Among the restaurants I had booked for my birthday trip to the Bay Area last December with my wife Jun, I was looking forward to a visit to SingleThread the most. Led by chef Kyle Connaughton and his wife Katina who farms many of the ingredients, SingleThread has quickly vaulted into one of the best restaurants in California if not America, with three Michelin stars in addition to other countless accolades. I was particularly intrigued by the restaurant, owned by a Caucasian couple, looking to pay homage to Japan’s multi-course kaiseki tradition (inspired by their time in the country) with California ingredients and ethos. Did our dinner on my birthday live up to the hype? I would say SingleThread is worth visiting as a dining destination if you can stomach the hefty price tag.

The format at SingleThread consists of ten courses, starting with a stunning display of vegetable, seafood and meat snacks placed artfully across a board resembling a beautiful mini garden of colorful flowers and plants. I was somewhat surprised by the rather large number of snacks that I was almost feeling halfway full by the time we were done with them, but in any event it was quite a showstopper to make us think the kitchen is not settling for an ordinary meal but aiming for an experience of a lifetime for diners. Most of the dishes that followed also displayed the very high level of execution and thoughtfulness. One of my favorite dishes of the night was a gorgeous combination of Santa Barbara abalone and uni surrounded by sea lettuce cream and chawanmushi; it was a quintessential example of the kitchen’s ability to skillfully navigate between Japanese and Californian cuisines.

Another dish that offered a pleasant surprise was a colorful salad of salanova lettuce, badger flame beets and orange with duck liver parfait buried beneath to offer a unique flavor. For a winter dinner, you would certainly appreciate an aromatic bowl of aka amadai fish (a type of tilefish) with pumpkin mochi, Napa cabbage and bone dashi, or (another favorite of mine) a bowl of koshinikari rice with mushrooms in duck tsukune broth. We also really liked the main dessert made of Warren pear, toasted oat and cardamom, as well as the smaller sweet bites that came after.    

Getting a reservation at SingleThread definitely requires advance planning with ticket purchase up front. Since we were dining during the holiday season, the ticket price was higher than normal times at almost $500 per person. If you are willing to shell out even more beyond the meal, there are three different wine pairing options, also at eye-watering prices starting in the hundreds. The entry-level pairing that we tried showcased a thoughtful selection of wines from California and various places of Europe, plus one sake. Of course, you can also choose individual bottles from a not surprisingly expansive wine list featuring many boutique California producers. The minimalist décor of the restaurant adds an aura of Japanese aesthetics that aligns with its culinary philosophy. Yes, SingleThread will cost an arm and a leg but Jun and I agreed that it is a very, very good restaurant. I do admit, though, that dining at the restaurant was another moment (like the dinner we had at n/naka in Los Angeles) where we realized that we had done maybe too much fine dining and we didn’t have the kind of eye-opening experience at some of our all-time favorite places. If you are looking for a blowout dinner in the Sonoma wine country, there is no question, however, that it is one of the top destinations.   

Address: 131 North Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448

KenScale: 8.5/10 (Jun’s Score: 8.25/10)

Website: https://www.singlethreadfarms.com/

Reservation via Tock