D I N E W I S E WITH JASON WALSH
Arandas W hat you’ll notice first at Arandas are the colors. The cuisine from the new restaurant at the Hotel Les Mars in Healdsburg is not only tasty—but eye catching. Every course seems prepared as much for presentation on the plate, as it is for pleasing the palate. The old chestnut, “looks too good to eat,” springs to mind at Arandas. Rest assured, it will be a passing fancy. Arandas opened in June with an intent to “bring the soul of Mexican cuisine to downtown Healdsburg.” Executive Chef Adrien Nieto has family roots in both Jalisco and Matamoros and his vision is to celebrate the cuisines of those regions, while enhancing each dish with global touches; he walks a line between traditional and fusion, and the result is like few Mexican restaurants in the North Bay. Arandas is in the space of the former Chalkboard, what had been a hub for “wine-country casual” just off the Healdsburg Square. But now the 60-seat main dining room has an upscale hacienda vibe— wood floors and earth-toned furniture warmed by wall-hanging lights and an illuminated cabinet showcasing colorful bottles, ornate shakers and other whimsical mantlepieces. On a warm evening, we sat in the patio where heaters and shade sails shield from the elements and an array of lush plants lends a jungle-y ambiance. Feels like an escape. We began with a few selections from the starter menu—our introduction to the colorful presentations Nieto’s kitchen revels in. The oysters ($14 for three), for instance, are prepared in-shell under a tangy, mango dulce de tigre (tiger’s milk) marinade—a bright, chartreuse topped with blossoms—served upon a bowl filled with stones and long sprigs of green grass. The papas ($18), meanwhile, finds its small potatoes beneath a perfectly balanced spread of furikake flakes, a mint-hued avocado cream, dark green chives and sun-burnt trout roe. There’s an adherence to flavor, and the color wheel, that’s equally appreciable. Even the fresh guacamole ($16)—often considered a reflection of the quality of a Mexican restaurant—is topped with pink and purple starflowers. The restaurant takes its name from the western-Mexico city of Arandas, which counts tequila as its primary export. (The spirit itself is named for another nearby city in Jalisco, where the blue agave plant thrives.) Arandas lived up to its name with our cocktail orders: the Double Trouble ($20), a margarita teaming white tequila (straight from third-generation family owned Tequilas El Mexicano in Jalisco) with coconut-washed rum, lime and watermelon juice—a dazzling pink concoction topped with “watermelon foam”—and the
Arandas’s interiors have been re-envisioned as an ornate hacienda. [Images by Nick Winn]
Colorful ‘sorbete’ with stone fruit and cherries.
62 NorthBaybiz
October 2024
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease