Frasca Food & Wine
Frasca Food & Wine is located at 1738 Pearl St. in Boulder, CO. This upscale Northern Italian restaurant opened in 2004 and has been growing in popularity ever since. Frasca is a well-known and respected restaurant specializing in delicious food and great service.
The holidays are upon us, and all of your relatives are coming to town. After pinching your cheeks, kissing you all over and exclaiming how much you have grown, great Aunt Agnes wants to take you and the family out for a really nice holiday dinner. Frasca is your place! When you go to this establishment, it's time to remember (or learn!) your fancy restaurant manners. If you have appropriate clothes, new hair gel, and you have brushed up on your manners, you are ready for this upscale dining experience. This could be a tricky restaurant for kids, since Frasca Food & Wine is an adult-oriented restaurant. But we found that kids can really enjoy this dining adventure. If kids follow our directions and listen to our "kritique", they will not only survive this experience, but they will even thrive! We had a great time!
http://www.frascafoodandwine.com/
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The holidays are upon us, and all of your relatives are coming to town. After pinching your cheeks, kissing you all over and exclaiming how much you have grown, great Aunt Agnes wants to take you and the family out for a really nice holiday dinner. Frasca is your place! When you go to this establishment, it's time to remember (or learn!) your fancy restaurant manners. If you have appropriate clothes, new hair gel, and you have brushed up on your manners, you are ready for this upscale dining experience. This could be a tricky restaurant for kids, since Frasca Food & Wine is an adult-oriented restaurant. But we found that kids can really enjoy this dining adventure. If kids follow our directions and listen to our "kritique", they will not only survive this experience, but they will even thrive! We had a great time!
http://www.frascafoodandwine.com/
$$$$$
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MARYN'S OPINION
Last month I had an idea to do a "Holiday Special Edition" review so kids could "survive" the holiday dinner that their parents will drag them to. First things first............. you need to prepare!
1. On the top of the list is to make a reservation at least two weeks in advance (your parents can do that part for you). 2. Now look through your closet and pick out a formal outfit (make sure to run it by a parent). If you don't have the necessary items, you'll have to take a trip to the store! 3. About 90% of the kids reading this (and adults!) need to brush up on their manners. Here is a video I recommend to help you learn (or review) table etiquette: Table Manners 101: Basic Dining Etiquette. I love this video because Kyle tells us about all the necessary manners you will need to know for a fancy dinner, but he tells us in an engaging way. Some "expert" tips from me are to always have your best attitude, don't slouch, never have any electronics at the table, remember to say "please" and "thank you", and alway chew with your mouth closed. Driving to Frasca I was extremely nervous because I am not used to fancy restaurants. But when I stepped inside the bubbly and welcoming atmosphere made me feel a million times better. Outside there were beautiful fairy lights lining the wrought iron fence. The interior was very modern and elegant. We arrived at 6:00 PM and the restaurant was moderately busy already. All of the extremely kind waitstaff made me feel right at home. They were quite attentive by filling up our water glasses, checking in, answering questions, folding our napkin when we went to the bathroom and etc. The staff made our dinner so much more enjoyable! The first thing that came our table was a Sparkling Ginger-Lime mocktail. The moment the waiter brought it out I fell in love with the beautiful champagne-pink color. I soon found out I didn't only love the presentation, but I loved the flavor too! The tangy scent wafted out of the glass. I honesty wanted to gulp the whole thing then and there, but then I remembered where I was. The ginger was zesty and spicy but not overpowering. It was an amazing start to our meal. After we ordered all of our courses, we were given the most delicious bread. It was light and fluffy on the inside and crusty on the outside. It paired nicely with a perfect scoop of butter. While waiting for our food, we were offered a Bocconcino and the Mountain Rose mocktail. The Bocconcino was made out of phyllo dough and it looked like a dumpling. It was filled with potatoes, eggs and other vegetables. It was savory and reminded me of a Spanakopita. Two thumbs up for me! Now... the Mountain Rose mocktail. This beautiful concoction was made with apple, lemon, ginger and cinnamon simple syrup. My first thought was sour apple. Maybe Granny Smith? The cinnamon and ginger added a spicy contrast to the sour drink. Delicious! We ordered from the "Quattro Piatti" menu. This means four plates. The first plate is the Antipasti, I ordered Chicore. Second course is the Primi; I ordered the Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe. The entree is called the Secondi, I got Verdure. Finally for the Dolci course (dessert), I ordered the Budino Di Semola. On to the Chicore (Antipasti).... This dish includes radicchio, winter squash, asparagus and pistachio. The squash was buttery and rich. It was nice and stringy like spaghetti squash, and that's what I loved about it! There was a raw asparagus garnish on the plate. It was strange because it was the first time I have encountered it. I'm not sure how they prepared it, but it was amazing! It was crunchy and tasted like chives. The radicchio was quite bitter, so I recommend pairing it with the winter squash or berries. The salty, creamy, yellow sauce went perfectly with the rest of the dish. Our next palate cleanser was the Carcadé drink. This mocktail is made with hibiscus tea, lime and vanilla simple syrup. The presentation was beautiful! It had a vibrant dark pink color, a cinnamon-sugar coated rim and a beautiful rose petal floated against the side of the glass. The cinnamon-sugar rim perfectly balanced out the sour lime in the drink. Kids, you're in for a treat with this one. The Primi was one of my favorite dishes. I ordered the Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe. This dish features Pecorino Toscano (Tuscan cheese) and Black Truffle. I absolutely love truffles, so it was no surprise I went straight for this dish. The truffles popped with flavor and the creamy cheese complimented the al dente noodles. The smell made me remember a time when I was making homemade pasta with my dad and brother in our house kitchen. For my Secondi I ordered the Verdure. There was polenta, celery root, baby artichokes and cubed apples on this plate. The polenta was a block of oven-fried happiness. It was crunchy on the outside and warm and citrusy on the inside. I am a polenta snob, but this had everything I look for in polenta! The fried celery root reminded me of a sweet potato. It was so flavorful, and paired nicely with the tangy apples. I recommend this to everyone! After all that food we still managed to fit in dessert! I enjoyed the Budino di Semola with the Pineapple Upside Down mocktail. The mocktail was super sweet, but in a good way. It was brought out in a dazzling champagne glass. There was a Luxardo cherry at the bottom of the glass that enriched the flavor of the pineapple soda.It was perfect to end our savory meal with something sweet. The Budino di Semola was part two of my dessert. The foam was made out of basil and Meyer lemons. It was a battle between the sweet Meyer lemon and the savory basil. The Semolina layer was creamy and tangy, and it enhanced the dessert. The coconut sorbetta takes me back to eating coconuts on an island in the Bahamas. This tropical dessert made a terrific finish to a wonderful meal. This is a perfect place to go for a holiday dinner with your family. Kids, YOU GOT THIS!!!! |
GALLERY
The outside of Frasca.
Frasca's pretty interior.
How do we know what side our bread plate is on and what side our drinks are on? "b" for bread. "d" for drinks!!!
Maryn enjoying her Sparkling Ginger-lime Spritz.
The Bocconcini appetizer.
Colter's Antipasti: Gamberetto.
Primi is served. Colter enjoys the ravioli.
Discretely taking notes!
Wonderful servers patiently answer all of our questions.
Colter writing about his dessert.
A golden end to our meal!!!
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COLTER'S OPINION
Let me explain about the photo above.....
Did you notice the professional photographer with the big, fancy camera? He made an appearance at Frasca on behalf of Boulder's Daily Camera newspaper. A few weeks before our visit to Frasca, we were interviewed by one of the Daily Camera's journalists. It felt really special to be recognized in this way. The photographer was then sent to the restaurant take pictures of us in action. This new dinning experience at Frasca began days before our reservation. I needed new dress shoes since I grew out of my old ones! I had to restock my hair gel. Kids, I think by now it's time to stop borrowing your dad's cologne and buy your own! I definitely had the jitters before our reservation. The reputation of one of Boulder's most prestigious dining establishments had me a bit worried. We walked in and were immediately greeted by a gracious host and were promptly seated by the window. The atmosphere was elegant with a modern vibe. The good news is, there were not 100 forks and 50 knives on the table. Kids, you don't have to worry about using your salad fork and your butter knife to cut your steak! With each course, a new set of silverware was brought out. Crisis averted! Hint: If you are not fluent in Italian, you might want to check out the menu online beforehand to get a grasp of what to order. To begin the experience, two glasses of Sparking Ginger Lime Spritz were brought to our table. This was a very kid-friendly drink with a nice ginger finish. We ordered off the "Quattro Piatti" menu. This is translated to "Four Plates". Make sure you have decided on what you want to order for all 4 courses. The waiter will take your entire order at one time. For my "Antipasti" (appetizer) I ordered the Gamberetto. For my "Primi" (pasta) I had the Taleggio Ravioli. I chose the "Cinghiale" for my "Secondi" (entree). My "Dolci" (dessert) was the "Mocaccino". To our surprise and delight the waiter brought each of us a complementary Stuzzichino (translates to "nibble"). This one was called a "Bocconcini". Here's the challenge......do I take small bites of it? Or shove it all in? How do we do this in a polite manner??? We came to the conclusion that this was a one-bite phyllo-dough wrapped morsel, so we ate it in one bite as politely as possible. This is an enjoyable item for any kid. My Antipasti was the Gamberetto. Shrimp can be risky business for kids. If it's cooked wrong, kids will run like their hair's on fire! But if done correctly, it can be really scrumptious. The shrimp on this dish was quite tasty. I really liked the accompanying pork sausage and wished there was more of it. I think that kids would really like this dish. The next course was the Primi. I had the Ravioli. I personally love Taleggio cheese, but it has a really strong taste and might be too intense for some younger diners. However, these raviolis set a high standard for the rest of the meal. So far, this is the dish to beat. The beef short rib addition was booming with flavor and is appropriate for all kids. Yum! I ordered the Cinghiale for my Secondi. This dish consisted of wild boar, cabbage, fennel seed and mustard. The boar was juicy and tender. Accompanying the boar was a delicate serving of finely chopped cabbage. The cabbage was delightful with the olive oil vinaigrette. I also found that the vinaigrette paired beautifully with the tender boar. The fennel seed was a nice addition to the boar. Challenge: Getting all of the delicious meat off the bone with a fork and knife. I had to bring home the leftovers and gnaw on the bones in the privacy of my kitchen. This is a tasty dish for kids. To finish my meal, I treated myself to the Mocaccino for my Dolci (dessert). This dish was nicely presented with deep, lovely colors. On the bottom was a maple and tart cherry syrup. In the middle of this was a brioche-like cake. The airy cake was excellent with the maple and tart cherry syrup. There was even a real gold leaf garnish. An exemplary finish to the meal. I know kids will enjoy this fancy holiday dinner at Frasca Food & Wine, but I don't think I can survive great Aunt Agnes pinching my cheeks another year! |