San Francisco Moda Ken Frank s La Toque offers culinary adventure in Rutherford Yountville may get raves for its restaurants, but only a few miles north in the tiny village of Rutherford, La Toque also turns out world-class gourmet dining. The restaurant opened little more than a year ago by famed LA chef Ken Frank has not yet developed the same buzz at the French Laundry, but most observers would put its food, ambience and service in the same class. In the Wine Spectator s annual list of America s best restaurants, for example, La Toque scored 14 th with a score of 93 just below the second-rated Laundry s 95. The casually elegant restaurant is located in the Rancho Caymus Inn on Rutherford Road behind Beaulieu Vineyards. The main dining room is an attractive tall room where thankfully you can talk and hear without straining.
Service is impeccable and never intrusive, but the real star is the food.
Don t miss the seared foie gras if it s offered, but every course works, even those with unusual combinations. Truffles are one of Frank s specialties, and in season, he does special truffle dinners. The wine list doesn t necessarily reflect La Toque s location in Napa Valley, but Ken s chosen pairings including Alsatian and other unusual choices in Wine Country. You can also order wine by the bottle and some are hard to find local labels reflecting Ken s close ties to local vintners. If the weather cooperates, as it always does in the Summer, the patio is ideal for after-dinner coffee or dessert wine.