SINGLE THREAD

No other restaurant has earned a Chronicle four-star rating as quickly. Single Thread, which also includes an exclusive five-room inn, opened in December and earned our highest rating in March. Kyle and Katina Connaughton are an unbeatable team. He worked in Southern California, moved to Japan to cook at a restaurant for Michel Bras, and then moved to England for five years to head the experimental kitchen for Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck. During that time, Katina delved deeply into sustainable farming. At their 5-acre farm only a few miles from the restaurant, she consults a Japanese almanac that lists 72 seasons, with the idea that some produce is at its peak for only a few days. All this is reflected in the 11-course menu. The restaurant has an elegant Japanese feel, the service is impeccable, the attention to detail is flawless and the food is ever changing. Kyle explains his obsession with ingredients by noting: “I have to go to bed each night with my farmer.”

Cuisine Northern Californian | Specialties Menu changes nightly but always starts with a 9 or 10 small bites set on wood covered with moss and delicate flowers. There’s also always an elaborate fish presentation smoked in the donabe. | Seats 52 (plus 26 on the patio); private room for 10 | Prices $225 paid in advance for 11 or more courses (plus 20% service charge) | Noise rating A | Parking Free lot and street

Vitals 131 North St., Healdsburg. (707) 723-4646. www.singlethreadfarms.com Dinner Tuesday-Sunday. Beer and wine. Reservations required. Credit cards accepted. Chefs in the kitchen at SingleThread, right. Above: Roasted Duclair duck, blood orange curd, black trumpet mushrooms and savoy cabbage.