fredbram

I have mixed feelings about this discussion--ie whether Frasca has lost any of it's edge or is still as absolutely wonderful a place as it was the first 4 years they were open. I agree with you, Robin, that the attitude, service, feel, atmosphere of Frasca are every bit as good as they ever were--and those aspects of the restaurant are excellent. The place that I've been just slightly disappointed the times we've been in the past year (and we don't go in nearly as often as you do, but we have been 3 or 4 times) is the food. Mostly I have the feeling that they have lost sight of what makes them so distinctive. Lachlan has such a wonderful touch and feel for the Friuli influenced cuisine that I have become acquainted with through Frasca. Lately the menu items have seemed less distinctive--more similar to the types of items that are more common on the menus at other chef-driven restaurants like Fruition, Rioja etc. The food is still very good, and executed almost flawlessly, but it doesn't (to me) have the uniqueness it has in the past. The Zlikrofi, for instance, hasn't been on the menu lately, I don't mind the menu changing, in fact that is certainly part of it's appeal, but it's becoming more similar to other chef's menus, and that's a shame.

You can almost always get a walk-in table (or seats at the Salumi bar or bar) at 5:30 or 9ish.

I believe it is about a 40 minute train from Venice to Padua, but I don't know what's involved in getting from the train station to the restaurant, and I don't know how late the trains run. I haven't had much luck getting train schedules online Venice-Padua.

Unfortunately, they were out of the bread, as I recall, and the sandwiches were wraps made in very stale tortillas. At least, I believe that was it. At any rate, we enjoyed our stay and food very much, with this exception.

We stayed there last fall, and it is a very special place. I really liked the feel of this town, lodge and restaurant. The service is quite leisurely (or the kitchen, I couldn't tell which), and the sandwichs we took on a hike were not up to par, but breakfast and dinner were very nice, and the atmosphere and feel of the whole area is wonderful.

That sounds like a great place to try, and, as you say, the experience is half the fun. It reminds me of a Bcn version of eating at Katz's Deli in Nyc--watching the locals who know the ropes, and trying to keep up in another language and another culture without making too much of a fool of oneself.

Well Eric, you never lead me astray in Lisbon, so I'm going to have to add this place to my list for our August visit to Bcn. It sounds like a great find.

We were there in October, so I don't know the weather in August, but Calf Creek Info might have some temp estimates. And they have some nice photos.

I don't honestly remember the list that well, we found a nice bottle of wine for our one dinner there. Of course, you are in Utah, so liquor laws are interesting. I have no idea if BYO with a corkage is an acceptable practice there.

We stayed at Hell's Backbone in Boulder overnight last fall and it was a very positive experience. The fact of a restaurant run by Buddhist women in a very LDS town is fascinating. The room at the Inn was comfortable, and it is a very peaceful setting--birds, sunsets, a pond etc. The food was good, especially breakfast, dinner wasn't quite as good as I had hoped for, but for small town Utah it was fabulous. The service is relaxed (read--the food comes out slow), but if you just accept their pace it is a wonderful time. Do not miss taking a hike up Calf Creek Falls Trail--it is a relaxed 3 or 4 hour hike (round trip) with a beautifull waterfall and pool at the end. We took several great drives/walks in the area, but Calf Creek was a highlight.

We were pleasantly surprised by the Bit and Spur in Springdale. Upscale mexican and mexicanish food, we ate there twice when we were in town last fall.

I would say that you can't do better than El Taco de Mexico for a good taqueria. Taqueria Patzcuaro on 32nd, near Zuni is quite good also, just ever so slightly more upscale than El Taco de Mex (which is to say not very upscale).

Just to add my two cents worth, the only Parador that we have eaten in was the one in Granada, for breakfast, and it was well worth it. Nice buffet with a large selection of local meats and cheeses, and some very nice fresh pastries, fruits, etc. Beautiful patio and view.

What places do you enjoy eating at yourself--types of cuisine, style of restaurants (fine dining or small family restaurants, casual or formal, etc.), cities you enjoy dining in, specific restaurants or chefs?

The areas of the country who have local markets or stores that sell most of the products that Whole Foods sells should worry about the locals being driven out. In Denver, however, we don't have a history of markets like the one in Philadelphia that is mentioned or Pikes market in Seattle etc, so there is a hole in the market that Whole Foods is addressing, and not many others are. We do have some small local cheese shops and independent "gourmet" grocery stores that address it also, but Whole Foods doesn't have much competition here. Not much competition for the high end ingredient dollar, although there is healthy competition for the natural, clean, unadulterated ingredient consumer.