Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado is home to Chef Lachlan MacKinnon Patterson, master sommelier Bobby Stuckey and the best darn piece of pork I have ever had. My mom and dad decided to reward our hard work in school with a summer trip to the Italian restaurant Frasca for dinner. They had been there many times themselves and wanted to have us experience the food made by a Food and Wine Magazine's best new chef. There, I ate frico caldo for an appetizer. Frico Caldo is basically a wonderful hash brown cooked with cheese and spices, I vowed to never eat a McDonalds hash brown again. For dinner in the small but beautifully decorated restaurant, I had four courses. The first course was a raw salmon in olive oil with scallions. (For those of you who read my food blog, you know that I have no aversion to raw fish.) The second delectable course was potato gnocchi pasta in a creamy sauce with baby shrimp. I have been to Italy, and there I ate different gnocchi. I must say the gnocchi from Frasca was far superior. Before my third course came out, Bobby Stuckey took my sister and I back into the kitchen to met Chef Patterson. There he was, snacking on a beet, observing the other chefs' work. The kitchen was tiny, but filled with people. The chef asked my name and then gave me a signed chef's hat, saying, "Eat frico". Here I was, standing in a kitchen where some of the best food I had ever consumed came from. It was a once in a lifetime experience. My third course was a short rib marinated in a small piece of heaven. It was the best pork I have ever had, too delicious and divine to describe. For dessert, I had a piece of lemon pie, with a caramelized surface, and a leaf reading "Congratulations" in white chocolate. We thanked the sommelier and host, and left, stomachs full of amazing food.
Some people might recognize Chef MacKinnon Patterson's name from Top Chef Masters, a television show in which he competed. Some of many awards he has won are the 2005 Food and Wine's Best New Chef, the 2006 James Beard Foundation "Rising Star Chef" award, the 2008 James Beard Foundation "Best Chef in the Southwest Region of the United States". A less prestigious award is the Ally Malecha "Best Food I Have Ever Had" award. I would highly recommend going to Frasca, you will not be disappointed. (However, you may dent your parent's wallet. Keep in mind; we were the only children in the restaurant.)
Sommelier- a person trained to recommend the best wine to accompany a meal for customers. There are only 171 master sommeliers in the world.
Gnocchi- means lumps, a small pasta or dumpling made with potato or wheat.