Cyrus

Great service, decor and food. Hefty price tag, but that's to be expected. My husband and I have just started becoming aquainted with fine dining. We haven't been to many places, Mastro's, Patinas (all in L.A.), and we came up to the wine country with another couple and decided to try Cyrus. Unfortunately we can't afford to go to many places, but after coming here, I'm not sure we need to. What a fabulous place. The service was excellent. Our waiter was so attentive, funny and friendly. I love how the waiters serve everyone at the table at the same time. We went there for lunch and I had the vegetarian tasting menu, while my husband had the regular tasting menu. There were a variety of different dishes that included hearts of palm, tofu, asparagus and snow peas, all of which tasted so fresh. I did not know that vegetables could taste so wonderful. The dessert was this thing called the peanut butter bar, which was a long layered chocolate mouse with a crispy wafer at the bottom. I'm not sure where the peanut flavor came from, but they were able to work it in there. It was absolutely fabulous. I'm giddy still thinking about it. After the dessert, they brought around a cart full of different sweets, which just added to the fabulousness of the meal. Oh, I forgot to mention the wine pairing was also exquisite. What a wonderful experience this was. We're definitely coming back here. We just need to start saving up for it. more

This used to be our favorite restaurant so my husband and I just went there for our anniversary dinner. The food was inconsistently prepared between our dishes (my butterfish was cooked through and his was raw inside), the service was negligent (we kept having to ask for more bread while the bread lady was chatting with the rest of the staff), and. I was also sad to see the creativity was now gone and dishes were safe and bland with nothing memorable. The whole experience was inexcusable, especially at such high price points (dinner for 2 well over $400).There are lots of better eats for more value nearby. more

I've dined at some of the best restaurants in the World. That said, I've been looking forward to having dinner at Cyrus for at least 2 years. I went recently and was royally disappointed. I can't believe I'm writing this review because Cyrus is still better than 90% of the restaurants out there. However, given all of its hype and its price tag...it was a big disappointment. The Healdsburg location and the service staff are its best attributes. Cyrus however should stop offering reservations after 9pm when you can only have a 5 or 8-course meal. I wasn't seated until 10pm for my 9:30pm reservation; and no apology was given. By the 2nd course, I was ready to fall asleep in my plate and suffered through an endless string of 'just OK' dishes that ended at 1AM and totaled $400....it all seemed so criminal. Pros: Service, location, wagyu beef dish Cons: Late reservation, narrow interior space, food just ok more

pretentious load of flavorless culinary gymnastics served without warmth they are all about money and show with 75% of the dishes barely edible even the bread was awful who did they pay to give positive reviews of this place? Cons: hi priced inept copy of the french laundry more

Cyrus was simply HORRIBLE! Pretencious for no good reason - chintzy room, cheap suits on waiters, guests in flip-flops (!). We brought a beautiful Biale wine which staff failed to open w/out our requesting. Sommelier suggested cocktail ""The Last Word"" which truly was so for my tastebuds! Incredibly sweet, lime flavor after which I could not taste our Biale. DISGUSTING! 1st course: tasteless cold lobster w/ awful parsley oil sauce. Oh, forgot gratis slimey cucumber starter. WEIRD! 2nd course: GREAT foie gras. 3rd course: WORLD'S SALTIEST SAUCE over nice seared lamb (3 tiny slices) and, I swear, BUSH'S BAKED BEANS! UNBELIEVEABLE! Last, 3 minute desserts (thankfully), 1 of which was supposed to be blackberry bread pudding but looked/tasted like a cube of bland cheese. No flavor whatsoever! Pros: Great for emptying your bank account Cons: Mostly horrible, ridiculous food; our waiter was excellent but the rest were IDIOTS more

This was one of the worst experiences I have ever had. To begin with we were not told of a dress code. As wine country tourists, we were dressed nicely but casually; shorts, summer trendy filp flops, nice shirts, etc. We were told that we could not dine in shorts or our expensive flip flops. We then wanted to cancel our reservation as our hotel was 30 minutes away but we were told that we would have to pay a $250 fine! Have you ever heard of such a thing?! So the four of us hurried back to our hotel and made it back for dinner. We chose the wine paired dinner and began with champagne and caviar, the only good thing. more

Without a doubt this was the best food, service and ambience my wife and I have experienced. Without a reservation we expected to have drinks and a couple of dishes at the bar. Thanks to a last minute cancellation a table was available. From the moment we were seated until the end of the meal 3 hours later we felt completely taken care of. The service, though formal and attentive, was never intrusive. The servers demonstrated their knowledge of the dishes, their ingredients, the preparation, etc. in a throughly unpretentious manner. At the beginning of the meal they inquired about any food allergies or particular ingredients we would want to avoid. Pros: Everything Cons: Nothing more

The cooking, service and ambiance of this place are all truly special. We live in Petaluma and go to Sooze for what we generally think is unsurpassed food and wine but then get reminded at places like Cyrus and La Folie (and Fleur de Lys etc) that Petaluma is in fact Small Town- if still Our Town. This is a special occasion restuarant, but truly, just going to Cyrus is occasion in and of itself. We always do the tasting menu and hold our breath and spring for one of the better bottles. Then we sell off our car and hitchhike home, me in my best shoes, with our takehome goodies, spent but happy. Desserts are to die for here. more

Cyrus offered that perfect combination of making you feel at home yet giving you a fine dining experience to rival the best of them. We've eaten in highly-regarded restaurants all over the world, and this more than holds its own food-wise (and beats many of them). The portions were generous, given it was a tasting menu, and we loved the fact that you could truly create your own 3- 4- or 5-course tasting menu, which is quite rare in restaurants of this caliber. To go with this experience you'd expect stuffy service, no? Not here. The wait staff and sommelier were friendly, yet perfectly attentive. We were there using a package deal and were not treated differently in any way (we did order beyond what the package included). The extras, like truffles to take home with you, are a lovely touch. Finally, while it was pricey, it is less expensive than many restaurants of this level, and the course options allow you to control the price more than at some other places. We also noted that the wine list included some mid-priced options. Overall, it was a great experience and we look forward to returning. Pros: Ability to create own tasting menu, quality of food, service Cons: dining room could offer a bit more privacy/ambience per table more

Dining at Cyrus has to be at top of my list for the best dining experience, the food was impeccable; the service attentive and friendly; the ambience was elegant yet comfortable. Pros: Food, Service, Ambience, Wine list more

I think GD lost a lot when Peyton left but fortunately the shifting of talents has resulted in a net benefit. As an act of faith ordered the red wine risotto. Fabulous. *ack of lamb, stunning. Only thing is the curry sauce on one of the dishes was a bit overdelicate, but I knew it would be going in. Great wine list, of course, without the stupid ""we only serve Sonoma County wines"" stupidity you encounter at a lot of Healdsburg restaurants. more

Last week we had the opportunity to dine at Cyrus while staying in Windsor, Ca. All I can say is that it was the most fantastic meal I have ever, and probably will ever have in my entire life. Being from the NY Metro area, I have dined at many expensive and highly rated restaurants but none come close to this. I felt like a celebrity! Pros: Food, service, ambiance Cons: Dessert more

Definitely one of the best new restaurants in California. And a dining experience at that. The menu definitely caters to both those looking for lighter dishes, or who instead may want to eat a multi course meal of many rich foods. The service is very attentive and genuine. The wine list is great fun and if only those same cocktails could be found in San Francisco. A complete, very special, treat. Pros: Service, Varied menu, Wine list Cons: Far from SF more

My friend and I went to Cyrus for dinner and it was amazing! However, the recent review in The Chronicle may have gone to the bartenders head. We were less than impressed with his service. That aside, the rest of our experience was fantastic. You have to love a restaurant that has a rolling cart with champagne and caviar. The ""menage a foie"" course was to die for. The gnocchi with sweetbreads and shaved black truffles was a little piece of heaven on a plate. Overall a wonderful and memorable experience. more

After reading numerous glowing reviews we eagerly anticipated our dining experience at Cyrus. Unfortunately, the extremely attentive wait staff was unable to compensate for the mediocre food issued from the kitchen. We found ourselves horribly disappointed by the unwillingness or inability of the chef to accommodate dietary restrictions (we were told we should have let Chef know in advance). The caviar and cheese service were the only redeemable moments of the entire meal. All other courses were inexplicably prepared with elements unsuited to each other (e.g. bacon wrapped fish with leek frothe and duck jus) making most of the menu unsuitable for pescetarian diets. Cyrus has a long way to go to warrant the high accolades we give to restaurants such as Tetsuyas in Sydney, Providence in Hollywood or Capo and Valentino in Santa Monica. Pros: Wait Staff Cons: Food more

Oustanding caviar tasting with champagne, condiments, mother of pearl spoons and delicious black choices ranging from Iranian, to Uruguayan, to CA Paddlefish. Extraordinary Thai lobster dish, squab, lobster ravioli. Everything else was outstanding but the former blew me away. Amuse bouche were awesome! One mediocre dish was the snapper but my dinnermates loved it. We were full by dessert time but the waiter was kind enough to bring a few complimentary treats so we wouldn't leave without tasting them. AWESOME! Also, we received a little box of treats to take home. The service was impeccable. I wish this restaurant was in SF!! Pros: extraordinary food, caviar course, impeccable service Cons: too far from SF more

Several friends and I met up at Cyrus at 6:30 pm. We left 4 hours later, thoroughly impressed if not a little overstuffed. I had the 5-course prix fixe w/ wine pairings, and I couldn't have been happier: The coconut milk soup w/ lobster was fantastic, as was the terrine of foie gras. The duck confit was absolutely amazing -- the best I've ever had. I chose the pork loin w/ the black eyed peas as my main course, and it was excellent as well. Desert, however, turned out to be a different story. I ordered the chocolate mousse, which was quite good, but which also came with two tiny leaves of candied sage. I bit down on what had to be the most foul tasting bit of garnish I have ever put in my mouth. I might as well have licked the sap off a pine tree! Nasty! Pros: Food, Service, Wine Cons: Location, Few vegetarian dishes more

After dining at Cyrus, my dining companions and I decided that if you have 20 meals like this, in a lifetime, you are very fortunate indeed - and we are no strangers to a fine dining experience. We loved the menu organization. Every single course was more than outstanding. (We particularly raved over the chilled cucumber and avacado soup). The service could not have been any better - attentive, engaged and friendly, but not obtrusive. Even the ""bus person"" would have qualified as an outstanding waiter at any other restraunt. The wine recommendations were perfect. And, we loved the little extra touches, like the pallate cleansing sorbets following some courses. While the final bill was a little steep, we left feeling that we had received outstanding value for our dining dollar. We are tough restraunt ""critics,"" but loved Cyrus. more