20061 Thu May 30 20:07:05 -0700 2002 1 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 68525 Still trying to find a fourth restaurant for our upcoming four nite stay in Napa Valley. So far, have booked Terra (Saint Helena), Auberge du Soleil (Rutherford), and Carneros (Sonoma). Was wondering about La Toque in Rutherford. Zagat gives it a great write-up, and the La Toque website looks great. Anyone have any experience with this restaurant? Appreciate any opinions. Thanks, Chuck Thu May 30 20:07:05 -0700 2002 0 Chuck Rogér 1 68598 I haven't eaten there in a couple of years, but the meal we had was really excellent ... pricey but superb. Ken Frank is a very talented chef who has gone from strength to strength during his long career (though he's still relatively young), and I think you'd be very satisfied if you put yourself in his hands. Disclaimer: I worked (as a lowly pantryman) in his kitchen for a very brief spell some 20 years ago, when La Toque was on the Sunset Strip in L.A. and I harbored illusions of chefdom, quickly dispelled by the reality of the work. The reason I chose his kitchen to work in was because I so admired his cooking as a frequent customer: Unlike so many mango-slinging wannabes, he used the principles and techniques of classic French cooking to make the most of top-notch regional ingredients, and was doing it consistently and creatively long before it was widely embraced as a philosophy in kitchens outside France. His approach hasn't varied in the years since then, it seems to me, and if he's still on his game it produces food that's both refined and exciting. Sat Jun 01 03:40:38 -0700 2002 68525 0 Jonathan King