When I put the word out on Facebook that we were visiting Boulder, Colorado, and asked for suggestions for places to eat and things to do, a lot of people offered helpful ideas. Because it’s been raining and snowing here, we’ve basically been eating our way through Boulder, visiting places recommended by friends. The prize for the best suggestion has to go to my friend Jo-Lynn, who recommended Frasca Food and Wine.
There are those rare times when every single thing about a dining experience in a particular restaurant is outstanding. This was one of those times. We didn’t know until we started talking with the staff and did some research afterward that Frasca has such an impressive history. It was founded in 2004 by owner/Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey and chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, who had met while working at chef Thomas Keller’s restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California. Stuckey won a James Beard Foundation award for Outstanding Wine Service in 2000 while at The French Laundry, and Mackinnon-Patterson won the JBF award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2008 while at Frasca, the same year that Stuckey was nominated for Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional. In addition, Frasca Food and Wine was nominated for Outstanding Wine Service in 2010, 2011 and 2012, winning the award in 2013. Most recently, Frasca won the JBF award for Outstanding Service earlier this month.
The first thing that Roger noticed when we were seated was that the stemware was Zalto, very expensive wine glasses with thin stems and a unique shape. We were amazed to see them, because breakage is a common occurrence in restaurants, and these glasses are particularly fragile. Our server, Margaret, was very knowledgeable about wines, which wasn’t surprising after we found out that she is taking her exam to be a Certified Sommelier in two weeks. Roger (who recently earned a diploma from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust after three years of study) enjoyed discussing wine pairings with her. He asked me if I knew why there was a candle on the sommelier’s table, and I answered correctly: It was there to light the bottle from underneath when decanting wine, to determine if there is any sediment in the bottle that should not be poured into the decanter. It’s nice to know that a little of Roger’s studying has rubbed off on me. Sure enough, a short while later, we watched as Matthew, the sommelier, did just that.
We opted for the four-course prix-fixe menu, where we got to choose from among four items for each course. They also offered a seven-course meal that was tempting. The first of several assistant waitstaff to appear at our table during the evening delivered an amuse-bouche, three bite-sized appetizers for each of us. The three items were: smoked salmon puree on a sweet potato chip, a fried agnolotti stuffed with short rib on top of Sicilian pesto, and finely chopped beets on a piave cheese crisp.
Our shared appetizer before the four-course meal started was a warm, cheesy Frico Caldo, which is boiled potatoes and parmesan cheese that have been pressed into a hot, oiled pan, fried on both sides, and cut into quarters for serving. I was delighted to find chef Mackinnon-Patterson’s recipe on Epicurious.com just now.
My antipasto course was a delicately flavored assortment of sautéed wild mushrooms (five different kinds, plus morels) with a soft poached farm egg and chicken skin crumble. Roger had green asparagus with morels in a sauce that was so tasty, we both dipped our bread in it so that not a drop was wasted.
For our primi piatti, Roger had small pieces of very tender short ribs with gnuddi, which are large ricotta cheese and semolina dumplings. Also on the plate were English peas, preserved lemon, and shaved rhubarb. I had gnocchi that was dark green because of the pureed nettle greens in the dough, with bits of pork sausage, smoked ricotta cheese, and a thickened prosciutto/parmesan broth. The exquisite combination of flavors had me closing my eyes and savoring each bite.
Our secondi piatti consisted of a petite, tender piece of wild king salmon for me, served with ramps, fregola (large-grained Italian couscous) and edible flowers from the green garlic plant. Roger’s was a perfectly cooked duck breast with cooked, ripe mulberries and morels. For dessert, Roger had a cheese plate with three cheeses, fig bread, fennel jam and wild honeycomb, and I had a small torta consisting of carrot cake with white chocolate and passion fruit.
Not only was every course of our meal delicious, but we can see why this restaurant won a James Beard Foundation award for its service. Each course was delivered with a full description of what was on our plates. Every employee who walked past our table knew the answer to the questions we asked about ingredients and cooking technique. At one point, I dropped a knife, and as I picked it up and put it on the table, a staff member immediately put a fresh knife by my plate and whisked away the old one. We noticed several times that when diners were getting up to leave, the hostess was already standing by the door with their coats. We kept commenting on how every employee we saw was working to ensure that all of the diners had an excellent culinary experience.
Every now and then Roger and I talk about the most memorable meals we’ve shared. This one will definitely be included in those conversations from now on.