Frasca Food & Wine

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Corner of Friuli in the Colorado Rockies

On Pearl Street in Boulder, Frasca Food & Wine tells the story of one of Italy's least-known yet most compelling regions: Friuli-Venezia Giulia, a sub-alpine corner of northeastern Italy that borders Austria, Slovenia, and the Adriatic Sea. The restaurant takes its name from the frasca, a traditional Friulian gathering place where farmers, friends, and families would share a meal and a bottle of wine — identified by a tree branch hung above the doorway, removed when the harvest season ended. That spirit of informal warmth and genuine hospitality is the thread running through everything Frasca does.

The result is a Michelin-starred restaurant that has also earned multiple James Beard Foundation Awards, including Outstanding Restaurant in 2025, Outstanding Service in both 2013 and 2019, and a Best Chef: Southwest award for partner Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson in 2008. Wine Spectator has recognized the program with its Best of Award of Excellence. These are not incidental honors — they reflect a kitchen and a front-of-house that have been consistently excellent for years.

The People Behind the Table

Partner and Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey anchors a wine program that is as thoughtfully composed as the food. The list is organized by flavor profile, varietal, and theme — an invitation to engage rather than simply order. Wine Director Carlin Karr and Lead Sommelier Jeremy Schwartz curate the pairings, with Friulian producers sitting alongside Burgundy, Champagne, and Austrian Grüner Veltliner. Executive Chef Ian Palazzola leads the kitchen, with Executive Pastry Chef Alberto Hernandez completing the savory-to-sweet arc of each meal.

What to Expect on the Plate

The Italian cuisine at Frasca is expressed through two tasting menus. The Quattro Piatti ($150) offers four courses — antipasti, primi, secondi, and dolci — with dishes such as risi e bisi (aged carnaroli rice with English pea, nettles, and taleggio), blecs verdi (spinach dough with guinea hen ragù and guanciale), and Colorado lamb with green ceci and smoked bacon. The longer Friulano Menu ($230, with an optional wine pairing at $175) moves through a more expansive sequence: grilled elk with blackberry and balsamic, potato gnocchi with mussels and white asparagus, and spinach tagliolini with sauerkraut and speck — dishes that feel simultaneously rooted in mountain tradition and alive with precision.

Frasca describes itself as a special-occasion restaurant, and guests tend to dress accordingly — though there is no formal dress code. The kitchen accommodates a wide range of dietary needs on the Quattro Piatti menu, and celiac modifications are available on the Friulano Menu by arrangement.