Bringing kids to a white-napkin restaurant is like hosting a tea party in a tornado. No one’s having fun when chicken nuggets are flying, a wine glass just swan-dived off the table and your 3-year-old is screaming for her lost stuffed animal.
Chef David Baeli and his wife, Elise, feel your pain. With a youngster of their own, the couple have created a restaurant they tried, but failed to find. The Burrow in downtown Healdsburg offers a chef-driven menu for parents, a kid-tested menu for the little ones and a kitted-out play area with toys and books to keep the peace — or at least peace of mind for everyone.
The small café, located at the former Wurst restaurant, is off to a solid start after its June debut. On a recent weekend, the patio was filled with enthusiastic children eating chicken fingers, mac and cheese and burgers. Parents didn’t seem fazed when a stray scream or fussy baby interrupted the stink eye-free zone.
Baeli co-owned Hops and Hominy in San Francisco, known for its Southern-style cuisine (now closed). The couple moved north to Elise’s hometown for a more family-centered life with their 3-year-old son (the chief taste-tester for the kids menu).
Baeli’s opening menu features chips and smoked salmon dip with crème fraîche ($9), duck fat potatoes with garlic aioli ($14), peach and burrata salad ($18), a juicy grass-fed smashburger ($19) and upscale grilled salmon with coconut rice ($24) or flat iron steak ($28) — affordable by Healdsburg standards. The brunch menu includes eggs with polenta ($18), chicken and waffles ($16) and a breakfast sandwich ($17).
The children’s menu has a burger, grilled chicken or salmon, chicken tenders (all $14), mac and cheese ($12) and the ever-popular buttered noodles ($10).
Ice cream floats ($8), cake ($9) and an ice cream sandwich ($8) are excellent bribes for good table manners. An ever-changing beer lineup from independent breweries and a brief wine list keep adults happy.
The kitchen is still evolving, and not every dish on my first visit was a home run, but the same could be said for the constant compromises of parenting. Somehow it always works out in the end, and I’m confident this cozy café will make us all proud.
Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday. 22 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 707-955-0132, theburrowhb.com
You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.