Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, Colorado

 We went to this wonderful restaurant in downtown Boulder, and were really wowed by everything that we ate.  There were three of us and four course each, so we were able to share twelve different dishes, along with an impressive salume plate, an amuse bouche, and three different wines.  Sometimes a restaurant does a few things right and sometimes they just nail every dish, and this is one of the later.  In addition to exceptional food and stellar wine, the service is spot on.  The wait staff is attentive and yet not annoyingly so.  They anticipate what is needed and provide it before you even know yourself that you are ready for more bread or the water is running a bit low.  Just a wonderful dining experience.

A couple of the dishes are pictured here.  Above is a beet salad, which featured a beet puree that was so intensely flavored that I almost licked the plate to get more of it.  Each beet was a flavor bomb in and of itself and the shaved fennel and yogurt set it all off beautifully.  The lobster dish was poached and served with a lobster butter reduction and a leek.  So tender, and again, the flavor of the lobster shone in this dish.  I love food that tastes intensely of what it is, the simple and yet spectacular flavors being highlighted.  That is what Frasca does well.  and they have a James Beard award to boot.