We have had a lot of fun over the past few years trying out the new and exciting restaurant options in Downtown Napa. Torc is one of our favorites in downtown Napa right now–we’ve been twice! On our first trip to Torc, we admired the amazing roasted chicken for two presented to the table next to us. We later learned that it’s one of their specialties, so we returned to give it a try. The chicken takes about an hour, but it is worth the wait.
Order some cocktails and a starter while you wait. Torc does a good job of pacing out your first courses so the wait for the chicken doesn’t feel like that long. We started with cocktails and then shared a lovely tomato salad with burrata and pumpkin soup with coconut and crispy shallots.
We were astounded with our chicken. The presentation was simply stunning. We snapped some photos before the server took it back to the kitchen to be plated, and it returned with a lovely assortment of seasonal vegetables including Hudson Ranch eggplant, red kuri squash, emerald beauty pluots, and chanterelle mushrooms.
We enjoyed a lovely half-bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape with our chicken, but one of our favorite things about Torc is the chalkboard with daily Coravin selections. It includes wines you would never see by the glass on a standard wine list. On our first visit Clayton ordered a Burgundy from the Coravin selection that ended up being everyone’s favorite wine of the evening.
Torc can be a busy place so we recommend making a reservation or sit at the bar like we do. Next time you’re in the Valley, try taking a break from the celebrity chef restaurants in Yountville and St. Helena and explore downtown Napa!
Torc
1140 Main St., Napa, CA 94559
707.252.3292