It was an action packed weekend with yesterday’s dinner at the Secret Cove with Outstanding in the Field and then a pool party with one of the partners with whom Andrea works in Healdsburg. Since we were up here, why not have dinner at 3-Michelin starred restaurant Single Thread, which is exactly what we did.

We originally ate here in January 2019 with Trisha and we were slightly underwhelmed given it’s reputation. This time around though, we were very impressed and satisfied with our experience.

The first course was of course the “log” with numerous bites (too many to recall, but impressive that the wait staff could rattle them off so easily). and then some additional warm bites which included a caviar bite and a wagyu bite. This was definitely better than the first time we were here. Good start and the first of 10 course.

I won’t go into detail on all of the courses, but a few highlights – we both really liked the hairy crab (from Hokkaido of course) dish. I really liked the tilefish dish wit the dashi broth. Andrea really like the rhubarb dessert and I’d have to agree.

For our meat course, there was a choice of either duck for the standard tasting or A5 wagyu from the Miyazaki prefecture for a supplemental option. Both were perfectly cooked and were well seasoned and with nice sides. That being said, we just ate at Niku steakhouse with other more interesting wagyu options, so with our jaded, far-along-on-the-hedonic-treadmill palates, the wagyu was very good, but like so many other Miyazaki A5 wagyu we’ve had before (yes, I know first world problems).

For wines, Andrea had the reserve and I went with the regular pairing which we also do so we can try the maximum variety of wines. in pretty much every case, the reserve wine was more interesting and complex, although not necessarily the best pairing (I liked the Gruner Vetliner with the vegetable course more than the Marsanne-based Hermitage on the reserve pairing, even if that was the better wine in and of itself).

For the first dessert,t he Chateau D’yquem is always enjoyable and all the more unique with my regular pairing being poured from a 6.0L “Methusala” bottle. That being said, it was a very young 2019 and was quite thing as evidenced by the color and Andrea’s pour from a 2006 bottle was much superior, but both paled in comparison to the 1990 we remember having at Addison. They were both flavorful, but again, at this level, we always expect the best, so very very good still falls a bit short.

For our final dessert, we opted to have it up on the rooftop which was enjoyable and we got to chat it up a little bit with a couple who was staying at the inn and dining up on the roof.

All in all, it was a much better experience than the first time we were here. Andrea thought it was arguably our best dining experience although I would definitely have put Addison above this myself. Also, it was up there with Addison in terms of cost (i.e. one of the most expensive meals we’ve paid for), but they did deliver. My primary criticism would be a bit about service…at times it was a bit perfunctory and when you’re spending this much, it’s as much about the larger experience and not just the food and wine. In this regard, I think Addison was notably better than SingleThread