Frasca

Frasca in Boulder has been praised by local and national media for good reason. The food is thoughtfully and skillfully prepared (credit goes to co-owner and chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson as well as the two sous chefs), the atmosphere is cozy and upscale yet still comfortable, and master sommelier and co-owner Bobby Stuckey makes every guest feel welcome, a trait instilled in everyone at the front of the house.

Friends told me reservations may need to be made a month or three in advance, but every night, there are some seats reserved for people who walk up. If you want one of these, it's best to arrive early. A group of five of us went there Tuesday night, got there five minutes before opening time and managed to commandeer the bar.

Warning: I'm not a food expert at all, and the chef friends I ate with aren't here to correct any of my language, so you'll have to bear with me.
Salumi: We all shared the prosciutto/ speck/ Fra'Mani Salame. Yum. But I didn't eat a whole lot to pace myself. We also had the frico caldo -- a warm, potato, cheese and onion dish. It's round like a small pizza but with the warm cheese inside.
Primi: I think four of us tried the pork belly. It's a small , just-right portion, with honey crisp apple salad and pickled horseradish, both of which provided a nice zing and different textures to go with the pork belly.
One friend tried the silky Anson Mills polenta, mm. At least, that's what I thought of the forkful I sneaked off my friend's plate.
Secondi: Three of us (including me) got the house special homemade hand-cut tagliatelle. They only make 21 orders each night. It had a creamy sauce and was served with cured pork sausage. But I really should have gotten the pan fried veal loin with spinach and potatoes like my friend did! Fried is great, right? The other friend got the polenta and broccoli dish.
They tweak the menu quite often, so you might find other delights.
Dessert: From the gelato/ sorbet menu, I picked the lychee flavor. The person one plate over got the red grapefruit and frangipane tart with frozen yogurt. Refreshing and flavorful. The person two plates over from me got the chocolate peanut butter torte, with dark chocolate gelato. Seriously, while my seat partner and I were trading bites of the grapefruit tart and gelato, the other guy had practically inhaled all of his torte. So I guess it was good. He swallowed all of it before any of the rest of us could taste. I don't know what the person three plates down from me got. And the other friend got the blood orange from the gelati/sorbetti menu. She tried to say it was more tempting than lychee, but I liked mine better. Ha! Other flavors included banana, coconut, raspberry and butter rum!

All right. So I spent $100 for the night, (including a big tip). It probably would've been cheaper, but we decided to get wine to go with each course. They give you the option of having quarter-glasses if you like, because then you can sample more. Apparently two drinks were also complimentary, my friends said. (We got a little cocktail to start and one after-dinner special drink). It is definitely possible to spend much less than $100.

Mostly you should know that going to Frasca is a fun fine dining experience, and you won't feel hungry or overstuffed when you leave but just right. And the whole staff makes you feel welcome. They're all "thank you for trekking through the snow to be with us tonight" looking you straight in the eye with a warm smile when they say it, even though they're not hurting to fill the tables at all (On the snowy, cold Tuesday that we were there, there were still people waiting for tables). Like going to French Laundry. If you're a foodie -- or just aspire to be one -- you should make the trip.