Frasca Food and Wine

This sleek restaurant is set in the heart of downtown Boulder on a charming street lined with shops and restaurants. The refined, thoughtful cooking here is laser-focused on the cuisine of Friuli Venezia Giulia, a region in the northeast of Italy. Prix fixe and tasting menus span the typical gamut of pasta, seafood and meat, but Slavic and Alpine elements add a distinctive touch. The menu might showcase a lesser-known part of Italy, but carefully sourced Coloradan ingredients are also celebrated. The plates are beguiling, with a clean, straightforward approach, as in cjalson, half-moon fresh spinach pasta pockets filled with an English pea and potato purée. Save room for dessert, like a well-balanced composition of anisette ice cream with cherries and rhubarb granita.