Chef Ken Frank to Relocate La Toque, Critically Acclaimed as
One of America's Best Restaurants,
to The Westin Verasa Napa
Restaurant will Showcase Chef
Frank's Culinary Artistry, a Truffle Menu,
and Food & Wine Pairings served in a warm, luxurious atmosphere
Napa,
Calif. (February 15, 2008) - When the Westin
Verasa Napa opens in September 2008, it will elevate
downtown Napa dining to an even higher level when Chef Ken
Frank, one of America's most highly acclaimed chefs,
brings his legendary La Toque restaurant to
the new hotel. While staying true to the celebrated touches
for which the restaurant has become known-such as offering one
of the few truffle menus in the world-La Toque's
new home will provide a larger culinary playground for Chef
Frank with a show kitchen and an expanded menu that will showcase
Frank's passion for fresh, seasonal and often organic cuisine.
Long
considered one of the best restaurants in America by critics
and food connoisseurs alike, La Toque has earned the praise
of Zagat's guide, captured a prestigious Michelin
star, and was named one of "America's Best Restaurants"
by The Wine Spectator magazine. La
Toque is equally recognized for its unpretentious and
friendly wait staff and extensive selection of fine wine.
"We
couldn't be more pleased to welcome Chef Frank and La
Toque to the Westin Verasa,"
said Joe Walsh, Regional Vice President of
Development, Intrawest Placemaking, who worked with Ken Frank
on the move to Napa. "La Toque is one
of the premier restaurants in the United States, and Ken's reputation
and commitment will define an unparalleled culinary experience
for our guests."
Like
the current location in Napa Valley's Rutherford, the new La
Toque at the Westin Verasa will reflect
Frank's thorough grounding in French cuisine developed when
he was a teenager. When Frank was 16, his father went on sabbatical
and moved his family from Pasadena to Yvoire, a small 16th century
walled village on the French side of Lake Geneva. At the end
of the year, when his family returned home, Frank wanted to
remain. His parents agreed as long as he found a job and a place
to live. He found a job as a dishwasher at a local restaurant
and developed an appreciation for richly flavored country food-seafood,
stews, roasts, sausages, farm-fresh vegetables and artisan cheeses,
crusty breads and intriguing desserts.
At
La Toque, diners will savor exquisite examples
of Frank's French cuisine, a style for which he has become world
renowned in his 35 years as a chef. His style embraces a philosophy
that he developed decades ago as one of the first young American
chefs to focus on fresh, seasonal, quality ingredients. The
restaurant's extensive wine list complements Frank's cuisine
and resident sommelier Scott Tracy has become known for his
wine and food pairings.
"Using
only the freshest, finest ingredients in season prepared in
creative, delicious ways has always been the center of who I
am and what I do," said Chef Frank. "Indeed that has
now become the core of what great cooking in America is all
about."
When
the new La Toque location opens, Chef Frank's
culinary creations will be served in a warm, luxurious atmosphere
created by one of the most noted restaurant design firms in
the country, CCS Architecture. Understated and classically luxurious,
La Toque will provide plenty of opportunity
for diners to observe the hustle and bustle of the kitchen beyond,
with and abundance of glass panes and a glass-backed liquor
cabinet in the bar through which guests will view the kitchen
activity. The back-to-back fireplace, constructed of stone on
the interior and Cor-Ten steel on the exterior patio dining
area, will serve as another focal point in the restaurant. Ebonized
oak floating booths that sit away from the walls, and light
fixtures made from textured art glass, will add to the ambiance.
The
simple yet luxurious ambiance of the new La Toque
in the Westin Verasa will serve as an ideal
showcase for a chef whose highly acclaimed career spans more
than three decades. At only 21, as head chef at La Guillotine
on the Sunset Strip, he earned the praises of food critics from
the Los Angeles Times and New West
magazine for introducing fresh vegetables, fruit and fish at
a time when many restaurants used frozen or canned items. Chef
Frank's devotion to fresh ingredients and his ability to prepare
exquisite sauces followed him as he leant his talents to a number
of other restaurants. In 1979, Frank was the original chef at
Michael's restaurant in Santa Monica, now considered to be the
Los Angeles birthplace of "California Cuisine." Not
long after, Frank opened the original La Toque
on the site of what used to be La Guillotine and again earned
a strong following of food connoisseurs and extensive praise
from Gourmet magazine's food critic. By May 1980, other chefs
also admired Frank's style with Chef Michel Richard,
current owner of Citronelle in Washington,
D.C. proclaiming, "Ken was the first young American chef
that I met who was capable of cooking like the greatest French
chefs."
Chef
Frank's Napa Valley La Toque celebrates its
tenth anniversary in September 1998, coinciding with its move
to the Westin Verasa. The move is a perfect
fit for Frank's plans to host "lifestyle experiences"
revolving around single ingredients or specialties. Each January
he plans to host a "Truffle Camp," a package that
includes overnight stays at the Westin, truffle cooking lessons,
and winery visits.
"We
aim to make Westin Verasa the go-to wine and food destination
in Napa Valley," ads Chef Frank. "Downtown Napa is
going to become the destination in Napa Valley in the next 10
years and we'll be right at the heart of it."
The
Westin Verasa Napa and La Toque's
new location are currently planning for an early fall opening.
Until then diners can continue to enjoy La Toque's offerings
at the Rutherford location. For more information visit www.latoque.com.