Dry Creek Kitchen

Ahhh summer vacation memories. In going through old posts, trying to find a post about a particular wine, I realized that I never posted about our dinner at Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg, CA. Or maybe I did, but I can’t find it anywhere. . .

So to warm myself up and to pump myself up for the March 6 Napa Marathon and following vacation in Napa and Sonoma, I thought I would share a few photos from a delicious summer dinner.

Dry Creek Kitchen is just one of the many restaurants owned by Chef Charlie Palmer. Sitting proudly on Healdsburg Plaza, it is light, airy, and open with extensive outdoor seating and a beautiful outdoor courtyard. These photos are from our July trip to Healdsburg, but in this same spot on our March trip, I met Kevin from Top Chef while he was setting up for Palmer’s Pigs and Pinot event.

Prior to our arrival at Dry Creek Kitchen, we were informed by our wonderful innkeeper at Bella Villa Messina that Dry Creek Kitchen allowed you to BYOB, and if the bottle was a Sonoma wine, there is no corkage fee! We decided on a bottle of J Cuvee bubbly, one that quickly became a favorite sparkling wine of mine (check out this post on Bubbles for your Budget!).

Upon arrival, we received some beautiful bread sticks and an amuse bouche, a shot of flavorful soup in a cute little espresso cup.

For my starter, I ordered roasted corn soup topped with a black truffle flan. Can you even imagine? The flavors of summer in California captured so beautifully in a bowl with black truffle flan. . .

For more summer beauty, my main dish was an artichoke ravioli with shrimp, drizzled with a light cream sauce. Like everything at Dry Creek kitchen, this plate was like art, presented beautifully on a long, narrow white plate.

The best part about the food at Dry Creek Kitchen was that the portions were perfectly sized and satisfying but not so stuffing that we could not have dessert. I don’t recall the exact name, but this was sort of an adult s’mores with rich chocolate cake topped with sea salt on a toasted marshmallow cream bed. Again, the perfect portion, especially for sharing.

And if all of that wasn’t enough deliciousness, with the bill we were presented a little tray of sweets. I only took a bite of one of the little jelly squares as I was completely full by this point.

Dry Creek Kitchen is not my favorite restaurant in Healdsburg (I save that designation for Scopa and Willi’s, I think because they are cozier and more intimate.), but it is definitely a beautiful dining experience. I would absolutely return for the fantastic service and food that is beautiful on the plate and on the palate.

Is winter getting you down? What is a favorite summer or vacation dining memory you can share to warm us all up?