Chalkboard Healdsburg

Hotel Les Mar with Chalkboard on the Ground Floor 

The Chalkboard Restaurant. We went to Healdsburg this weekend and decided to give the new Chalkboard a try. It was great! The food was delicious, fresh, high quality and really full of flavor. The restaurant is a small plate style and we definitely took advantage of it and ordered a variety of dishes with each one being fantastic. 

Pork Belly Biscuits

Chalkboard also has intriguing wine flights based on interesting wines with pretty large pours. For whites we had a relatively dry Tocai Friulano, Gruner Veltliner and a Riesling. The reds were bordeaux varietals, Malbec, Merlot and a Cabernet blend. Each one went well with the food.

Homemade Pretzels

Mac and Cheese

The new restaurant in downtown Healdsburg is in what used to be Cyrus. It’s on the ground floor of the beautiful Hotel Les Mars that’s a Relais & Chateaux property. But that’s another blog.

Seared Strip Loin with Corn and Tomatoes

The restaurant’s decor is changed, but the beautiful architecture of cyrus still remains, most notably the gorgeous arched ceilings. It’s a beautiful space and helps dining there be the experience that it is.  

Candy Bar

They use fresh, quality local ingredients and for the most part all of the presentations are simple, vibrant and flavorful. The Pork Belly biscuits were lovely, the grilled brentwood corn fantastic, Pretzels  Mac and Cheese and the Smoked Eggplant Parmesan very good. We finished with an excellent Seared Strip Loin with Corn. For dessert we had the Candy Bar- Nougat ice cream with caramel and chocolate. We shared every dish and were very satisfied. Service was attentive and efficient too.

Wine Flights

With a sophisticated but relaxed and casual atmosphere it’s a  lovely room and there’s no need  to dress up, which is great when you want to enjoy casual fine dining.

Every single plate we had was perfect. The service was unimpeachable. The decor was just right. Great dinner at Chalkboard.

Highly recommended!

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Ten 22

Ten 22 Restaurant

The Ten 22 Restaurant looks amazing inside. Great lighting, comfy seats and well spaced. The back deck patio is highly recommended for warm summer days as they have just installed a misting system that cools without over whelming. The staff is very friendly and helpful.

Bacon Pepper Jack Burger 

Chris the manager is quite knowledgeable in the food/drink industry as he has been working in the restaurant business for over 10 years. The chef has developed a menu full of vibrant appetizers and entrées that are delicious. 

Burrata

Based on their ambiance, service and the scallops and Burrata appetizers, would definitely give this restaurant 4 stars - beautiful patio on a beautiful afternoon, friendly and attentive waitstaff, classy restaurant in the heart of Old Sacramento, accompanied by light and delicious smoked salmon. Came here for lunch and left happy. 

Scallops

The food was light and refreshing, perfect for a patio lunch on a sunny day. Then we had wonderful fresh duck sliders. Fantastic! Our waiter was very helpful in bringing us a nice tawny port to finish lunch. A light wonderful lunch.

Duck Sliders

Ten 22 has one of the most beautiful set-ups I've seen in Old Sacramento with an exquisitely modern interior and great outdoor patio. On Fridays they have live music.The environment and the serving staff are some of the nicest in the area.

We had a great lunch in at Ten 22.

Highly recommended!

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The California Railroad Museum

1862 No.1 Locomotive The "Gov. Stanford"

The California Railroad Museum. This place is fantastic! There is a huge collection of historic trains in this museum, and many of them you can actually enter and look around. Some of them are absolutely HUGE and awe-inspiring. It’s a fantastic place full of actual full size trains and equipment.

The museum features 21 restored locomotives and railroad cars, some dating back to 1862. The "Sierra Scene" shows a large scale mockup of a construction scene high in the Sierra Nevada representing Donner Pass circa 1867, featuring the locomotive Gov. Stanford. 

1937 Luxury Super Chief "Cochiti"Dining Car No.1474

Other exhibits show how the influence of railroads changed American society, influencing travel, commerce and daily life, as well as the lives of railroaders and the diversity of people who work on railroads.

"Cochiti" Kitchen

1881 Passenger Coach No.3 "Silver State"

The “Lost Golden Spike” is on display. It’s a twin of the “Last Spike”, used at the 1869 ceremony which commemorated the last link in the Transcontinental Railroad. The spike of gold was the idea of David Hewes , a San Francisco financier and contractor. 

The "Golden Spike"

The spike had been manufactured earlier that year especially for the event by the William T. Garratt Foundry in San Francisco. Two of the sides were engraved with the names of the railroad officers and directors. A special tie of polished California laurel was chosen to complete the line where the spike would be driven.

"Lost Spike"

The “Golden Spike” ceremony was originally to be held on May 8, 1869, the date actually engraved on the spike. It was postponed two days because of bad weather and a labor dispute that delayed the arrival of the Union Pacific side of the rail line. It’s fantastic to see the “Lost Spike” in all it’s glory, which still has it’s sprue or extra metal attached during casting. The original "golden spike" is on display at the Cantor Arts Museum at Stanford University.

May 10,1869 Promontory Summit Ceremony

On May 10, in anticipation of the ceremony, Union Pacific No. 119 and Central Pacific No. 60 (better known as the Jupiter) locomotives were drawn up face-to-face on Promontory Summit. It is unknown how many people attended the event; estimates run from as low as 500 to as many as 3,000; government and railroad officials and track workers were present to witness the event.       

1952 Caboose No.25256

Great time in Old Sacramento and seeing the Railroad Museum. The kids sure loved the giant machines.

Highly recommended!

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Old Sacramento

Old Sacramento CA. Historic part of a town that played a huge part in the Gold Rush and the Transcontinental Railroad. From scenic frontier-style storefronts, horse-carriage hansom rides, to eclectic stores and candy-shops, Old Sacramento has a lot to offer both the tourist and locals alike.

Restaurants, stores, boutiques, clubs, museums, etc., all come together and provide a wonderful sight-seeing opportunity for all alike.  And the variety that is offered at different times of the year is quite mesmerizing.

Old Sacramento has more than 50 historic buildings.  In 1965 the entire original 1850’s business district of Old Sacramento was named a National Historic Landmark.  Along with the B.F. Hastings Building, you can still see the 1849 Eagle Theater and the 1855 Big Four Building.

Cobblestone roads, wooden plank walkways, old historic schools and trains, all along the beautiful Sacramento River. That is Old Sacramento.

Sacramento River

There’s lots of little restaurants ranging in all types of food and drink. If you don't want a sit down restaurant they have many little pizza joints and sandwich places too. 

Dixie King Hotel/Restaunt Bar

There are also a few bars here and pool halls, and the architecture is in Old Sacramento’s 19th century Building styles. It really does look like it did in the 1850’s- ‘90s. Coming here always is exciting because it’s so different in comparison to everywhere else in “modern” Sacramento. Be sure to stop in some of the museums here too or even pay and take a Sacramento river taxi ride! The options are endless. Very fun.        

We had a good time in Old Sacramento and it’s a great stop if passing through the area. 

Highly recommended!

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