Petaluma’s Torches offers classic Americana dishes in a familiar setting

When Alice Kilgore bought the former 256 North Restaurant in Petaluma last year, she immediately paid tribute to an eatery she loves, and to the local fire department.

The first nod was to Sax’s Joint, a nearby American diner with classic fare like burgers, a BLAT sandwich and a chicken-fried chicken salad. You can find Kilgore’s version of these classic Americana dishes at her new restaurant, Torches, at 256 Petaluma Blvd. North.

Kilgore also wanted to recognize the Petaluma Fire Department (where she has family connections) and the first responders she calls “heroes.”

Just after opening last September, she held a fundraising steak-and-lasagna dinner for volunteer firefighter Garrett Angel “Taco” Paiz, who was killed in 2017 while fighting the Nuns Fire in Napa County. Proceeds from the $20-a-plate meal supported a student attending a local firefighter academy.

This commitment to the community and neighborhood-friendly approach is a breath of fresh air for the formerly more upscale 256 North, which, to me, always felt off-kilter with its sports-bar vibe.

Before, we ate house-made lobster ravioli in organic spinach cream while sitting next to a big wraparound centerpiece bar stocked with TV sets. Now, we can cheer on our favorite teams — sorry, Warriors — with game-day specials like nachos ($5), Buffalo wings ($11) and Revision Brewing Co. Disco Ninja IPA ($7).

Kilgore has a personal affection for the restaurant. A longtime 256 North employee, she eagerly took over when then-owner Jan Rosen decided to retire from the business she opened in 2017. Rosen was best known for her very successful J.M. Rosen’s Cheesecakes wholesale bakery, launched in 1983, and catered to celebrity clientele like Frank Sinatra and Ronald Reagan.

So Kilgore kept some of Rosen’s recipes, offering the chef’s original signatures like chicken pot pie topped in flaky puff pastry ($21), chicken Marsala scattered with mushrooms over linguine ($23) and wild mushroom and spinach risotto ($24). We can still get one of my favorite indulgences, too, prime rib with all the fixings of salty jus, horseradish cream, mashed potatoes and veggies ($29 for 12 ounce, $35 for 18 ounce).

These days, though, the offerings are more comfort-casual. Kilgore is Torches’ sole operator, with no business ties to Rosen, and is slowly rolling out more changes to reflect her own personality.

That means that nice prime rib also shows up as a French dip, thin sliced on a sourdough roll ($10 a la carte; $17 with fries, onion rings or a diner-style salad of romaine, iceberg, tomato, carrot, cucumber, red onion and kidney beans).

Try the wood-fired pizzas, baked to a proper bubble-charred crust and generously topped with options like a meat lovers combo of hand-sliced pepperoni, chunky sausage and thick-cut bacon ($22). Or settle in for a fine fish and chips, the cod dipped in beer batter, fried to a good crunch and rounded out with slaw and fries ($20).

The famous Rosen cheesecake, of course, is still on the menu ($9).

As for the name, “Torches” seems obvious when you consider the firefighter connection. However, Kilgore also said that Rosen’s “dream and desire was to set an employee up and pass the torch.”

Carey Sweet is a Sebastopol-based food and restaurant writer. Read her restaurant reviews every other week in Sonoma Life. Contact her at carey@careysweet.com.