San Francisco 2008: Dry Creek Kitchen

Well, ok - not really San Francisco. Sonoma, a bit of a drive from the cosmopolitan environs of SF, has developed its own culinary scene in an understated way which mimics the rural landscape. Much to the delight of visitors, Charlie Palmer has come to the region and started a "city class" restaurant in Dry Creek Kitchen (albeit with some weaknesses that are not evidenced in his other locations).

While the food was well-prepared, I do have some misgivings about this attempt to transplant world-class fare into the laid back, insular Healdsburg community. The location, on the town square of Healdsburg, is ideal - and the design of the restaurant is becoming the stature of the named proprietor. However, upon making a complicated set of reservations for a relatively large group, we were greeted with aloof service and management, a big disappointment and uncharacteristic of this beautiful part of the country. The night began and ended with waitstaff and management that seemed hasty, and a touch this side of rude, despite a number of attempts by this diner to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Enough said - it may have been a bad night, and the restaurant was quite packed. The dinner service started with a pleasant cheese puff amuse - delicate and well plated. I then opted for a surprisingly light Gnocchi with almost no sauce, but which well-represented the flavors that the chef was trying to evoke. A solid Sea Bass entree followed, paired with spring pea risotto. This was a decent, but not excellent, dish. I also sampled the lamb with a Moroccan spice, it had no taste of game, and carried the sauce well.

Continuing my gripes with the service, the sommelier, who was sent over once my wine order seemed too complex for the server, was a bit flaky. He had no real opinion on the wines on the list, and after we finally were able to order a few bottles, he returned 10 minutes later dejectedly to tell us that they were out of our chosen wine. Once we re-ordered, about 20 minutes into the sitting, we finally received the wine, which was spilled on me while pouring for the taste.

All in all, this is probably a nice restaurant to enjoy for a nice meal on the Healdsburg "scene", but I would urge you to sample the food on a quiet evening and a small group, when the service is not so stressed.