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Visiting TORC in Downtown Napa

July 31, 2014 / Carl Tiedemann / Food, Life, Wine
Chef Sean O’Toole and Carl at TORC

Chef Sean O’Toole and Carl at TORC

If you haven’t been to TORC in downtown Napa yet for dinner you really need to on your next Napa visit.

TORC is one of the newest and hottest restaurants in the Valley. Be sure to get reservations well in advance as the place is usually packed.

I had the good fortune of dining at TORC on my last Napa trip with my friends Didier Loustau and Susan Quinn. We were lucky to have one of the best tables in the place (well, Didier’s influence might have had something to do with it). Seated next to the entry and in the window, we had a full view of the dining room and the open kitchen. We could easily see Chef O’Toole at work throughout the evening. Our server Kristen was a delight and took great care of us.

Inside TORC in downtown Napa.

Inside TORC in downtown Napa.

TORC opened in late October 2013 by chef/proprietor Sean O’Toole, his first venture as proprietor. O’Toole comes to TORC from such kitchens as Quince, the Michelin 2-starred San Francisco restaurant and its sister operation Cotogna which opened in 2010 serving Italian fare. O’Toole also spent time at Bardessono in Yountville and in the Mina Group restaurants. All of these positions sharpened his skills and prepared him to open TORC, his own establishment. O’Toole says the restaurant is named after the Gaelic work for “boar” which appears on the O’Toole’s family coat of arms.

TORC’s menu offers farm-to-table new American fare with a host of international flavors mixed in. Relying heavily on locally-sourced ingredients for his farm-to-table contemporary menu.

O’Toole has reached out to such local individuals as forager, Connie Green of Wineforest Wild Foods and farmer/grape grower Lee Hudson of Hudson Ranch. Also included in the mix of local purveyors is Phillip Paine owner of Paine Farms supplier of squab and lamb for TORC.

Michigan native Elizabeth Gentry has joined O’Toole as Pastry Chef. Gentry, a graduate of the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education in Grand Rapids and came to TORC after stints in two prestigious New York restaurants, Daniel and NoMad. I speak from firsthand experience when I tell you her desserts are simply wonderful.

After a quick glance at the menu, it was easy to see that I wouldn’t be able to worry about my diet with this dinner.

Carl, Susan Quinn and Didier Loustau at TORC

Carl, Susan Quinn and Didier Loustau at TORC

Didier, Susan and I decided we would enjoy some starters and worry about entrées later. My first selection was a small plate of farm fresh deviled eggs with a sprinkle of pickled onion and bacon. The eggs were followed by a plate of red curry pork ribs with peanut sauce and chilies.

Our first wine of the evening was a bottle of 2005 Karl Lawrence Cellars, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Morisoli Vineyard. This wine was from Didier’s wine cellar and a real gem.karl-lawrence-cabrenet

I have posted before that Karl Lawrence Cellars wines are quite good. But, unfortunately, the operation has gone out of business and the wines are no longer produced. What a shame.

The 2005 Reserve was deep purple in color with good clarity. The nose was full of dark fruit. On the palate, the wine was well structured with lots of fruit with hints of vanilla and oak. The finish was dry and lingering with good tannin and a bit of pepper. My thanks to Didier for sharing this bottle.

Next came a complimentary dish from Chef O’Toole, bucatini pasta with a lamb Bolognese. It was amazing.

Next came another bottle of wine selected from TORC’s wine list which was put together by Cynthia O’Toole, the chef’s wife. The list features more than a 100 California and French wines. It is a well-rounded list that certainly compliments the food menu.

francois-carillon-wineOur selection was a lovely 2011, Francois Carillion Bourgogne Chardonnay from Burgundy, France. The wine’s nose presented aromas of white flowers and minerals. On the palate there was a balance of tender ripe fruit with hints of vanilla. The finish was ample, delightful and of good length. The wine had good mouth feel and was a good medium bodied, dry Chardonnay. I would recommend this wine if you get the chance to try it. The wine sold for $35.00 per bottle on TORC’s wine list.

CimarossaWe decided to make yet another wine selection which was the Napa Valley 2009 Cimarossa Vineyard “Rive de Cimarossa” Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain. This was a young wine with a color of deep purple. Although we drank the wine without decanting it, which was a shame, as we should have. This wine would have benefited from several hours of decanting. The nose was full of aromas of vanilla and spices. The mouth feel was dry and the tannins were well balanced and you could feel the wine coating the inside of your mouth. The wine displayed lots of fruit and hints of vanilla continued on the palate. The finish was nice and long and this wine clearly has some growing up to do and will only get better with age. The wine sold for $95.00 on TORC’s wine list. A little pricey, I thought.

The cabernet complimented my entrée of Berkshire Heritage Pork, featuring cheddar grits, collard greens and mustard sauce. The pork and cheddar grits were excellent, but I wasn’t a fan of the collard greens, although good, they are something I don’t enjoy. Overall, the meal was wonderful from start to finish. Chef O’Toole is certainly displaying his talents through the food he is preparing at TORC.

This was a wonderful evening of good wine and food spent in an outstanding restaurant with two really good friends. I highly recommend that you dine at TORC on your next trip to Napa. TORC is located at 1140 Main Street in downtown Napa. They are open for dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Sunday and serve brunch Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. You can call for information or reservations at 707-252-3292.

As always, I appreciate your continued support of our wine blog and encourage you to share it with friends and family. Your comments on this blog post or any other topic are welcome below.

Until next Thursday,
Carl

Chef Sean O’Toole, Didier Loustau, Napa, TORC

8 comments on “Visiting TORC in Downtown Napa”

  1. Didier says:
    July 31, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    I can’t believe that you have such of good memory. How do you do it? I can’t remember you taking any notes! Well done Buddy!

  2. Carl Tiedemann says:
    July 31, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    Yo Didier. Thanks for the support. By the way, I really like the ToutSuite webpage layout…it has come a long way. Lucky on the memory I guess. We had some good wines that evening including what we had at your place after dinner. Thanks for the evening.
    Cheers.

  3. Susan Quinn says:
    July 31, 2014 at 5:14 pm

    A memorable meal! I absolutely love TORC.

  4. Carl Tiedemann says:
    August 1, 2014 at 4:10 am

    Hello Susan. Thanks for supporting the wine blog and, yes it was a memorable meal and evening. I am looking forward to another great meal and evening with you and Didier on my next Napa trip. Keep up all the “good stuff” with ToutSuite. All the best. Cheers.

  5. Tom says:
    August 1, 2014 at 7:32 am

    Who starts with an ’05 Cab?

    I love this place as well, but ask for Laura next time. She can certainly pace and course your meal accordingly.
    Your answers are in your questions, decant the Cimarossa! Howell Mt Cab is a beast. And it’s a serious value buy at 95.
    Were you going to play the card about being able to buy it cheaper at Whole Foods?

    Light to heavy, sparking, white, baller Cabernet. Apps, salads, proteins. This is pretty basic stuff for a food writer?

  6. Carl Tiedemann says:
    August 1, 2014 at 3:59 pm

    Hello Thomas. I appreciate comments good, bad or indifferent. Thanks for reading the entire blog posting. Actually, I am not a food editor that would be very boring. As far as starting with the ’05 Cab first, we really didn’t, that was just the order I took the pictures in and the wonderful wine we brought with us. I am sure that you, as an experienced wine drinker, know that wine. We opened the Cab to let it breath and drank the Chardonnay first, if you look at the picture of Didier, Susan and I you’ll see both wines on the table. And Didier the former Wine Director at Dean and Deluca and owner of Loustau Wines and Marketing would never let me start with a red and the Starters we had. Forgive me for not making that clear. You are correct the Howell Mountain Cab is a beast and should have been decanted, but since that was our 4th bottle of wine for the evening we might have been a little lax in our wine educatation. I am sure that you know how that is. As far as comparing Chef Sean’s prices to Whole Foods that would be an error and unfaithful to TORC and I wouldn’t want to do that. I might not get a good table on my next trip.

    Thomas, I appreciate your support of Tiedemann On Wines and your comments. I wish more folks such as yourself would comment on my postings. It is great to have the feedback. Perhaps we’ll meet at Torc.
    All the best
    Cheers

  7. Mark Larson says:
    August 1, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    It does sound like a terrific restaurant. The thing that surprised me was a Howell Mt. “Beast” (I love that description) with pork. Of course I’m the guy that loves “beasts” with everything. Now, I know that the question was “How was the pork prepared?” Sauces really define the wine in my opinion. On the other hand, I am becoming a big fan of Syrah. I would have scoured that wine list for a nice Syrah. If I had found Apsara or Myriad (from two outstanding Napa winemakers), I would have been all over one of those.

    I enjoyed reading about your adventure and hope to get to TORC some day.

  8. Carl Tiedemann says:
    August 4, 2014 at 3:23 pm

    Hello Mark. Nice to hear from you. I am with you…I to like the big, bold “beastie” Cabernets as well. I checked the wine list and they only feature one Syrah. A French 2010 Nicolas Perrin. Sorry, none of your favorite Syrahs. Sounds like BYOB trip to TORC for you.

    All the best. Cheers

    Carl




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