frasca

[robert40]

I'm going next week. Any recent visits? Anything I shouldn't miss on the current menu?

And inquiring minds wish to know all terrific it was.

[omnivorette]

It was a very good meal, I really like this place. This was my 3rd visit and it's a nice tradition when I visit Boulder. I thought the entrees were the weakest part of the meal. We drank interesting wines of course. If this were closer to me I'd go a lot.

[mongo_jones]

i ate there twice last week. both meals were very good on the whole, though there were a couple of things the second night that were not as successful, one of which was pretty bad. more details later. i still have 50 pages left in my day's reading quota.

[Lippy]

Are there any "don't miss" dishes I should know about? (We're going on September 25.)

[omnivorette]

I love this salad on my recent visit:

 

Warm Salad of Young Lettuces

Fra’Mani Smoked Ham, Egg and Fingerling Potato

 

Their salumi plate is very good.

 

I loved this:

 

Guinea Hen Tortelloni

Wilted Chard and Parmesan

 

I didn't think the gnocchi were all that special.

 

I loved the short rib, didn't love the pork (although it's a fine dish).

 

I'd definitely try the octopus they have now, as mongo recommended.

 

Also don't forget there will probably be specials too.

 

Cheeses were very good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mongo_jones]

Are there any "don't miss" dishes I should know about? (We're going on September 25.)

 

their menu changes quite often but there are, in my opinion, some genres that you can rarely go wrong with: any of their short-rib dishes; any of their pastas; any of their pork or lamb dishes; any of their crudi style appetizers. the salumi plate and their frico caldo are also always excellent. i don't know if squash blossoms will still be around at the end of september, but if those show up in the starters, get them. the pan-roasted fish entrees have also always been good to me.

 

apart from the dessert, the one thing i've generally had middling to bad experiences with is their veg custards.

 

the colorado people on the forum have gone to ground. they'll probably have more up to date info as the day approaches.

[mongo_jones]

Also don't forget there will probably be specials too.

 

they don't do nightly specials.

[omnivorette]

When I was there recently there were a couple of things that were not on the menu that were offered that evening. I think those are called specials. Actually I think our server said "there are a couple of additions to the menu this evening I'd like to tell you about."

[mongo_jones]

the kitchen may sometimes send out off-menu items to regulars or friends of the house. the servers usually use that "there are a couple of additions to the menu this evening I'd like to tell you about" line when there are things that are new to the menu. but there are no nightly specials as such, at least not as a normal feature (though all your experiences of frasca seem out of the norm). their menu is printed every evening before service starts.

[omnivorette]

I am just telling you what my recent experience was. Our server told us about a couple of additional items that were not on the printed menu, and we were given the option of ordering them (or not).

[mongo_jones]

soitenly, but it's not a regular thing*. on neither (consecutive) night that i ate there at the end of july was there anything not on the menu. on both occasions the server used the "new additions to the menu" language; first to describe the octopus, which was first served my first night there, and on the second occasion to describe one of the fish dishes.

 

*though, of course, it is possible that it has become a regular feature since we left boulder, and my recent experience was atypical. colorado denizens who eat there regularly will have to enlighten us. the other possibility is that if you ate there very soon after their early july italy trip (assuming they still do it) you may have benefited from some things lachlan was still working out for the menu; we've had that happen a couple of times.

[Scott -- DFW]

I've skimmed through the posts and seen several references to the Monday night dinners at Frasca. Is the appeal of the Monday night menus primarily value-based? Or are the Monday night menus better than the regular menu for the rest of the week?

 

Scott

[Lippy]

No shorts in evidence. Plenty of jeans and tee shirts.

 

Our meal was a mixed bag, getting off to a less than ideal start with a canned recitation of the restaurant's philosophy. We ordered the 4-course $62 prix-fixe, even though we found it a bit bizarre that we were asked to choose our dessert at the same time as the rest of the meal. I haven't gone through this entire thread, so I don't know if this is standard practice. Ranitidine had a tomato and melted cheese something for his appetizer, that he liked a lot, followed by tortelloni that he found too oily. His main course was pork leg with a far too mustardy sauce that he felt killed the dish.

 

I loved my mushroom flan, but felt that the huge serving of cauliflower soup was too similarly creamy in texture, although the bits of duck confit floating on top provided contrast. I ate only half and was offered something else as a substitute, but declined. My main was boneless short rib, a small piece of meat, very delicious, but as salty as a piece of pastrami. I ate half and declined to take the rest home.

 

We both had gelato and/or sorbet -- three huge oval scoops. R. had malted milk chocolate, dark chocolate and vanilla bean; I had malted milk chocolate, butter cashew and blood orange sorbet. Wingding has nothing to worry about.

 

This is a serious restaurant, with some service and consistency issues, if I may judge from my one experience.

[mongo_jones]

the four course business started in the last year (after we left boulder). i'm not sure i like it either--especially as the desserts are usually the weak link there.

 

i can't say i've encountered high salt issues with their various shortrib preparations.

 

and yeah, the philosophy recitation can be a bit much. that depends a lot on the server though.

[Lippy]

Mongo, I thought of you when we visited the campus:

 

 

(For those who can't read the signs, this is the English Department office.)