Celebrate Holidays in Healdsburg with a Strolling Restaurant Dine Around
Four Progressive Courses of Fabulous Food at the Very Best of Healdsburg’s Restaurants

HEALDSBURG, Calif., November 23, 2010 – The event that delivers incredible food and wine as part of a festive seasonal outing in one of California’s most popular wine country destinations is the Holidays in Healdsburg Strolling Dine Around. This annual dining experience features 16 local restaurants, all showcasing the best of Wine Country cuisine, in a four-course progressive dinner as part of Holidays in Healdsburg on Dec. 8, 9, 15 and 16.

A party atmosphere infuses the town and delicious scents permeate the air, as couples and groups take to the Healdsburg streets in this dining extravaganza. All the restaurants are within walking distance of the historic town plaza, but the only other thing they have in common is a dedication to locally grown food – from their own organic gardens or from local niche suppliers. Style and price point range from the Bear Republic Brewing Company to Cyrus Restaurant. All the participating restaurants are known for delivering seriously delicious food locally or regionally sourced, often carefully cultivated in their own organic gardens, and prepared in innovative dishes. A portion of the event’s proceeds is donated to Healdsburg Shared Ministries Food Pantry.

Informally, each restaurant competes to deliver the best in their category while displaying holiday ambiance, style and culinary talent. Two of this year’s first courses options include annual event participant favorites Sake’O’s martini prawns (served with the new wave roll and the Spanish fly additional starters) and Willi’s Seafood and Raw Bar’s tuna tartar with coconut milk, cashews and jalapeño (served with flash-fried calamari, warm sourdough bread and blue arugula and endive salad with blue cheese, cherries and a truffle honey vinaigrette).

The newest addition to the first course dine around restaurant’s line-up is spoonbar! The Merguez sausage with harissa and tomato dip, grilled Tunisian beef skewers with yogurt sauce and Calabrian-style breaded shrimp have previous Strolling Dine Around attendees hurrying to add this restaurant to their dine around.

Two of the main course competitors are Relish Culinary Adventures’ pomegranate braised short ribs with cauliflower gratin and Restaurant Chacuterie’s duck leg confit with green peppercorn brandy cream sauce and truffle-mashed potatoes.

Another new addition to Healdsburg this year, and to the notable list of dine around participants, is Baci Café & Wine Bar, which will be offering a choice of tiramisu, pannacotta, pannacotta di espresso, chocolate decadence, gelato, or sorbetto.  Annual Dine Around favorite Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen’s traditional choice of six “scrumptious” winter desserts created and prepared by Pastry Chef Yulanda Santos is always reserved quickly.

Each restaurant can only accommodate a limited number of people, so food aficionados will want to download a copy of the brochure soon at www.healdsburg.com to view menus and select first choice requests for date, time and appetizers, first course, main dish and dessert dining options. The cost is $85 per person (including tax and gratuity) and optional wine pairing selections will be available for purchase at the restaurants.

Participating restaurants are Affronti, A Divine Affair, Baci Café & Wine Bar, Barndiva, Bear Republic Brewing Company, Bistro Ralph, Café Gratitude, Cyrus Restaurant, Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen, spoonbar!, Ravenous Café & Lounge, Restaurant Charcuterie, Relish Culinary Adventures, Sake’O Japanese Restaurant, Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar and Zin Restaurant & Wine Bar.

Many of the area accommodations are offering special packages and discounts during the Strolling Dine Around evenings and throughout the holiday period.

For reservation information call 707.479.7488 or visit www.healdsburg.com