September 27, 2023 - First time at a Michelin Star Restaurant!
Yep, Frasca has been awarded a Michelin Star!!
They really should have gotten one long ago, because tonight’s dinner was as superb as always!
To clearly distinguish between the menu and our descriptions, quotes from the menu will be in a Helvetica Neue font, our descriptions will be in the usual Times New Roman font.
Here’s a detail that we really haven’t emphasized before. The window into their wine cellar forms most of the west wall of the dining area.
They are the ones who recommended Cellar Tracker to us and we now use it to keep track of our wine cellar.
We almost always go for the four course tasting menu. There is actually an additional course, not shown here, of appetizers. For a larger view, just click on the menu.
Martin likes to start out with a Cosmopolitan. Tonight’s seemed extra special, with a pretty swirl. They really do a nice one, with citrus bringing you right to a south Pacific island.
Tonight’s wine was an absolutely amazing Rosé, light, fresh, just robust enough to complement the meal without trying to take it over. The sommelier picked the perfect wine!
Our usual starter, the Frico Caldo, which started out as a peasant potato dish. Now it is an incredible play of crisp crust (Bill thinks there may be some potato skin in it) against the soft, creamy interior and parsley pesto on top. Denver Eater describes it better than I can https://denver.eater.com/2015/1/30/7824375/frasca#0
The Amuse-bouche is almost impossible to describe, we’d never had anything like this before! It’s a tomato based broth with a hint of vinegar. The end-of-summer tomato is really sweet and it comes to front, then goes to the back, just wow!
House baked whole wheat sourdough bread with butter. Bill says, “Peasant Bread - elevated!”
Bill’s Antipasta.
COTECHINO
pork sausage - grilled corn polenta
sun-dried tomato - horseradish
Perfectly smooth polenta over the fascinating cotechino sausage.
We tied on this course.
Martin’s Antipasta.
CAPESANTA
cured scallop - nasturtium vinegar
raisins - cucumber - pearl onion
This was amazing, with the edible flowers adding a nice splash of color. The light vinegar really made the scallops big and bold. Then the nasturtium came out with the crispy cucumbers and pearl onions adding some crunchy bits to the party. The “raisins” were actually dried cherry tomatoes!
We both did the same Sun Pasta Primi.
SOLE DI MAIALE AL LATTE
milk-fed pork - huckleberry - summer bean
36 month parmigiano-reggiano
The pasta is cut into rounds and has points so it really does look like little suns. The foam is huckleberry based and there are whole huckleberries scattered about for little blasts of flavor. The parmigiano-reggiano and pork filling is a complete contrast, extremely rich, almost impossibly rich. There are bits of scallions, still a bit crisp for yet another layer of flavor.
We both did the same swordfish Secondi.
PESCE SPADA
swordfish - sweet peppers - anchovy
romano bean - basil
This was a bit surprising. The bell peppers were the top “crust” completely covering the swordfish. The red sauce was also made of red bell peppers. The white sauce was made from the anchovies and the basil was scattered on top. The sweet and savory sauces really showed off the swordfish. Another winner!
Bill’s Dolci.
MAIS E CIOCCOLATO
whiskey - corn pudding
72% chocolate
Well, that doesn’t come close to describing this complex desert. There’s an exquisite hazel nut grenache topping the whiskey soaked corn pudding with the chocolate sorbet on the side. The flavors were an intricate web of sweet, savory, chocolate, smooth, and crunchy.
We had to agree that we tied on dessert as well.
Martin’s Dolci.
FRAGOLA E POMODORO
strawberry steam cake - greek yogurt
rose water - white chocolate
I simply had to disassemble this a bit so you could really see all the pieces. I pulled one piece of the white chocolate foam to the plate so you can see the strawberry steam cake on top of the yogurt. The rose water was a wonderful background for the intense strawberries.
Sigh, these dishes are so multi-layered that they’re impossible to fully describe!