Zin Restaurant & Wine Bar

I went to Zin twice on a recent visit. I didn’t go to the two most famous fine dining restaurants in Healdsburg so when I say it’s the best I found, I am not considering Cyrus or Dry Creek Kitchen for you foodies out there. On my first visit, I had the pasta dish dujour. I was a little disappointed. It tasted very good but was a little heavy for the summer, and I wanted something more creative as a veggie option for a restaurant like Zin. The second time I went, I decided instead of going with the veggie dish, I went for two appetizers, the heirloom tomato salad and the sweet corn and ricotta ravioli. So good! Great flavors. Everything was fresh and we were told by our waiter (who was great) that everything(that can be) is grown organically by the restaurant! It tasted like it!

We ate at Zin on our first night in Healdsburg. I had the Short Ribs with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, and Sweet Corn Salad. It was exactly what I needed. The ribs’ sauce was made with (what else) Zinfandel and it was perfect. Not too sweet, smoky, or anything else. Just right. The sweet corn salad was incredible. A must try.

I was ready for something else after a long day of wine tasting, so I tried the Russian River Damnation. This belgian style ale is possibly the best beer I’ve ever tried. If it’s still on tap, give this one a go if you’re in the mood for a well crafted brew.

On the third night in Healdsburg, we had reservations to sit outside at nearby restaurant Ravenous, but were told on arrival that there were no outside tables and so we’d have to sit in the compressed, noisy interior. Since there was no way I could have a conversation with my wife in this loud environment, we went back to Zin and enjoyed the spacious, well-decorated interior, where you can actually hold a conversation. And since it was so good the first time I had exactly the same meal again!

Several options were also available for my wife, who is a vegetarian. Highly recommended.