Fraiche

Dino and Krista took me to Fraiche, my first fine dining experience in a while. Great view overlooking the city. An extraordinary beverage, a Pomegranate Sparkling Cocktail: Proseco, pomegranate liqueur, vodka, sweetened with a sugar cube and pomegranate caviar.

I asked the server if heirloom carrots are as good as heirloom tomatoes and was assured they were. They certainly are in this soup, with a carmelized onion with horseradish mousse and golden beets along with the historic rabbit pleaser. Maybe the best carrot dish I've ever tasted.

Smoked black cod, sweet corn risotto, shimeji mushrooms and preserved lemon. Amazing.

Dungeness crab cake, pureed bouillabaisse. Filled with crabby goodness. The green thing has avocado in it. Nuff said.

Dino had the seared scallops, lobster ravioli in yuzu-butter sauce. Yuzu makes even bad food tastes great. This was not bad food.

Krista had the prosciutto-wrapped venison, with Yukon gold whipped potatoes and huckleberry jus. I didn't try any but it probably went well with the red wine they ordered.

Striped bass, home made pasta, grilled asparagus, cherry tomatoes. I'd last had striped bass at the wonderful restaurant Beckta in Ottawa in October, 2006. This was not in that category. Once I removed the skin, it was much fishier than I would expect, considering the high quality of the appetizers. . The vegies and the paired wine made the striped bass pretty good, but I wished I'd ordered the cheese souffle on the menu.

Called a Curious George, iced coffee with banana liqueur. Too sweet. I'm no longer curious.