Recently opened Cyrus in Sonoma County wins Michelin star

Just three months after reopening, Cyrus restaurant has won a coveted Michelin star. It is one of only three restaurants in Sonoma County with star designations.

The award was announced Monday night during a live ceremony honoring the 2022 California Guide winners in Los Angeles.

The annual Michelin announcement is an event that restaurateurs and food lovers anticipate all year as favorite eateries either get chosen — or snubbed — by the international restaurant guidebooks. In total, 89 California restaurants received Michelin stars this year, with few surprises, and a majority of restaurants kept previous years' awards.

The Michelin Guides have been published by the French tire company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. A single star can launch a restaurant into fame, while a loss can spell disaster.

In Sonoma County, three-starred SingleThread in Healdsburg retained its designation, as did one-starred Barndiva, a newcomer to the 2021 list.

Michelin heaped praise on Cyrus and its chef.

“Celebrated wine country chef Douglas Keane has returned to the fore with his relaunch of Cyrus in Geyserville. Dinner is an ebullient experience that progresses from canapés and Champagne in the lounge, to small bites in the kitchen, and concludes with substantial compositions in the dining room. Farm-fresh crudité to be dipped in umeboshi emulsion; Sonoma duck with turnips and hoisin; and black sesame financier with shaved plums are just a few examples of the impressive, globally accented cuisine,” said the anonymous Michelin inspectors’ notes.

Cyrus' new ranking could be considered premature for a restaurant with its paint barely dry. However, Keane's 20-plus course menu was clocked by California Michelin Guides in early November as one of 37 new restaurants throughout the state for possible inclusion.

The original Healdsburg restaurant had two stars when it closed in 2012, but that designation didn’t play a role in this year’s judging, according to Michelin representative Andrew Festa.

He said Cyrus's reopening was treated as a fresh start and evaluated anew.

San Francisco, Oakland and the South Bay remained Michelin darlings, claiming 38 of the 89-starred restaurants in 2022. Los Angeles and Southern California, discounted by Michelin in previous years, were well-represented on the 2022 list.

The most notable addition to California's three-star lineup for 2022 is Addison in San Diego. San Francisco's Atelier Crenn, Benu and Quince held on to their three stars, along with Yountville's French Laundry and Manresa in Los Gatos, which will close permanently later this month.

“California is a foodie’s dream come true. There are now 142 three-Michelin-Star restaurants in the world. There’s just so much to be excited about in this year’s selection,” said Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides.