An Overnight Success Story That Took Decades

Dear Flo.I really miss your "Ask Flo" column.I hope it's brought back someday.

We ate at SingleThread two weeks ago and it was a fantastic meal! Some friends invited us to join them for dinner there and stay overnight in Healdsburg to celebrate their anniversary. We're not normally fans of tasting menu dining, but I have to say that the meal at SingleThread was a perfect flow of food and wine that fully satisfied. We've only had two other tasting menu dinners in the past 20 or so years, and this one stood out because the staff was warm, friendly and down to earth. That, to us, was what made this meal better than the other meals. In particular, the sommelier was clearly excited and passionate about wine, wonderfully able to bring the stories behind the wines to life as we pressed him for details. As precise and professional as a restaurant of this caliber has to be, the ambiance was relaxed and the experience was comfortable.

I live in Healdsburg and I’ll be honest I was a bit intimidated and put off by the fanciness and expense of this restaurant. But I have a foodie son, who believes that eating is about the experience, and he worked a whole summer washing dishes in a local restaurant in order to save up the $300 to eat here for his 17th birthday. He was going to eat alone, but I thought that was a missed opportunity even for a fan of lentils and rice. So I plunked down the money and we made the reservation. The wait staff treated my 17-year-old son like a special guest, talking to him throughout the whole meal. And let me tell you that meal lifted the top of my head off! Every bite was the most extraordinary thing I have ever tasted. I watched my kid eat his first oyster. It was, just as he promised, an unforgettable experience. And at the very end they presented by son with a birthday card hand written by Kyle and Katina that said that they were like him when they were young, saving up for restaurants they could not afford. And that tonight the meal was on them. As you can imagine we were stunned. The two of us will remember that night for the rest of our lives.

Tasting menus have never appealed to me. I like more than one bite of something delicious.

It is laughable to say that Single Thread launched "without much fanfare." From the New York Times, July 7, 2017: "When a restaurant is as expensive and has as much hype surrounding it as SingleThread, in the charming Sonoma County town of Healdsburg, Calif., expectations are high." EaterNational: "Single Thread Is the Biggest Opening of 2016". EaterSF: "Single Thread has been talked about, some might say, ad nauseum since the ambitious restaurant, inn, and accompanying farm was first proclaimed as The Biggest Opening of 2016 by Eater National— almost a full year before it opened." Does a pre-opening profile in WSJ and a high budget hype film they put out count as fanfare? In short, it was the most hyped opening maybe ever.

Applause and best wishes of continued success to Mr. and Mrs. Connaughton for their efforts to cultivate the Japanese seafood cuisine, or at least some parts of it. Although it is not clear, what are the SingleThread's sources of seafood, they are clearly following the efforts of the late Joël Robuchon in blending the Japanese and Occidental cuisines. The Japanese use of sea products is unparalleled. One only hopes that the English-style breakfast, served at the Inn, does not include eggs fried in porc fat.

Best meal we've ever had, not to mention the incredible stay in a cozy room upstairs. A very special place for very special occasions...we hope to get back someday. Kudos to Chef, Farmer and their incredible staff!

Another top, hip restaurant where the plate is a work of zen art and there’s little wine under $75. I guess this a place for everyone’s last supper...