Restaurant Roller-Coaster

The restaurant scene in Healdsburg is undergoing a subtle shift, with the closing of one Plaza-area restaurant last month and the opening of three new places to dine over the next few weeks – a sausage hang-out, an Indian restaurant, and fine dining Yucatan style.

, a small boutique restaurant with Ukranian and Italian dishes located at 330 Healdsburg Avenue, closed abruptly on March 11. There is a possibility the restaurant will re-open in West County, but there's no word yet on who the next Healdsburg tenants will be, though the real estate agency is looking for another restaurant to occupy the space.

On the other side of the Plaza, on Matheson Street, a new sausage grill and beer garden is scheduled to open June 1. Charles Bell, a former bass player for such legendary Detroit bands as MC5 and Mitch Ryder’s Detroit Wheels, is preparing to fulfill a long-time dream by opening The Wurst, a playful name that promises a fun downtown hang-out.

“I’ve always wanted this restaurant, in this location,” Bell said when I dropped by the still-in-construction location between , on the corner of Matheson Street and Healdsburg Avenue, and the at 20 Matheson St. “I wanted outside seating, a bar with stools, and a place to hang out without paying $20 for a burger or blowing your budget on tipping waiters and waitresses.”

While Bell is dutifully concerned with providing fresh local products, such as hand-cut pomme frites with dipping sauce, fresh salads, rolls and meats from local butchers, he has no illusions about where to get a few essential items.

“You can’t fake the bratz,” he said. “I’ll get the bratwurst from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. And I’m trying to bring in some real Polish sausage from Detroit. You know the secret? They use fat there.”

Another indication of Bell’s Midwest roots is his fondness for ice cream. Shakes are planned to be a big part of the menu, as Bell came to Healdsburg about 10 years ago with the intent of opening a creamery. That proved too expensive, but he holds to the dream, and is busy testing all the best ice creams in the Bay Area to find the right match (he was in conference with a representative from Double Rainbow when I went by earlier this week).

But what is a beer garden without beer? Bell promises a good line-up of beers, with eight on tap and at least a dozen in the bottle, and while he won't promise what the opening beer list will be, he names Moonlight Brewery and Third Street Alehouse as among his local favorites. "We could fill all eight taps with a different Sonoma county brewery, and they'd all be great."

The restaurant will have a bar made from the bleachers of the University of Illinois stadium and other recycled wood and café furnishings. If the realization of The Wurst is close to the imagination of Bell, Healdsburg may well have a new hang-out starting June 1.

Also in early June, the long-vacant Quiznos sandwich location at the Tuscan-style complex at Healdsburg Ave. and March Lane will undergo a transformation, and become our own Sizzling Tandoor Indian Restaurant, with a target opening date of June 9.

The primary Sizzling Tandoor in Santa Rosa has been a downtown fixture since 1988, though the current owner Vinay Patel took over in 2004. He calls himself “the curry doc,” for his belief in the health benefit of spices, and if the menu is any indication his dishes are sure to be extremely healthy.

But it won’t be a carbon-copy of the Santa Rosa restaurant, located at 409 Mendocino Ave.

“No, it will be an elegant, cozy and upscale sit-down place,” Patel said, “with a wine bar and open kitchen bar and some outside sitting too!”

Although the menu will be substantially the same, Patel said the wine list will reflect this area.

“We will have wines from Healdsburg area only, covering three appellations: Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley and Alexander Valley,” he said.

As well as such dishes as Chicken Tikka, Lamb Kebab, and of course Tandoori will be served, there’s no final word on whether the Healdsburg location will also have live music and, occasionally, belly dancing.

“The place is smaller, compared to our Santa Rosa location,” Patel pointed out. “Based on the layout, we’ll decide when we open!”

Finally, if Polish sausage or Indian chutney doesn’t suit your palate, esteemed local caterer Mateo Granandos will be opening his own restaurant in late July, if all goes according to plan, at 214 Healdsburg Ave., across the street from the .

The Yucatan-born chef, who has brought his culinary skills to a number of distinguished restaurants including the , has built a strong local following with his catering and regular offerings at the . 

More recently, Granandos evolved his business model into , or “taste of the street,” essentially a pop-up restaurant featuring his signature tamales, habanero sauces and “platos fuertes” that changes location frequently, usually setting up a feast at a local winery.

Upcoming locations, according to his website, include , , and . But sometime in July, the as-yet-unnamed restaurant will open its doors, with a tequila bar and the best “street food” you can imagine.

We bet there’ll be a line out the door, and probably across the street.