If you are looking for an outstanding restaurant, Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder offers a divine and exceptional rare treat.
Even though it is in Boulder, it is no wonder that Frasca has won Best Restaurant in Denver’s 5280 Magazine every year since 2010. Food, wine, and service at Frasca are taken incredibly seriously. When we went this past weekend, the service was impeccable; everyone on staff constantly attended to the patrons’ needs and special requests so we were able to sit back, relax, and be enjoy an unforgettable meal.
Unlike many restaurants where wine is simply an accessory, it is a central component of the meal at Frasca. The wine menu is 67 pages long, suggested wine pairings accompany each of the menu items, and master sommelier (and restaurant co-owner) Bobby Stuckey is available to provide insight and recommendations. “Tajuts” (half glasses of wine) are encouraged, enabling you to sample the delicious variety of the wine menu. I had three types of wine with our meal, and they each were delicious–two of which were easily among the best I’ve had in Colorado.
Chef and co-owner Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson knows a thing or two about food. He has won Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs award in 2005, the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: Southwest award in 2008, and spent a season competing on BRAVO’s Top Chef Masters. The food he serves at Frasca is inspired by the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy: “Friuli is a region steeped in tradition nestled at the foot of the Carnic and Julian Alps and bordered by Austria, Slovenia, and the Adriatic Sea…of immense cultural blending, geographical diversity, and idyllic beauty…rich in natural resources; a place where its people have a deep connection with the land and an intense understanding of the relationship between food and wine.”
Two prix fixe menus were offered during our visit; one was a four course menu with several choices per course, and the other was a seven course Fruilano chef’s tasting menu. We figured if we were eating at Frasca we might as well opt for the seven course chef’s tasting menu, and, of course, we ended up very happy with our decision.
Below was the menu served along with a photo of each item:
COURSE 1: STUZZICHINO, “POLENTA E PROSCIUTTO CON SALSA DI RICOTTA”
A crsipy fried polenta appetizer topped with La Quercia prosciutto and ricotta. The hot polenta paired very well with the prosciutto and melted in our mouths.
COURSE 2: ANTIPASTO, “INSALATA”
A refreshing salad of grated honeycrisp apple, topped with Montasio cheese, Castelfranco (a radicchio variety), sliced squash, and horseradish. Super light, unique, and tasty.
COURSE 3: PRIMI, “MEZZALUNA”
Half-moon shaped stuffed pasta with escarole (a variety of endive), artichoke, house-made ricotta, and walnut. Definitely could have eaten a whole plate of this. Loved it.
COURSE 4: PRIMI, “RISOTTO, MARE, E MONTI”
Risotto with New Caledonian prawn, pioppini mushrooms, and arugula. The risotto was cooked in the prawn broth, and the flavors were super rich. Couldn’t get enough of it!
COURSE 5: PRIMI, “GIRINI”
Tadpole-shaped pasta with shredded Broken Arrow Ranch quail, cranberry, and treviso (another radicchio variety). I had never eaten girini before; very tasty, and it made me want to try girini pasta creations at home.
COURSE 6: SECONDO, “ALCE ARROSTO”
Rocky Mountain elk cooked rare and served in a puree of Yukon potatoes with sage, rosemary, and thyme, garnished with a sunchoke fritter and pomegranate seeds. This was our favorite dish of the night. The elk was delicious (as was the sunchoke fritter), but the sauce actually made the dish. I thought it was butter with how creamy, smooth, and rich it was–but it was made from potatoes, and the Italian herbs infused within it were just perfect.
COURSE 7: DOLCE, “TORTA DI POLENTA”
Polenta cake with toasted almonds, and yogurt and olive oil gelato (with “congratulations” written in icing on a magnolia leaf in honor of our special occasion). Not too rich, the cake struck the right balance after the six other courses, and the gelato was quite Good.
As this was a seven-course meal, the meal should have been done…but as die-hard gelato lovers, we couldn’t leave without topping off the meal with an extra eighth course of an item we saw from the four-course menu: chocolate peanut butter gelato. It was divine (sorry–we don’t have any pictures, we just dove right in).
Just when we thought the meal was over, as a finishing touch, salted caramel macaroons and chocolate caramels were served with the final bill.
Eight and a half courses and two and a half hours after our arrival (one minute shy of the parking meter expiration), we departed back for Denver feeling very gratified with our choice to celebrate a special occasion at Frasca Food and Wine. If you’ve never been to Frasca, the next time you have a special occasion I encourage you to make the drive. It is well worth it!
Frasca Food and Wine is located in Boulder at 1738 Pearl Street.
The Good Life Denver is written by David Schlichter. To stay in the loop, like The Good Life Denver on Facebook and follow @thegoodlifeden on Twitter!
In addition to writing for The Good Life Denver, David works full-time as a Denver real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty Downtown, LLC. David helps his clients (ranging from first-time home buyers, to sellers, to seasoned investors) achieve their real estate goals. Contact David today for all of your Denver real estate needs. Direct: 7/440-2340, Office: 3/539-5700