Shed And Chalkboard - A Perfect Pair On Healdsburg
So many wine-tasting routes spiral out from Healdsburg, from Dry Creek Road to the trails leading through the Russian River Valley. Bookend an afternoon of tastings with meals at these two adjacent new restaurants:
Shed: The size of an airplane hangar, this new "modern grange" opened in mid-April. The market surrounding the central café displays jars of heirloom beans, bags of just-ground flour, gardening tools, and bowls so pretty, you'd hate to serve food in them. Lunch is best enjoyed out on the sunny patio. Whittle away at an herb-strewn lettuce salad ($8); glasses of ginger-lemon water kefir ($4); and a mezze plate ($14) with whole-grain crackers, fava-bean hummus and a fennel-and-mixed-grain salad.
Chalkboard: With some trepidation, we dined at the restaurant that took over when Cyrus was evicted from the Hotel Mars. Well, it's not Cyrus–it's more casual and altogether distinct. Shane McAnelly's food, much of it grown on the Chalk Hill Estate, is composed with a playful intelligence: House-made tater tots topped with tufts of crab ($9). A gorgeous salad of chioggia beets, avocado and spiny mizuna ($9). Beef sliders smothered in bacon aioli and short-rib "marmalade" ($10). A fine end to a leisurely day.