Spent Saturday with two other couples in the Healdsburg area, starting with wine tasting at Chalk Hill Estates. Â We ended our day a Chalkboard. Â What a treat, indeed.
The tapas style allows you to try many different types of foods prepared in very inventive ways. Â Crab tater tots (yummy), pork belly biscuits (REALLY yummy), eggplant caponata, just to start.
The shot of chilled English pea soup is exquisite and perfect on a warm summer day, along with the beet salad. Â The pasta dishes are unreal. Â Freshly made pasta with exceptional sauces. Â My favorite had to be the wild nettle & ricotta gnudi. Â SUPERB!
Gulf shrimp was tasty and the seared scallops were exceptional on top of a risotto cake that was one of the best things I have ever tasted in my life. Â And the beef sliders? Â Cooked to perfection.
Although we couldn't possibly eat anymore, we ended up with 4 desserts. Â The ice cream is quite flavorful, the candy bar was awesome, and the "healthy breakfast" looked just like a breakfast plate but was SO yummy.
The service? Â A+++.
Will we be back? Â Of course!
O.K., so, for our party of 4, the check came to $142, food only. Sorry, the plates were
just too small. It was if there were "little people" preparing the food. The food, deliciously inventive. The only disappointment was the shrimp, it tasted like the ocean.
(and I wouldn't recommend) The spartan amount divided by 4 was almost laughable, no, wait, it was laughable....they should have served easy bake utensils.
And now for the "stellar" service. We were greeted by 3 prepubescent hostesses, and
it was a little embarrassing, as, after actually finding they had not booked my first
reservation, they somehow managed to lose my second. Everyone within earshot
was staring at our party, hoping that we were "scammers", so they could get seated.
I found the water service to be just short of crazy....every 5 minutes there was a
GIANT water pitcher shoved through our conversation. And speaking of...this place
needs some serious acoustical work....it is just too noisy. So, I don't know...I think
I would pass on this one, there are just too many great restaraunts in Healdsburg.
Great new small plate restaurant in downtown Healdsburg in what used to be Cyrus (my favorite! still so sorry that it closed). The decor is changed, but the beautiful architecture of the space still remains, most notably the gorgeous arched ceilings. Chalkboard just opened for lunch on Fridays and Saturdays, so it was a perfect time to try them out for a belated birthday lunch with a good friend. We started with the dungeness crab tater tots (deliciious, I could have eaten 20!), then moved on to the chilled English pea soup shooters with dungeness crab (again I could have had two or three of these shots). Then I had the seared strip loin rare and my friend had the heirloom tomato panzanella salad. Everything was delicious and I will definitely be back!
Review Source:Great summer evening from start to finish in a good looking room with excellent service.
I'd like to repeat this as my final meal in prison. Oysters were superb, pea soup - best ever, lots of tasty savory dishes and then the Candybar  - the best dessert I've had this year. Already booked my next two visits.
Overall our experience was a very good one and we'll eat here again, but it had some issues: It's still new so hey, they're working out the kinks. As yet this is one of those places that has great ideas, great flavor profiles, and comes close to scoring a touchdown, but fumbles at the 1 yard line with either over-salting/ seasoning or with a mis matched component that shouldn't be on the plate. In our case, the gnudi itself was incredible but unfortunately the mushroom sauce was so, so, so salty it made enjoying the perfectly made gnudi difficult and disappointing. So frustrating when you have a dish that comes so close to perfection and a simple execution issue with over-salting ruins it. Also, the fresh, local sardines were so fresh you could taste the ocean, but the cauliflower puree ( which looked and felt like mayo on the tongue when eaten with the fish) was a weird textural pairing to a fish that needs a better contrast and foil to cut through it's rich, fishy, oiliness.
They use fresh, quality local ingredients and for the most part all of the presentations are simple, vibrant and flavorful. The english pea soup shots were lovely, tater tots with Dungeness crab very tasty, and the pork belly sliders very good. Service was attentive and efficient.
The candy bar dessert is PERFECT (not a word I bandy about lightly). It's a wonderfully deconstructed confection with each component perfectly executed. I will go back again and give the gnudi another chance with great expectation , and will most definitely order the candy bar again, and gladly add another hour to my treadmill time for the worthwhile indulgence.
Note: A sophisticated but relaxed and casual atmosphere: A lovely room but no need for 'Sunday dress', which is great when you want to enjoy a fine dining meal without all the pomp and fuss.
READ THIS SENTENCE TWICE - YOU MUST GO TO CHALKBOARD WHEN YOU ARE IN HEALDSBURG, PEOPLE! Â Beautiful restaurant inside, fantastic cocktail menu, huge wine list, wine "flights", beautifully presented food dishes that are really, really yummy. Â And...this place is very reasonable! Â When you walk in for the first time, you think its going to be a pricey meal but NOT SO! Â Make a reservation because the word is out that this place ROCKS in all things...They were BUSY/packed when we left after dinner on a Tuesday evening. Â Service is really, really good here too. Â I can't say enough about this place so check it out SOON!
Review Source:Other than the hostess being in a hotel lobby (huh?), Â the atmosphere and service were excellent. Â The crab tater tots were delicious, but the buttermilk fried quail stole the show! Â My husband had the sliders which were unimaginative but tasty. Â We ended our meal with the Candy Bar dessert. Â This creation was so delightful that we ordered 2...one to eat and one to go. Â I thought that the prices were very reasonable for the high quality of food and service. Â My husband and I each had a cocktail and a glass of wine, shared an app, each had an entree and ordered 2 desserts. Â The total with tax and tip came to $130.00, and I feel that it was well worth it. Â Good job, Chalkboard!
Review Source:In a hurry so making this quick but I can't say enough great things about this place. Girls night out at Chalkboard was perfect - the food (crab tater tots, sliders, salmon, all the salads...so fresh, flavorful, light but filling -- hard to explain -- all over goodness!!) was so good that I drove back up there from SF the following weekend. Service was outstanding. And I can't believe how affordable it is. A hidden gem for sure and I am going to try to return as often as I can before people find out about it and they raise their prices!!!
Review Source:Ate there with a party of 6 on Saturday night. Â I had a lovely flight of Rose. Â everyone was really pleased with the food, across the board happy group and the price was reasonable. Â highlights were the arugula/fava bean/shave artichoke salad (we ordered another), crab tater tots, pork belly biscuits, sliders, shrimp, and salmon also very good. Â ordered 2 desserts, both amazing, one was called a candy bar, lots of imagination and exciting, fresh flavors. Â Can't wait to return!
Review Source:I went there for cocktails and a bite to eat a couple weeks ago. The place was busy with a fun, lively atmosphere. We ordered the crabmeat tatertots and a vegetable plate. The crabmeat tatertots were a delicious twist on comfort food. Â The vegetable plate was somewhat comical in it's sparseness. The carrots were about the girth of a pencil. I get that they are from their own garden but if that's the best your garden can produce it might be time to make that more of a hobby than something your business relies on. The vegetables were fine but tasted unremarkable.
They have a great wine list and a good, curated selection of spirits at the bar. My main gripe is with my cocktail. I ordered a Manhattan with Bulleit Rye. Anyone who is serious knows that a Manhattan is always stirred unless requested otherwise. The bartender shook the living hell out of that drink before I realized what was happening. They were so busy that I didn't bother to say anything. I saw several people around me order Perfect Manhattans that were shaken into oblivion although they didn't seem to mind that their Manhattans were watered-down. All in all, it was an okay experience but I'm not sure I would go out of my way to go back.
Went to Healdsburg this weekend and decided to give Chalkboard a try. It was GREAT! The food was delicious, fresh, good quality and full of great flavor. The restaurant is tapas style and we definitely took advantage of it. Our group of five ordered a variety of dishes, so many that I cant remember every single one off the top of my head. I'll give honorable mentions to what those that stuck with.
Baby Carrots: SO GOOD. Yes, I know what you are thinking 'carrots, really?' they were that good.
Beet Salad: Golden beats = double win.
Jalapeno Hamachi: O.M.G. To die for. The combo of crudo, avocado & a jalapeno was some kind of wonderful.
Pulled Pork Dish: By far the best dish we ordered. The perfectly, soft-boiled egg w/ a side of sirarcha made this dish even more perfection than it already was. Highly recommend ordering this as your main course or something to share with the table.
Duck Dish: Interesting...lots of duck. A little too much in my opinion, but the rest of the table really enjoyed it.
Dessert: Oh My. Their house made ice cream & sorbet was SO good. The flavors of the day were dark chocolate-sea salt-olive oil (best chocolate ice cream I've tasted), butterscotch, Coconut sorbet (oh my gosh - if they sold this in gallon form I would have been in big trouble) and strawberry sorbet. I highly recommend their house made ice creams if one of their daily flavors strikes your fancy.
One other perk, the price! We were floored by how reasonable our bill ended up being at the end of the night. Two guests ordered cocktails, three of us had after-dinner drinks, 10-15 plates were ordered plus desert - all for less than $200 in total so roughly $40ish per person after tip. Love great food at a great price!
The one reason they didn't get the full 5 stars was because their bus-ladies & servers took away our plates way too quickly the entire night. I think each person ate off of 5 different plates so in turn our table went through at least 25 plates & that doesn't even include the plates the actual dishes were served on. The constant clean up of the plates got really annoying to everyone at our table. I dont know if they were trying to rush us out of there or if they've been told to clear plates the instant someone puts a fork down. Regardless, tone it down! Its totally wasteful and really overbearing to guests. The yumminess of the food totally out weighs this one little mis-step at Chalkboard. I totally recommend this new spot for anyone that wants a great place to  eat in the 'burg.
Could not have been better! Â GREAT service, super laid back atmosphere, with absolutely lovely, refined, interesting food. Â The beet salad was fantastic, really well balanced and refreshing. Â The gnudi was to die for - so authentic and delicious!! Â We also loved the duck pasta and OMG the scallops. Â The candy bar dessert was super sweet, but yummy. Â Definitely going back!!
Review Source:A foodie's small plate paradise! Pork belly in buttermilk biscuits, crab tater tots, perfect carrots, scallops, gnudi (like gnocchi) with ricotta and mushrooms to name a few favorites. Good wines by the glass. Â Server Hattie led us through the well thought out menu. Â The bill was very reasonable for all the plates we enjoyed. Â We will definitely be back.
Review Source:OMG...Chalkboard is IT!!! Â We LOVED everything we ordered and thought the service was superb. Â Kelly was our server and kept us well-informed with just the right amount of information to order a perfect meal!
Shane McAnelly, Â the chef...is at his "best". Â We have followed him from Garibaldi's to Zero Zero to Va di Vi and he was remarkable then but now...he is superb! Â
The PORK BELLY BISCUITS are a "must have"  and leave you crying for more!!!!  His DUNGENESS CRAB TATER TOTS were  delicious and a work of art!  The LITTLE GEM SALAD gets your taste buds rockin'  with cherries and pistachios...great!  The SEARED SCALLOPS  tasted so good and are so beautifully presented...hard to believe they keep putting out these masterpieces one right after the other! Â
We had the BOLD red wine flight...perfect!  Desserts by Pastry Chef Bill were out of this world...THE CANDY BAR and  DONUTS & COFFEE were wonderfully creative!  The Candy Bar could feed four easily and all would be happy!
Run do not walk to this NEW Healdsburg eatery...no need to miss Cyrus because CHALKBOARD has arrived!
Wow, I don't write many reviews but just had to for this new restaurant in Healdsburg. Â Everything was so tasty and inventive, we really loved everything we ordered! Â The service was really impressive too. Â I was thinking at the end of the meal that their water glasses should have been bigger, but then mine was constantly filled in an awesomely-unobtrusively way.
Great restaurant!
Fantastic !
Great Food, creative menu, well trained staff and Attentive manager.
A Foodies delight.
Would have given five stars except for the main room can be noisy. Â You may be disappointed if you plan for an intimate date. The decor was refined and I really dug the kitchen design from what I could see. The wine list & flights are very nice and Leave room for the homemade desserts. Bon appetite !
Food is excellent. 3-4 so-called small plates are sufficient for dinner for 2.
We started with the Dungeness Crab Tater Tots "snack" course. Then we had the Wild Nettles and Ricotta Gnudi (kinda like ravioli or gnocchi without the pasta shell). Next course was Crispy Pork Belly with fried egg and grits (like bacon and eggs). Then we had the Three Beef Sliders served on homemade minibuns, with homemade pickle, blue cheese, and short rib marmalade.
My wife wanted dessert, so we ordered what they called "Donuts and Coffee". A semifreddo "donut" and three donut holes with chocolate glaze.
Service was surprisingly good for a new restaurant. One of the chefs brought each course to our table. The waitress came around several times to see how we liked everything and to chat. One woman did nothing but walk around filling everyone's water glass.
We each ordered a wine flight - they have 10 different flights, plus a good wine list.
The bill came to a little less than $100 before tip.
The bar area looks the same as the old Cyrus. The restaurant area has been redone.
I think this place will make it in Healdsburg until next winter. Then we'll see how they do on the slow weekdays.
Early Friday night dinner. Â The place is decorated really well and a pretty cool relaxed place to eat. Â The food was good and the drinks were OK. Â Wine list was interesting and well priced. Â The highlight was definitely the service. Â Our server John was really on it. Â He gave great wine and food recommendations and was extremely attentive. Â He made it an overall great experience for my first time at Chalkboard.
Review Source:Watch out Willi's Seafood, Chalkboard has some great food and service, at about the same price!!
Highlights:
Pork Belly Biscuits (must try)
Hamachi Crudo (amazing)
Cookie Bar Dessert (decadent)
Server John was super
Only suggestion would be to add more offerings to the cocktail menu.
Looking forward to many more meals at your restaurant!!
Everything about Chalkboard was amazing. Â Usually a new restaurant has a few kinks to work out, but Chalkboard has it down. Â The food was superb. Â The service was right on. Â The only dish that my group didn't go crazy over was the pasta special with prawns. Â It was basically pasta with tomato sauce and chili flakes added. Â Not much in the way of prawns. Â The cherry crumble desert was plate licking good. Â I did not want the waitress to take the plate away. Â Definitely a great addition to Healdsburg.
Review Source:Please put Chalkboard on your "must do list"! Â Healdsburg has many wonderful choices for dining, and Chalkboard is a welcome addition ot the neighborhood!
After having a disappointing meal (mainly due to service) from a restaurant near-by the prior evening, we really where feeling the void of high expectations underserved. Â Chalkboard more than made up it! Â
The service was amazing. Â It is hard to believe that they can run so smoothly after being open for such a short time, but we felt as they worked like they have been open for years. Â Â Welcoming, described the food well, helped with good pairings, etc.
The food was delicious. Â Inventive, fresh, well portioned. Â We loved the small plate concept. Â It allowed us to try a good variety and experience all we could eat up!
The scallops on risotto cakes, crab cakes tator tots, and the spring pea shooter were a few of our favorites.
Visited on a Friday on what I think was their opening week. Â For a new restaurant they had all the fundamentals down and service was generally great.
Opening impression was it is a bit confusing having the hostess stand in the lobby of a hotel. Â I would think the exterior entrance that leads directly into the restaurant would be the place for the hostess, but that's just me.
Wine list is quite impressive with a little of something by the glass to please everyone. Â The wine flights seemed cool too, but we just opted for a glass of wine.
The menu is diverse and has a bit of everything. Â We had the crab tater tots (dank), risotto scallops (risotto cake with a scallop on top=money), one of the pasta's that I think was gnocchi (had potential but meh), beet salad (I love beets and the salad was good just a lil small for the price and yeah I know it's small plates but 8 bucks come on!), and steak and scalloped potato dish (best dish of the night cuz the meat was perfect mid rare and the potatoes were hella good.)
Overall good experience though it took some time for all the food to come out, but it is a new joint so understandable. Â Staff was a bit unfamiliar with the menu, but still understand because it was the opening week. Â Will come back to see if the hostess podium has moved and what new things might be on the menu come July.
Nicely designed room, good quality food & perfectly fine wine list. Our party of four ordered several dishes, but decided to order our own individual dishes halfway through in the interest of having substantial portions.
Among the dishes we ordered: Vegetable crudo and dip, which featured a carrot, small radishes and some onion. Would skip that one next time. Tater tots with crab were tasty, and the duck with polenta was good.
The crispy pork belly was good, though it was like having bacon & eggs. Desserts were reasonable; ice cream sorbet, and macaroon with something called "banana bubbles."
Service was excellent and the food presentation was timed well. They are doing a good job for a restaurant that's only been open a short time.
The only tip I would impart--and this goes for all "small plates" restaurants--is that if you have dinner with more than one person, you won't really want to share one dish. Sizes are not large and it's not realistic to think that one dish will work for more than two. So this sort of jacks the bill up if everyone in your dining party is hungry.
It would also be good to see some reviews from Yelpers who have more than one review & didn't open an account just to get the reviews going for the restaurant.
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