White Oak Grill317 Healdsburg Ave.
Healdsburg
(707) 431-0330
Wine Country Cuisine
Lunch only, Fri.-Sun.
A la carte: $9-$19
Select wines and cocktails
White Oak Grill is Dry Creek Kitchen’s more casual outdoor counterpart. Located just outside the restaurant on a patio at Hotel Healdsburg, it’s headed up by Chef de Cuisine Dustin Valette and has the friendly, open feeling of someone’s shaded summer yard, filled with wicker chairs and colorful tablecloths. Even the menus are unique, nailed to hand-carved boards that were fired in the outdoor oven. Speaking of which, the oven and grill are right in sight, so you can watch the friendly, humorous Valette in action.
The menu items are available a la carte or at a fixed price of $32, which includes three courses or two courses and a drink.
We started with an amuse bouche of hummus with candied Fresno chilies, marinated olives with pickled onions and house made potato chips. And don’t forget the cocktails: an effervescent, gingery “stormy blueberry” and an herbaceous “rhubarb and lemon verbena shrub,” both refreshing and crafted especially for summertime enjoyment. There also are selected rosé, red and white wine options by The Natural Process Alliance on the menu. If none of these suit your fancy, you can order off Dry Creek Kitchen’s entire wine list or from its full bar.
Valette makes his own charcuterie, and our selection included pork loin, 19-month aged prosciutto and 30-days aged duck prosciutto (bold in flavor and color, it was our favorite). The plate also included cheese from Bohemian creamery, pickled onions, olives, a selection of mustards and charred bread.
Each day, the grill serves fresh ceviche. We had halibut (cooked with yuzu) with tiny chopped peppers and onions, cilantro, wasabi, olive oil and espelette chili oil—a colorful and delicious plate.
Burrata with Preston strawberries, Dry Creek Peaches and arugula with olive oil and cracked pepper was served warm and creamy. The flavor combinations ranged from sweet to savory in perfect unison.
For “mains,” the Chardonnay steamed mussels with toasted garlic, bell peppers and thick-cut beef pepperoni came with grilled bread that was delicious to dip into the flavorful broth. The oak-grilled Duroc pork belly had bell peppers, zucchini and asparagus atop arugula and pickled onions with black garlic emulsion. The pork had a crispy exterior and was wildly tender—we loved it. Charred black angus skirt steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was topped with a lovely Sausalito watercress chimichurri vinaigrette.
Everything during the meal, from start to finish, was colorful, beautifully presented and generously portioned.
For dessert, we had buttermilk panna cotta, served in a jelly jar and layered with honey candy and strawberries. It came with a few shortbread wafers. The grilled brown sugar pound cake came with chunky cherry candy, apricot jam and whipped white chocolate. Downed with some coffee and espresso, we enjoyed every last bit.
Only open for lunch Friday through Sunday from late spring to early fall, White Oak Grill is a wonderful, relaxing, al fresco dining respite. Get in there soon and see for yourself.
