=" /> The Mile High Eater: Sep 9, 2008

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Fabulous Frasca

Hi all,

Barb and I went out to Frasca last month (www.frascafoodandwine.com) which is headed up by Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson and sommelier Bobby Stuckey it is considered to be one of Colorado's finest restaurants. The menu has a price fix 4 course menu for $62.00 or if you aren’t feeling as hungry, you can order a la carte. We of course went with the 4 course. We do love a good tasting menu.

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When we entered we were greeted very warmly even though the place was very busy and were given a table right next to co-owner Bobby Stuckey's parents. During the meal we had a nice little conversation with them. We had a lot of expectations for this meal, as the chef had picked up a James Beard award this year. Over all it did not disappoint.

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To start out with we decided to add on a little something we saw these Fiore di Zucca
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These were Fried Squash Blossoms fresh from a local farm stuffed with goat cheese, parmesan and prosciutto.
Yum - they were cooked perfectly and the flavors of the cheeses and the blossom were wonderful. I really wanted some more. Luckily a mistake was made and 2 extra were sent out and luckily for us, they let us keep them :).
We both give these little bites of bliss an 8.

Barbara's Anti-Pasta
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Marinated Rabbit Conserva ( jam), Green Beans, Frisee, Western Slope Cherries and Mustard Crema.

I think rabbit has become Barb's favorite food. I thought this was pretty darn good but could of used a larger rabbit to lettuce ratio. But then again I always like a larger meat to green ratio! I would give this dish an 8 as well. Barb's rating...8.5

Jonathan's Anti-Pasta

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Red Wagon Farm Squash Custard, Grilled Pancetta and Lemon Basil Vinaigrette.

Ok, this one scared me a bit. It was a bright, glowing green custard made of squash. Hmmm, but there is fried Prosciutto. Ok, let’s take a little bite, oh wait a minute, this is good. A bit more. Oh I like this and the taste changes from the top to bottom. With the Prosciutto added in with a bite. Oh my, what is this taste? Maybe take a few more bites. Wait a minute - where did it go? It’s all gone - sigh.

This dish had a very rich taste and a velvety texture that exploded with flavor. If you took a bite from the bottom it had a completely different flavor than the top, where the herbs and lemon were prominent. Once again I would go with an 8. This is starting to be a trend. Barb was not as much of a fan and went with a 7.


Barb's Primi

frasca
Lamb Tortelloni

Was tasty with a nice sauce but did not leave a big impression. I would go with a 7 here. Barb's rating - 6. I wasn't prepared for the al dente-ness of the noodles.


Jonathan's Primi


frasca gnocci
House made Russet Potato Gnocchi, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Munson Farm Sweet Corn and Thyme

Gnocchi with fresh corn. I had high expectations of this as I am starting to really like gnocchi. You know what? It delivered and the sweet slightly crisp corn fresh from the farm was mouth watering. We bounce back to an 8 here. Barb gave it a 7.

Barb's Secondi


frascafish
Pan Roasted Atlantic Striped Bass, Sun Choke Puree, Root Vegetables and Butter Salsa

Very good. Perfectly cooked with a nice non-fishy flavor that just left you happy to of eaten it. A 7 for me here. Barb gives it an 8. It was very delicate and flaky. Melted in your mouth.

Jonathan's Secondi

frasca shortrib
Grilled Boneless Beef Short Rib, Roasted Toohey Farm Beets, Haystack Mountain Goat Cheese and Pickled Horseradish.

Not sure if I have done this yet on this meal but here we go, YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! The short ribs were cooked so well it just melted away in your mouth and the taste was just out of this world. Pulled a Mmmmm right out of my mouth and the nice chunk of goat cheese didn’t hurt either. And unlike some horseradish this didn’t burn out your tongue but added a nice tang to the dish. The veggies were beets which had a great earthy flavor. A 9 for this since it pulled that yum right out of my mouth. Barb rated this one an 8.

Barb's Dessert

Frascachoc tort
Valrhona Chocolate Torte with Sour Cherry Compote and Vanilla Bean Gelato

Chocolate pie with cherries. Don't think I need to add much more other than to say this was so rich and tasty that you were almost on overload after the first bite. We give it an 8.


Jonathan's Dessert

frascapeachdessert
Palisade Peach Pasta Sfogliate (flaky pastry)

Very good and you could taste the freshness of the peaches. A great way to end the meal. We give this a 7.






Overall, I think Frasca earns its reputation. The food was very well prepared and conceived with some fantastic tastes and a very friendly staff. On the downside the tables are very close to each other and you will hear everything that your neighbors are talking about, be it good, bad or ugly. The restaurant was completely packed on the evening we went and the service did suffer a bit, but not so bad that it was a huge issue. But I am going to dock .1 from the over all score for it and another .2 for how close the tables are. I know this is needed to get a maximum use out of the space but does not mean I have to like it. We added our standard .75 for it being a 4 course or greater menu.

Numbers and such: Our overall rating was an 8.09. The cost for the meal was $ 166.80. I am sorry alot of the pictures were blurry it was not my best picture night.

As always, thanks for coming by and as always if you have questions or comments or if you happen to see a new restaurant in your area, let us know.

Jonathan and Barb

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