D-Day plus 3 – So Why Are We In The Boondocks of Sonoma County Anyway?

We are here, the entire nuclear de-I clan in our rental in the middle of rural Sonoma County, CA. So why are we here? Why have people driven hundreds of miles from the Southern California, flown and driven over 1300 miles from Chicago, flown and driven many thousands of miles from Amsterdam, dragged their kids, and wandered through the dark to get to this place in Sonoma? If you know our family it can only be one thing – a meal – a restaurant.

In the spirit of their surprise, I know nothing of this. The day unfolds without event. We went out for breakfast and then went for a walk in a redwood forest. We get back to the rental and there’s now a flurry of activity with women getting hair and make-up ready and announcements that we have to be ready by 6 PM. I’m just watching all this go on and with around 20 minutes to go I can go and change. I was told by Wife to back a coat and tie before we left. Where in Sonoma could one go that required a coat and tie?

At 6 PM two professional babysitters arrive to take care of all the children. Thirty minutes later two cabs arrive to take the adults away. A 20-minute drive later we are in downtown Healdsburg at a restaurant by the name of Cyrus. Yes, my beloved crew knowing their Dad and Husband knew that the only thing that would suffice for this celebration was going to be a great meal. So starting over a year ago, this crew started researching. After substantial searching they located a restaurant in Healdsburg, CA in Sonoma; a Michelin two star restaurant by the name of Cyrus. And around this choice, all the rest unfolded.

We are ushered into a private dining room where the service begins. We’re offered to start a selection of caviars and champagnes. Only daughters Motherrocker and Pulisha are interested in the caviar so I get a half and ounce of Iranian Osetra to begin with a bottle of 1988 Veuve Cliquot Champagne. We tend to not be a champagne drinking group; but then again we don’t usually get champagne of this quality because we loved it. The caviar had accompaniments but we opted to eat the caviar by itself unadulterated.

Then our headwaiter brings out the ‘truffle service’. This consists of wooden box that is ceremonially opened to show a humungous Italian white truffle. We can have this truffle shaved over any one of a number of our courses. It would take a much more committed food writer than I to go into all the detail on our meal but I will hit the highlights.

Here is our menu:

Amuse Bouche – little things to start with including some great little Gruyere Cheese puffs and an olive gelée

First Course:

Cauliflower Soup or Thai Marinated Lobster

Second Course:

Roasted Beets or Seared Foie Gras

Third Course:

Matsutake Mushrooms in broth or Truffled Red wine Risotto

Fourth Course:

Black Sea Bass or Rouade of Lamb

Fifth Course:

Cheese

Sixth Course:

Fruit based desserts or chocolate based desserts

Everything was extremely good but certain things were over the top.

The foie gras, the risotto with the truffles (Have I mentioned that I really, really, really love truffles), the beets (unbelievable what one could do with a beet), the lamb (hard to believe I had two fabulous lamb dishes in one trip).

For wine I chose:

A 2003 Meursault and a 1990 Gevrey-Chambertin

The service was great. The ambiance was great. The food was great. The wine was great. And the company was the best. Nice birthday gift.