December 27, 2019
A truly special dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Frasca! They now do these all December long, since they’re so popular. To clearly distinguish between the menu and our descriptions, the menu will be in a Helvetica Neue font, our descriptions will be in the usual Times New Roman font. The wines region is in italics.
While we were waiting we got to sample their “Slim Jims”, prosciutto wrapped around a very thin breadstick. Wow!, these are amazing. The horseradish and apple dip really worked. We are going to have to think about using horseradish more often 😉…
An overview of Frasca’s main dining area. This is looking toward the entrance.
A look exactly opposite of the entrance, at their wine cellar!
Our table, set with just a single flight of wine glasses. A part of Martin’s iPad is visible at the bottom right.
Some appetizers to get us to the 1st course. From the left - house made potato chips (thinner than you’ve ever had and wonderful), marinated olives and spiced nuts.
The champaign for the first course, Robert Moncuit Extra Brut Blanc des Blancs “Les Grands Blancs” | Les Mesnil sur Oger, Côte des Blancs, Champagne, France
This was a really dry, crisp and citrusy champaign.
Here is the star of the show! A big white truffle on the special truffle slicer.
Uno: PANNA COTTA DI TOPINAMBUR
sunchoke • smoked vanilla • santa barbara sea urchin • white truffle
After the white truffle was shaved at table. The sea urchin was meltingly tender and the panna cotta was just pulled from the oven, so it really sent the white truffle aroma through the air!
The wine for the second course, J. L. Chave 2017 Saint-Joseph Blanc “Circa” | Northern Rhône, France
This is a big, bold red wine that was perfectly matched to this course.
DUE: SUE BUXTON CAPESANTE
scallop · fregola · coconut · black truffle
Wow! Truffles go wonderfully with scallops! The coconut in this dish was very subdued. Bill, who really doesn’t like coconut, didn’t find it objectionable!
The wine for the third course, Nervi Conterno 2015 Gattinara | Piemonte, Italy
This is a big, bold red wine that was perfectly matched to this course.
TRE: RAVIOLO UOVO
farm egg · guanciale · spinach · harbison cheese · black truffle
The Zalto Denk’Art wine glasses that were used throughout the meal are light as air and frighteningly fragile. They really do show off the wine!
Here you can see the white truffle slices on the dish.
The ravioli is simply amazing! The egg was sitting next to a truffle for a while to pick up the scent.
The wine for the fourth course, Ca del Baio 2016 Barbaresco “Vallegrande” | Trieso, Barbaresco, Italy
This lighter red was just what this dish needed.
QUATTRO: TAGLIOLINI TRE COLORE
chestnut · burrata · white truffle
The tagliolini course has arrived and the white truffle is taking over the table!
Again, the white truffle has been shaved on.
Another amazing dish, with everything melding together to produce an experience that is more than just the sum of its parts. The cold burrata cheese over the hot tricolored pasta was a really neat touch. An Italian Baked Alaska!
The wine for the fifth course, Domaine Lucien Muzard 2017 Santenay Blanc “Champs Claude” Burgundy, France
The Santany blanc is a sweetish wine, almost a Sauternes in intensity. The wine is an incredible match with the cod. The wine has much more acidity than you’d expect and that’s why it works so well.
CINQUE: BACCALA E CICERCHIE
cod · ancient umbrian chickpea · black truffle
The cod has a simply amazing crust, perfectly done and the black truffles are doing their magic of making the cod more cod! The truffles aren’t forward in this dish, so what they do is what I’d call “amplify” the dish.
The wine for the sixth course, Brovia 2015 Barolo | Castiglione Falletto, Piemonte, Italy
The Barolo for the next course has arrived and wow! That is one big wine! It’s a bit tannic, so it simply has to sit for a bit and open up.
SEI: SCALLOPINI A LA MILANESE
7x farm wagyu tenderloin · bone marrow · shallot · white truffle
The wagyu beef is sitting on a multi-colored cabbage and is topped with a bone marrow and shallot sauce. The crust on the beef is absolutely amazing! The big red wine is just what’s needed to complement the steak perfectly.
The wine for the seven and final course, the dessert course. Coppo 2018 Moscato D’Asti | Piemonte, Italy
This Muscato dessert wine has an amazing citrus nose and brought to mind the tropics.
SETTE: TARTUFO BIANCO
white truffle gelato · buckwheat black truffle · olive oil
The gelato is in a white chocolate “crust” and has a tropical aura that mates perfectly with the wine. The white truffle “amplifies” everything, making the gelato more gelato, the chocolate more chocolate.
Here’s the actual shaving of the truffle!