fine dining, curating perfect nasturtium leaves and wielding tweezers as a required tool of the trade, the change is a welcome one. In this moment, he can focus on the time-tested dishes that inspired his love for cooking.

From sandwich artist to Michelin stars

Pringle’s introduction to restaurant kitchens didn’t come through culinary school. Instead, it began in a humbler setting: assembling sandwiches at a rural Idaho Subway at 15. He moved on from foot-longs to a stint at the town’s “fancy steakhouse,” then to a game-focused restaurant, where he built five-course menus around elk, farmed sturgeon and other regional fare. A spin-off television show, “Cooking on the Wild Side,” pushed him further into unfamiliar terrain.

“Once we cooked beaver. It kind of tasted like fishy rabbit,” he said, grimacing. Much of the meat came from questionable sources. “You wouldn’t believe the kind of freezer-burned stuff people brought us.”

Aside from a few culinary classes at a local junior college, Pringle learned on the job, working his way through Michelin-caliber restaurants, including Aqua in San Francisco, Café Boulud in New York and Selby’s in Redwood City, which earned its first Michelin star in 2021 shortly after his departure — a milestone he describes as bittersweet.

A position at the newly opened Montage Healdsburg brought Pringle to Sonoma County in 2020, along with the promise of a quieter life for his family. As executive chef, he oversaw the resort’s flagship restaurant, Hazel Hill, and the more casual Scout Field Bar. The role carried prestige but, like many corporate kitchens, offered limited room for personal expression.

A borrowed space

In the mornings, Pringle works from a small corner of Acorn Café’s prep area, careful to stay out of the way of the breakfast and lunch rush. There, he folds delicate cheese cappelletti and prepares fresh pita dough until the café closes at 3 p.m. Only then can he and his crew fully take over for evening service.

“This takes me back to my days at Aqua, when the fanciest piece of equipment in the kitchen was a Robot-Coupe blender,” he said. “I’m used to being scrappy and it gets me back to my roots.”

The menu is ambitious for such a compact space. Roasted lamb tagine, grilled octopus and tarte flambé sit alongside precisely composed plates that reflect a lifetime in fine dining. Pringle spent months narrowing the offerings to dishes that work within space constraints while maintaining personal significance and emotional connection.

“There are no tweezers here,” he said. “We try to strip everything to its core to make it special, but not fussy. My number one priority is to make it affordable and to please the community.”

Best bets

Lamb Shank Tagine, $32: Served in a traditional cone-lidded Moroccan vessel, this deeply personal dish features lamb slow-roasted with ras el hanout — a blend of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and cardamom — until tender. The result is both floral and earthy, with a gentle sweetness from couscous studded with dried apricots and onions.

Mezze Trio, $22: Three vividly flavored dips — familiar in form, but distinct in execution. The hummus is enriched with roasted garlic and preserved lemon, finished with a touch of harissa. Baba ganoush carries a subtle smokiness, balanced by caramelized onions, while the muhammara blends roasted red peppers with pomegranate syrup, walnuts and cumin. Served with warm, pillowy pita.

Cheese Cappelletti, $22: Beet-dyed pasta, folded by hand and filled with goat cheese, finished with mint, olive oil and preserved lemon. A standout.

Grilled Caesar, $15: Baby romaine is lightly charred, softening the interior while adding a smoky edge. Grated mimolette and a squeeze of lime brighten the dish.

Poulet Roti, $28 (half), $52 (whole): This is the roast chicken Ina Garten wishes she could make, rubbed with preserved lemon and herbs beneath the skin, yielding crispness on the outside and moisture on the inside. Served with harissa potatoes and peas. A confident, well-executed classic.

To drink: A small list of Moroccan-inspired options includes the Atlas Spritz ($12), with blood orange and sparkling wine, and the Marrakech Garden ($13), made with herb-infused wine, cucumber and mint. A nonalcoholic mint-tea fizz is a refreshing alternative.

A children’s menu is available, and the format is casual: counter service, no reservations, walk-ins only. Dinner is served from 5-8:30 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, at 124 Matheson St. in Healdsburg. acornhealdsburg.com/popups

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Before Beck hung up his guitar for the season, he sat down at a 100-year-old piano and played one final solo show. On a tiny stage. In front of 150 people. Atop a gourmet vegan restaurant in Healdsburg.

Over the course of two hours, his 21-song setlist included some of the all-time classics: “The Golden Age” and “One Foot in the Grave.” In between he waxed poetic about the beauty of Sonoma County, bantered with the audience about hot summer nights, and compared the venue to a living room and a tree house.

It had been a busy summer for the Grammy-winning artist, touring several cities with an 80-piece orchestra. The night before, he headlined the Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco. The intimate show at Little Saint offered a change of pace from the crowded open-air festival atmosphere of the other shows.

It also offered fans a chance to see one of their idols up close.

Little Saint has worked hard to cultivate an eclectic music program since it opened on Earth Day in 2022. Already, it has attracted artists such as Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus of the indie supergroup boygenius; child actress turned feminist singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis; ethereal harmonizing duo Lucius; rock band Dawes; and more.

The intimate venue has generated so much buzz in the broader music community that artists reportedly are going out of their way to see if they can swing tours through Sonoma County to stop and experience it for themselves.

“We’re becoming a place that everyone wants to book when they come through San Francisco,” said Jonny Fritz, Little Saint’s music director. “Like the [now closed] Bottletree in Birmingham, or the 9:30 Club in [Washington], D.C. If you got booked at those places, you looked forward to it all tour.”

For this reason, it’s no exaggeration to say the place might be the hottest music venue in the country right now.

There isn’t any singular feature that makes Little Saint special. It’s the room. It’s the acoustics. It’s the intimacy. The crowd. The food. The hospitality. The overall experience of being part of a show at this one-of-a-kind venue seems to transcend what fans — and musicians — have come to expect from typical music experiences.

As singer-songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan says, “You can count on magic at Little Saint.”

The woman behind this magic is Laurie Ubben, a lifelong music lover, animal activist, and patron of the arts.

Ubben owns the restaurant with her husband, Jeff Ubben, and she runs the music program with her sister Jenny Hess and Fritz. When she’s not traveling, Ubben is right there at every single show, fangirling like everyone else in the crowd.

From the very beginning, Ubben’s goal with the venue has been simple: To curate a program that educates and uplifts those who come.

“So many of us go through our days and our lives without really connecting to each other or the community, or even the world around us,” said Ubben. “We wanted to create an uplifting gathering place where every interaction is good for the soul, the earth, and our community.”

It’s no surprise that Ubben has created such a buzzy music destination; in many ways, she’s been preparing for the job for more than two decades.

Back in 2005, when Ubben and her husband lived in San Francisco, she and friend Lane Murchison started the Bird School of Music to share a love of music with kids, teenagers, and just about anyone who was interested. The school offered a variety of programs including music lessons and summer camps, but chief among them were the eight-week band-training sessions that culminated with a concert in Jeff Ubben’s office garage.

“We didn’t require any experience, we just let kids play together — like soccer but more fun,” Laurie Ubben says. “More often than not, they chose their bandmates and instruments.”

As time went on, as many students started to graduate from the Bird, Ubben found herself in a position to serve as an old-school patron of the arts. She seized the opportunity to provide financial assistance to several artists who were struggling to make ends meet or in search of an investor to help make the record of their dreams.

Eventually, the Ubbens relocated to Healdsburg. Years later, after they purchased Little Saint, Laurie sat down and began brainstorming about what she’d need to build the perfect music venue. With a concept in place, she set out to find a partner to help her make it come to life. She found one in Jonny Fritz.

Ubben had known Fritz since 2009 — they met for the first time when Fritz was touring with singer/songwriter Tim Easton, and Easton and Fritz spent several tour dates at the Ubben residence. Ubben and Fritz reconnected in 2012 in Rhode Island at the Newport Folk Festival, which draws music aficionados from all over the world. As Fritz remembers it, Ubben approached him after he had tackled his bass player into the mud and was nearly kicked out of the event, but that impression aside, Ubben was undeterred and the two remained friends.

On the surface, Fritz might have seemed like a curious choice — he has a career as a musician himself, and lives in Los Angeles. But Ubben knew Fritz had good taste in music and that he was well-connected in the music industry. Prior to the founding of Little Saint, the duo had previously teamed up in 2016 to curate a series of shows during which Fritz played alongside the likes of Hozier, Lukas Nelson, the Promise of the Real, and Honey Honey.

In early 2022, as Ubben and Fritz began to map out their grand plan for Little Saint’s music program, they started an email thread listing all the artists they wanted to book.  The list — Hozier, boygenius, Samantha Crain, Wet Leg, Mitski, Conor Oberst, Joy Oladokun, Jamestown Revival, Madison Cunningham, Julia Jacklin, Mon.Rovia, Katie Pruitt — reads like a festival lineup: headliners, up-and-comers, and some seemingly plucked from obscurity — and that’s precisely the point. Ubben and Fritz try to book the calendar in such a way that even the most ardent fans of live music are learning something every once in a while.

The first show Fritz booked for Little Saint was Molly Lewis, a professional whistler who performs in front of a 12-piece band. Later in those early days, Fritz booked another show with Lavender Country, for what would be one of the 78-year-old musician’s final performances (the self-proclaimed queer Marxist cowboy died just weeks later). The first set of the Lavender Country show did not go well, as the artist was verbose and opinionated.

“I thought, ‘I might have to send in my resignation after this,’” Fritz remembers.

Mercifully, the crowd settled in for the second set and the show became a full-on dance party by the end of the night.

“That show was a great lesson for me that you don’t have to please everyone all of the time,” Fritz said. “If we’re not ruffling some feathers, what are we doing on this planet anyway?”

Due in part to this slow start, Fritz thought it would take five years to get the program running smoothly. It took two.

For Ubben, this success was not a surprise.

“Our philosophy is, ‘Come and trust us,’” Ubben says. “I like the idea of discovery. If we can normalize this way of simultaneously nourishing our minds and our souls, I think it can be a wonderful way to get people to think differently about art.”

Fritz agrees.

“We’re not just booking cover bands — nothing against cover bands or anybody,” explains Fritz, who comes to Healdsburg from Los Angeles roughly every other month. “There are other places that host those kinds of shows. They’re great. Go there. Here, we’re putting together something different. The idea is that you can’t get this somewhere else. That there’s nothing else like it anywhere right now. That’s what makes it special.”

Little Saint is something special from the artists’ perspective, too. It offers them something other venues often can’t: a clean and relaxing respite from a seemingly endless stream of anonymous hotel rooms and meals filled with fast food or plucked from plastic catering trays backstage — hallmarks of life on the road.

For many artists, the Little Saint experience starts on the Little Saint Farm, an 8-acre property about a seven-minute drive from the Healdsburg Plaza on Westside Road. Here, amid vineyards that stretch across the hills like corduroy, the Ubbens welcome artists to stay at a red farmhouse when they come to play.

The two-story farmhouse is sprawling — the kind of place where a band of six or seven could stay comfortably without getting on each other’s nerves. Decor inside is boho chic — think board-and-batten walls, comfy couches, and rugs over wooden floors. A wraparound porch rings most of the structure; there’s a pool and sauna out back.

Before a recent show on a rainy late fall day, members of the New Orleans-based band The Deslondes spent two nights at the farmhouse — a nice change during a stretch of 11 shows in 13 days. They read. They came together for casual jam sessions in the living room. Some band members strolled through the vineyards to take phone calls or just decompress with uninterrupted quiet time.

Different artists use the house in different ways. Beck gravitated toward that old Hamilton wood piano. Other artists unplug entirely. The farmhouse is comfortable enough that some musicians extend their visits for several weeks, such as when the three members of the indie rock band, boygenius, visited the property for a writing retreat in 2021. On that stay, over the course of about 10 days, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker spent time on the farm writing songs and drawing inspiration from the coast, the redwoods, and different parts of Sonoma County. (Bridgers spent part of her childhood in Ukiah, and when the band returned on tour in 2023, she says the Little Saint show, which members of her family attended, was their first acoustic performance from their new album.)

Many of the songs they wrote on that earlier visit have lyrics with direct references to Sonoma County and were on that 2024 Grammy-winning album, “The Record” (see sidebar below).  It’s safe to say the album might not have turned out the way it did if not for Little Saint Farm.

The farm is a working farm, with a team of six farmers tending to the land year-round, supplying the restaurant with more than 80% of the produce Little Saint’s chefs use in the kitchen every day. Before each performance, artists sit down to a freshly prepared vegan meal that many say is a welcome change from the heavy, processed foods they usually eat while on tour. Typically, the artists dine in the back of the restaurant, behind the bar. Lucky fans might catch a glimpse of this pre-show meal on their way to the restrooms.

The meals themselves differ from week to week. Some favorites include a trio of dips with farm-fresh veggies, fried lion’s mane mushrooms, and the harvest cheeseburger.

“I’ve been a vegetarian since I was a child and there’s no other place I’m aware of that offers the food experience they do,” says Sean Scolnick, aka Langhorne Slim.

Healdsburg on ‘The Record’

Many of the songs that would eventually end up on indie band boygenius’ Grammy Award-winning album, “The Record,” were written during their 2021 visit to the farmhouse at Little Saint Farm.

Two of the songs —“Leonard Cohen” and “We’re in Love” — feature lyrics
with direct references to Sonoma County.

From “Leonard Cohen”:

“On the on-ramp, you said / ‘If you love me,
you will listen to this song.”

Bridgers and Baker both say that the on-ramp in question
is the Central Healdsburg on-ramp to 101, heading south out of town.

From “We’re in Love”:

 “And the walk we took in the redwoods.”

Dacus reveals this is a reference to Armstrong Redwoods
State Natural Reserve in Guerneville.

The venue itself is a singular experience for the artists, too. During his August concert, Beck repeatedly referred to it as a “tree house,” an apt comparison for the airy, second floor space perched above downtown, where the view is the canopy of nearby trees.

The high-ceilinged space is lined on two sides by glass garage doors. In warm weather, the doors roll up and expand the footprint onto two separate open-air patios — one facing North Street, the other facing the new Foley Family Community Pavilion.

When concerts sell out, Little Saint employees encourage fans without tickets to pitch blankets and congregate in the park across the street so they can hear music as it floats out the open garage doors into the night sky.

The small stage — no bigger than a large area rug — sits in front of a giant tapestry hanging on the back wall, a patchwork quilt of a curtain composed of recycled fabric, including old rock band T-shirts that, when illuminated, has a gossamer-like quality (see sidebar, below article). The stage-left wall is lined with framed lineup posters from past shows.

The audience’s domain in the middle of the room is chameleon-like, adapting to the different feel each artist brings to the stage. For some shows, the space is lined with couches and comfy chairs facing the performers. For others, there are tables and bistro chairs, kind of like an old-school cabaret. For bigger crowds, the floor is clear and guests are invited to stand. But there are outliers: when Lucius came to town in 2023, singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig left their band onstage for three encores, invited the crowd to sit in a circle, and waltzed out to perform in the center.

“The great thing about our space is that it’s versatile so we can change it up every night depending on the artist,” said Ubben. “You could come see four shows in one month and never see the room set up the same.”

The acoustics in the music venue are state-of-the-art, too — Jeff Ubben is a self-proclaimed nerd about that. The custom system uses separate amplifiers to optimize sound clarity, power, and dynamics and to produce louder and deeper bass.

Devin Feiertag, owner of Blackline Engineering, which set up the system, noted that a large amount of the room has been treated with recycled jeans packed in the walls, ceiling roof slats, and sound-dampening furniture, but these acoustical upgrades would be nothing without the acts themselves.

Musicians love playing small, intimate venues, and many of the artists who have come through Healdsburg to play at Little Saint can’t say enough good things about it.

The Seattle-based duo and married couple Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten, who go by the name Chinese American Bear, performed at Little Saint in April 2025. Tong said the show remains one of their most memorable experiences anywhere in the world.

“The setup of the stage and audience area provided a very intimate and supportive atmosphere, [and] it felt like we were performing in someone’s open and inviting living room,” Tong wrote in a recent email. “Everyone was attentive, no one was on their phones or chatting with each other. It made us feel very special and seen as musicians.”

Ben Jaffe, who has played the venue several times, agrees. Jaffe says it’s clear to him that Little Saint is made and run by people who love art and likens the venue to a big piece of art itself.

“The beauty of the interior design and the level of the visual art always revs me up as a musician, [and] I feel kind of egged-on by all the color and expressiveness in the building to give a vibrant performance,” he says. “The stage has a lot of humility to it. It’s not some big grand thing; it’s a simple stage that doesn’t put the artists on some overbearing pedestal,” Jaffe adds, noting it makes it easier for artists like him to connect with the crowd through the music.

The intimacy at Little Saint breaks down barriers between artist and audience not found at other venues. Artists here seem naturally more approachable, and it’s not uncommon for fans to actually meet their favorite artists at some point in the night.

Sometimes these meetings occur before the show, when the artists are playing tourist in Healdsburg before sound check, or as band members are settling into one of several cottages the Ubbens recently purchased behind the venue. There’s also a small sitting area behind the stage that acts as a greenroom that patrons must pass on their way to the restroom. Other times the exciting encounters happen afterward; band managers usually set up merchandise tables toward the back of the venue, and most artists will come out after the final set and work the merch booth themselves.

As it enters its fifth year, the music program at Little Saint continues to evolve. Ubben and Fritz are in constant contact with each other, firing texts and emails back and forth about up-and-coming artists and established stars they’d like to book. They still have the original list they put together and add and subtract names almost weekly. Some, like Billie Eilish and Maggie Rogers, are still among their dream performers.

Little Saint also is getting more involved in the local and regional music scenes. The restaurant has sponsored The Ramble, an annual event put on by Noah and Kelly Dorrance of BloodRoot and Reeve Wines to raise money for the Giffords foundation. There has been other crossover with the Dorrances, too — the couple and their kids hosted Beck on a pontoon boat at Lake Sonoma after his show.

Ubben’s team has even dabbled on the national stage. Members of the Little Saint team provided free food and free music at the 2024 Americana Music Association’s AMERICANAFEST in Nashville, and a different contingent from Little Saint went to South by Southwest in Austin last year to scout new bands and spread the word about Healdsburg’s hidden gem of a performance venue.

Despite all these strides, despite the Becks and Rufus Wainwrights going out of their way to play at Little Saint, Fritz said there’s a long way to go.

“We’re still developing relationships with booking agents. I’m still writing emails saying, ‘I know you’ve never heard of us, I know our venue only holds 270,’ but trust me, those relationships are getting stronger. As they get stronger, people take more of a chance on us. We’re here to establish ourselves as the spot that can do these types of events,” he says.  “I have every confidence in it happening more and more. We are moving in the right direction.”

Ubben sees the future as an opportunity; she aims to innovate, no matter what.

“We don’t really feel confined by boundaries as to what we can or cannot do; we’re going to just keep pushing the envelope,” she said. “That attitude is what this place was built on. It will always be a part of who we are. It’s one of the things that makes Little Saint so special.”

Experience Little Saint

Thursday evening shows at Little Saint are free, ticketed events.

The 2026 season kicked off at 6 p.m., Jan. 15, with Grammy Award-nominated artist Leslie Mendelson. A recently announced addition to this year’s lineup is Grammy Award-winning musician St. Vincent, performing an intimate show at 7 p.m., March 3, at Little Saint. (Tickets for this show go on sale at 10 a.m., Feb. 6.)

See the rest of the lineup at littlesainthealdsburg.com/lineup.

Little Saint, 25 North St., Healdsburg, 707-433-8207, littlesainthealdsburg.com

The post Little Saint in Healdsburg Might Be the Hottest Music Venue in the Country appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Healdsburg in 2001 was a different place. Back then, a $25 steak felt like a splurge, and the sidewalks belonged to dusty boots and Carhartts, not Birkins or Blahniks.

That was the year chef Charlie Palmer opened Dry Creek Kitchen, putting the agricultural outpost on the culinary map. Heirloom tomato salad and locally grown beets with goat cheese still felt novel — and Palmer’s $25 charcoaled beef sirloin was the priciest item on the menu.

That same year, a more humble pub opened just a block away to a quieter reception. Healdsburg Bar & Grill, or HBG as it was quickly dubbed, became the place where locals could settle in with a beer and feed the whole family for less than $50. It wasn’t McDonald’s, but you could get a solid burger for $7.25 or grilled salmon for less than $11.

As Michelin-minded restaurants have crept across the plaza in recent years, HBG has stayed the course as a rare affordable option. There’s always been a chef’s touch to the food, but never a whiff of preciousness, even after chef Douglas Keane of Cyrus and his partner Nick Peyton took over in 2008. (They moved on in 2024.)

Now, more than twenty years later, the two restaurants that once bookended Healdsburg’s dining scene are tied together again, with Palmer at the helm of both menus. He brings along his signatures — Julia Child’s boeuf bourguignon, duck confit — while keeping the old standbys like the HBG burger and fried chicken. Sometimes, what’s old feels new all over again.

What’s new

In mid-December, Palmer and HBG owner Danya Richter unveiled a full refresh: a new menu and bar program, a brighter look and a reimagined outdoor space. It’s just the latest in Palmer’s flurry of projects — he’s just opened Folia at the Appellation resort in Healdsburg, has his sights set on a similar venture in Petaluma and still keeps a hand in Dry Creek Kitchen, not to mention his restaurants in New York and Napa. In the kitchen at HBG, former Dry Creek Kitchen sous chef Hugh Dyer now runs the stove.

Richter, a local hairdresser and longtime family friend of the Palmers, reached out to Palmer after Keane’s departure.

“She asked for help. We got involved. And then I really got into it,” Palmer said. “We started with a few tweaks in the kitchen and now we’ve redone the entire place.”

“Our goal is really to make this a place for families to go, to keep it affordable. A lot of people who used to come after games and school are coming back and takeout is getting traction,” he added.

Regulars will notice a change in the decor, though it’s more a gentle shift in mood than a full transformation. There’s new lighting — a farmhouse chandelier that catches the eye, dimmable table lamps for reading menus and actually seeing your food — along with muted green-gray accent walls and a dining room that feels more clubby than clubhouse.

Inside, there’s also plenty of new greenery, including several potted olive trees, a Palmer favorite.

Right away, the food is better — noticeably so. In recent months, things had started to slip, with dishes that felt phoned in. On a summer visit, I left unimpressed, wondering what had happened to this downtown Healdsburg staple.

The full bar has always been a draw, especially for those brunchy, over-the-top bloody marys. Now, general manager Steve Alkire has added a handful of new cocktails. The Fresa-Rita, with black pepper-infused tequila, strawberry, triple sec and citrus, stands out. All signature and classic cocktails are $13.50.

The new HBG keeps what’s made it a local favorite for more than 20 years, but steps confidently into its next act: a stronger menu, cocktails as good as ever and a room that feels ready to welcome a new generation of diners.

Best bets

Beef Bourguignon ($25): Palmer wasn’t just a fan of Julia Child; he cooked alongside her on PBS’s “Cooking With Master Chefs.” Here, he leans into her version of beef bourguignon, caramelizing the meat and vegetables, and deglazing with beef stock instead of red wine. It’s a small shift, but it dials up the umami. Tender beef, pearl onions, potatoes and carrots drift in a sauce you’ll want to mop up with bread. Hearty winter fare and worthy of Julia’s approval.

Oysters Rockefeller ($18) or Half-Dozen Wings ($13): Whether you’re feeling pinkies-up and Champagne-ready or just in the mood for football and beer, there’s a move for both. The warm oysters arrive under a blanket of melty Parmesan, spinach and buttered bread crumbs — a little bit of class. The wings, crisp and saucy, are an HBG signature, with your pick of Buffalo, barbecue, sweet Korean chili, blue cheese or ranch. Get both and call it good.

Bucket O’ Fried Chicken ($34): Palmer says they’re leaning into fried chicken, and it shows. A whole chicken — 10 pieces — arrives in a paper bucket, just like the Colonel’s, but this one is long-brined and double-fried. It’s an upgrade on the HBG classic.

Falafel Salad ($17): An HBG staple and one I always circle back to. Crunchy falafel, a drizzle of tzatziki, cucumber, tomato and olives, all anchored by a base of creamy hummus.

Bar Steak ($28): As the owner of steakhouses across the country, Palmer delivers here: an 8-ounce New York strip with a perfect sear and a generous puddle of melted garlic butter. Thin bistro fries tucked underneath soak up the juices and arrive salty and crisp. The side salad is forgettable — I’d trade it for more fries and a side of aioli.

HBG Burger ($17): The classic. American cheese, special sauce, bacon marmalade, all on a toasted brioche bun. You really can’t go wrong.

Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet ($7): Nothing fancy here — just a soft, warm chocolate chip cookie in a cast-iron skillet, topped with a scoop of vanilla gelato. Perfect for sharing.

If you go: Wednesday night is trivia night and the place fills with local teams, plates of food and plenty of friendly debate. Anyone can join in, but if you’re after a quieter spot, the enclosed patio is your best bet.

Happy hour runs from 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday, with drink specials, wings ($6), fried chicken or pulled sliders ($8-$10), poke bites ($9), and queso dip with chips and salsa ($7). Brunch is served from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, offering Benedicts ($16-$17), corned beef hash ($15), fried chicken and waffles ($15) and pancakes ($15), in addition to burgers and other lunch items.

Healdsburg Bar & Grill is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Monday (closed Tuesday). 245 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg; 707-433-3333; healdsburgbarandgrill.com

The post Healdsburg Bar & Grill Gets a Fresh Start Under Charlie Palmer appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

The long lines at Quail & Condor were once almost as much a part of the Healdsburg bakery’s identity as its flaky croissants, sticky cinnamon buns and tangy sourdough loaves. Few seemed to mind the wait at the original, dollhouse-size shop, where the scent of sugar and warm bread could soothe even the hangriest crowd.

Still, the anxiety of missing out on the last scone or cream-filled Danish could fray nerves. Paired with the chaotic parking lot — full of sugar-crazed kids and lumbering SUVs — and the fact that there was nowhere to sit and savor your coffee and cake, it was enough to push even the most patient into a low-grade panic.

The bakery’s new location at 44 Mill St. remedies it all.

Just a week before Thanksgiving, owners Sean and Melissa McGaughey opened the doors to the 3,650-square-foot space. The building, part of the freshly minted warehouse district called The Row, has more seating, real parking, a quicker line and — as a fresh design touch — a wall of vintage skateboards. Just a short walk from their original storefront, the new digs are also next door to a yoga studio, Parish Café, Jane Dispensary and the soon-to-open Acre Pizza.

“We were wearing old, tight pants,” Sean said, recalling how cramped the former bakery had become. The buzz of a super-popular spot had its charms, but he and Melissa were ready to ease the stress on themselves, their staff and their ever-growing clientele.

“I like a little party,” he added, “just not all the time.”

A new space, a new vibe

Quail & Condor’s evolution has been a story of community from the start. What began with Melissa’s pop-up bakery at the Healdsburg farmers market in 2020 gained national fame after a New York Times article declared the couple’s bakery one of the best in America.

“It’s called daily bread for a reason,” Sean said. “Bakeries provide community. Sometimes it’s a gathering spot, and sometimes you’re just filling your pantry, but it’s an ecosystem.”

The McGaugheys’ culinary roots run deep. Before Quail & Condor, they worked together at Healdsburg’s three-Michelin-starred SingleThread, where they honed their craft under the direction of chefs Kyle and Katina Connaughton. Their experience at SingleThread — a hub of innovation and fine dining — helped shape their approach to food, blending artistry with precision.

They’ve also launched Troubadour Bread & Bistro, a dual-purpose spot on Healdsburg Avenue where they serve casual sandwiches by day and transform the space into the high-end French restaurant Le Dîner by night.

At the new Quail & Condor location, the couple and their staff can get even more immersed in the community. With its soaring roll-up doors and vast white walls (currently being transformed with murals), it not only gives the bakers elbow room but reconnects them with the people they serve.

“People see their baker, and now the bakers get to see people taking a bite of something they made,” said Melissa, who won Food Network’s “Holiday Baking Championship” in 2019 and is currently a contestant on the fifth season of “Alex vs. America.”

Though the couple hesitated to leave the funky, indie nook where it all began, the additional space — which they’re already growing into — feels like a blessing. The wall of vintage skateboards, sourced from Facebook Marketplace and friends’ castoffs, keeps the indie vibe alive.

More than just pastries

The new space has allowed for an expanded menu. While pastries are still the star, Melissa, who has Turkish roots (her father is from Turkey, her mother from the Philippines), has long wanted to add more breakfast options — some influenced by her heritage.

There’s the simit ($9), a supersized sesame bagel topped with charred leeks and cream cheese; baked eggs with garlic yogurt and chili oil ($14); and the Turkish breakfast ($22), which she describes as her most personal dish. It includes a soft-boiled egg in its shell, four triangles of cheese, olives, roasted vegetables and a side of sourdough toast with jam — “exactly the way my dad made it,” she said.

Other dishes include a sourdough waffle with lingonberry jam and Vermont maple syrup ($15); a hearty grain porridge ($12) made with quinoa, rice and oats; and a savory vegetable quiche paired with an herb salad ($15).

Don’t miss the extensive toast menu ($5–$14), which features thick slices of multigrain bread with a variety of spreads, from pistachio butter and hazelnut spread (highly recommended) to cultured butter and more substantial toppings like lox and cream cheese. There’s also a Lamborghini-level avocado toast with chili oil.

Quail & Condor also serves espresso drinks, a homemade chai latte and drip coffee. Expect more menu additions after the holidays. Open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

44 Mill St., Unit J, Healdsburg; 707-473-8254, quailandcondor.com

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Is there a restaurant project Charlie Palmer isn’t involved with right now? Healdsburg’s busiest chef is taking on Healdsburg Bar & Grill — formerly managed by chef Doug Keane and Nick Peyton — and he’s bringing his famed boeuf bourguignon with him.

In mid-December, Palmer and HBG owner Danya Richter will debut a full refresh: new menu, new bar program, updated décor and a reworked outdoor space.

The move caps a busy stretch for Palmer, who recently opened Folia at the Appellation resort in Healdsburg, continues pushing for a similar project in Petaluma, and still oversees restaurants in New York City, Napa and Healdsburg’s own Dry Creek Kitchen.

I’m jonesing for the bourguignon, inspired by Julia Child’s recipe. Palmer cooked a version alongside the French culinary icon and plans a few seasonal tweaks before adding it to the menu, alongside classic duck confit. The beloved HBG burger and “Fox in the Henhouse” fried chicken will stay put.

More details to come.

245 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-433-3333, healdsburgbarandgrill.com

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In New Orleans, lagniappe (pronounced lan-yap) means “a little something extra,” a small gift of appreciation given with a purchase, a kindness often extended in restaurants there.

It’s also the perfect name for the new Bistro Lagniappe in downtown Healdsburg. In a town already brimming with great food, chef-owner Jacob Harth’s inspired California-French cuisine is indeed a special treat. His wood-fired cooking, inspired by France’s rural bistros, brings a welcome, hearty approach to the local dining landscape.

Raised on a farm in Southern Oregon, Harth learned to hunt, forage, and fish from an early age. His mother taught him to cook, his father how to barbecue oysters. His grandmother, who owned a restaurant, gave him his first job in the kitchen. After honing his skills in Portland, he moved to San Francisco to work as a chef at the three-Michelin-starred Saison, before returning to Portland to open Erizo, a seafood restaurant of his own focused on “radical sustainability.” The pandemic brought that critical success to an untimely end, and Harth went on to Michelin-caliber restaurants in Brooklyn and Mexico City. He returned to the Bay Area and in summer of 2024 hosted his first pop-up at Healdsburg’s Maison Wine Bar, paving the way for his new venture.

There’s so much to enjoy on the Lagniappe menu, it can be hard to choose, so just dive in and savor the experience of eating well. True to his background, Harth sources as close to home as possible. His pâté ($15), a rustic, country-style dish, is made with a hog he purchased from local Future Farmers of America (FFA) students. The ground pork is combined with sweetbreads from a family-owned Cloverdale cattle ranch. In an unexpected twist, he grills the pâté slabs for a smoky, savory finish “that’s like a nice backyard-barbecue hot dog,” quips Harth.

Seafood selections depend on the day’s catch, which might be crudo made with hook-and-line rockfish from Bodega Bay or silky halibut with beautifully salty bottarga (cured fish roe), juicy Sungold tomatoes, and a hint of lime leaf ($20). Harth is one of the few local chefs able to secure prized Knights Valley Wagyu from rancher Adam Gordon, and the cuts change based on what is available. On one visit, the treasure was tri-tip, served with French fries ($50) that one cook spends hours perfecting until they are crisp-on-the-outside, buttery-on-the-inside golden beauties.

From the brick-lined wood oven — a holdover from the building’s days as Molti Amici Italian restaurant — emerge perfectly roasted oysters with smoky garlic butter ($6), delicate, chewy flatbreads ($9), and cassoulet laden with tender lamb and a whole leg of duck confit ($38).

For dessert, the mille-feuille is an edible work of art, featuring layers of crisp, flaky pastry filled with Brokaw Ranch passion fruit, vanilla crème diplomat, and a touch of fermented honey. Like everything else at Bistro Lagniappe, it’s something extra — extra-marvelous.

330 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. 707-473-8181, lagniappehealdsburg.com

This article originally appeared in The Press Democrat. Read the full article here. 

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Best. Risotto. Ever.

I’m not a frequent risotto eater because, all too often, the dish becomes a traumatic experience. It’s either gluey enough to be used as spackle or so undercooked that the rice remains crunchy. I get it — the dish is notoriously difficult to master. Like a toddler, it requires constant attention, a delicate touch and just the right amount of patience; otherwise, it turns into a sticky mess.

Enter chef Robert Leva, who, it turns out, is the risotto whisperer. The newly installed chef at Spoonbar (formerly of Traci Des Jardins’ Jardinière, Mayacamas, and Auberge du Soleil) serves up a stunning autumn mushroom risotto ($30) with truffle butter, black garlic, mushrooms and spinach. The creamy, perfectly al dente rice is an umami bomb, enriched with shaved Parmesan and accented by the earthy punch of truffle and the subtle sweetness of black garlic. I’m hooked.

Since its 2015 opening, I’ve always found the ultra-modern Spoonbar at Healdsburg’s h2hotel to be fine, but lacking the sparkle to bring me back, especially with so many other great dining options in town. Leva’s seasonal squash, apple and chestnut soup ($14), smoked ham croquettes with sweet red onion marmalade ($16) and roasted Rocky chicken ($32) with chanterelle mushrooms gave me a reason to return.

And don’t miss the cocktails, which have always been Spoonbar’s boozy calling card. The Right Round ($14) is a dazzling margarita with white tequila, raspberry and passion fruit liqueurs, and a spicy chile pepper rim. It’s nice, but very naughty.

A few dishes did miss the mark, such as the Hokkaido scallops ($40), which were overwhelmed by an overzealous mix of fennel purée, basil oil and piperade (tomatoes, onion, green pepper and smoky Espelette). Why bury such lovely, delicate shellfish? The Creekstone flat iron steak ($38) was tough and chewy.

Despite a few imperfections, it’s nice to have a reason to return. I’ll keep my eye on you, Spoonbar.

219 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-433-7222, spoonbar.com

Chef shuffle

Chef Ryan Seal has taken over as executive chef at The Sea Ranch Lodge.

Seal, whose resume includes Napa’s Round Pond Estate, Solage, Calistoga Ranch and Morimoto, as well as San Francisco’s SPQR, impressed me last February with his menu at the now-shuttered Greenwood restaurant at Elk’s Sacred Rock Inn.

I called Seal an “under-the-radar talent who shouldn’t be.” Hopefully, dishes like his uni carbonara, steelhead tartare and Maine lobster ravioli make an appearance on the new menu.

60 Sea Walk Drive, Sea Ranch, thesearanchlodge.com

The post From Meh to Magnifico: Risotto Revives Spoonbar’s Reputation appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Who’s ready for gator tots? Healdsburg’s Parish Cafe, known for its Cajun comfort cuisine, will now offer happy hour and dinner Thursday through Saturday, according to owner Gareth Owens. The happy hour menu (3-5 p.m.) will include fried Louisiana alligator tail meat with rémoulade sauce, as well as gumbo, jambalaya and drink specials.

The debut dinner menu, served from 5 -8 p.m., features crawfish étouffée, trout meunière, pickle-brined fried chicken, and tried-and-true Parish favorites, including red beans and rice, shrimp po’boys, gumbo and a new bananas Foster bread pudding with bourbon sauce for dessert.

Owens, a sommelier and wine educator, has expanded the wine list to include local and international wines made with limited intervention and additives. An HBG Hurricane, French Quarter 75 and Second Line Spritz have joined the new low and no-alcohol cocktail lineup.

Parish Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Wednesday, and brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Open for dinner from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit theparishcafe.com. 60 Mill St., Healdsburg, 707-431-8474.

Do you have a hot restaurant or food tip? Email me at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com.

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