Wednesday, August 5, 2026 Frasca 22nd Anniversary Dinner!
What an occasion these dinners are! They mostly do their most requested classics, but this one included a couple of dishes we’d never had before
The only choice to be made is which wine flight? We picked the reserve flight and wow, those were amazing!
The Barbabietola or beets. These are roasted Badger Flame beets and Palisade peaches on a mousse of castelmagno cheese with honey sprinkeled on top. The beets were simply amazing, they were roasted until they were falling apart tender, had an interesting rich flavor and contrasted beautifully with the peaches. A truly surprising dish!
Ooops! We dove right into the “Slim Jims”, which are Prosciutto di san daniele wrapped around a grissini (athin bread stick) and the remnants of dip at the top left is made of horseradish, Crème fraîche and grated apple. It is an amazing combo.
The frico caldo is at the top and today’s was larger chunks and heavier crust, again wonderful.
The wine paired with the Stuzzichini or Appetizer course was this Bertrand-Delespierre Champagne. We found it to be very full bodied for a champagne and a lot of character to it. Wine Spectators rated it at 93 back in 2019 and the note described it a lot better (of course):
Delicate spice, smoke and floral notes accent flavors of crushed cherry, chalky mineral and Marcona almond in this finely knit, vibrant Champagne. Like raw silk, this caresses the palate, and the minerally finish is long and expressive.
The wine paired with the beets was the Murva 2022 “Bianco”. It had a bit of citrus on the nose, was very fruity (our favorite style) and paired well with the complex dish.
The sourdough starter is now 10 years old and bread is really strongly flavored. That butter is from Rodolphe Le Meunier and is unbelievably rich and flavorful.
They produce a very rustic open crumb bread. Its commonly called a peasant loaf, since it was mostly produced in rural France.
The Fusilli Verde is a spinach fusilli with a cotechino sausage Ragu. It is delicious. The sauce is very rich and really highlights the pasta. The walnuts add a nice crunch and flavor. The Colorado cherries are incredibly sweet and really, really cherry!
Martin finally remembered to record the description of the wine. This is the Ronc Platat 2022 Friulano. It was really bright, crisp and acidic so it works very well with the very rich pasta course. Only 15 cases were imported, so this is quite a find.
Wine Spectator rated this at 96 points, and their desciption of it was exactly what we had:
A solid, serious, densely packed red, with a seductive floral perfume lift to the red fruit, sanguine smoked sausage and mesquite ash. Offers telltale Mourvèdre character, with meatiness and a salty, cast iron mineral foundation. Singed garrigue, baking spices, white pepper and a pronounced herbal freshness infuse the weighty palate, which is just beginning to unfurl. Stunning. Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Clairette. Best from 2026 through 2040. 200 cases made, 15 cases imported.
Martin remembered to record the official description of the dish
The farm raised venison is New Zealand red deer and it is famous for being mild and not gamey at all with a good, light venison flavor. The plums are really neat blast of sweetness, acidity and brightness. the polenta really is pretty spicy, but works well with the rich venison. The polenta is a bit strong on its own. The mushrooms blended in nicely.
The wine paired with the venison was the Vini Belluzzo 2021 Origine. Martin is getting cherry and citrus on the nose. Bill, I will agree, predominantly cherry. It’s a very fruity red wine very smooth and absolutely no tannin problems.
Dessert is vanilla bean gelato spun just before serving so it’s really light. What is really amazing is that adding a little high-quality olive oil and some sea salt actually improves the gelato
The dessert wine, Amaro Nonino Riserva, is fortified to about 30 proof and comes from Fruili. Silky smooth and fruity.
A bit of the wine makers description:
The amber and not dark color witnesses the balance and softness of Amaro Nonino since the first moment. To nose and palate the harmony is confirmed with an extraordinary scent of herbs and citrous notes.