A Memorable Meal at Cyrus

Behind this modest exterior lies one of the most elegant and accomplished restaurants in the United States if not the world.  This is Cyrus in Healdsburg, California—the restaurant of Doug Keane.  We had dinner there this week.  The menu follows.  Each course is separated from the next with a tilde.  If two dishes are shown, then Katherine had one choice and I had another.

Canapés

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Amuse Bouche

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Sea Scallop with Sweet Potato-Passsion Fruit Puree and Turnips Poke

&

Quail Egg with Foie Gras-Black Truffle Jus, Rye and Caraway

With Shaved Black Truffles

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Tasmanian Ocean Trout with Smoked Soba Noodles and Mitsuba, Oolong Broth
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Milk Poached Chicken with Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts, Uni Froth
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Braised Pork Cheek with Cabbage and Red Wine Truffled Risotto, Parmesan
With Shaved Black Truffles
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Artisanal and Farmhouse Cheeses Presented Tableside
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Vanilla Bean Fontainebleau with Rhubarb and Lime, Farina fritter
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Butterscotch "Sundae", Popcorn Tuile and Chocolate Soil
&
Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar, Honeycomb Parfait
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Mignardises

We were seated side by side at a small table with our backs to the wall and looking toward the door to the kitchen.  This was perfect since we enjoyed seeing the ballet of servers entering and leaving the kitchen.  We had wine pairings with each course and each choice was intelligent and imaginative.  (I differ on serving a pear cider with the cheese course however.)  The wine portions were adequate, but we should have exercised a bit of restraint.  We had one glass of Sauvignon Blanc an hour before arriving at the restaurant and ordered an extra glass of wine to accompany the canapés. That was too much.  If we just stuck with the wine pairings, the quantity would have been just right.

The only way that I can describe how good this all was is to compare it to other meals we have had in restaurants presenting haute cuisine with attentive and flawless service.  In this restaurant category, we have never had a better meal.  I can think of four meals we have had achieving the same level of quality:

Four Seasons, New York, NY, 1962
Le Pyramide, Vienne, France, 1970.

Steirereck, Vienna, Austria, 2006 

Sa.Qua.Na, Honfleur, France, 2010

Our experience at Cyrus was distinctly better than meals at some other restaurants in this genre, specifically: Alain Ducasse, New York, NY, 1995; Inn at Little Washington, Washington, DC area, 1999; Daniel, New York, NY, 1999; Picholine, New York, NY, 2007; Sans Souci, Rome, Italy, ca 1987; Enoteca Pinchiori, Florence, Italy, 1993; and elegant restaurants in Paris in the 1980-2000 era.  (Several restaurants on the this list had 3 Michelin stars at the time.)

What distinguishes Cyrus is extreme attention to detail and thoughtful balance on each plate and between each course.