Drumroll…Tavernetta By Frasca

Frasca is coming to Denver! That’s been the buzz since co-owners Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson‘s announced their Union Station project late last summer. Well, yes and no: The Frasca team is opening the newly named Tavernetta By Frasca in Continuum’s Block A at Union Station development (on 16th Street between Wewatta and Wynkoop). Assuming construction continues at its current pace, Stuckey expects a March 1, 2017 opening.

The 125-seat freestanding restaurant will sit adjacent to the new Kimpton Hotel (called Hotel Born) and directly across from the train platform to watch the city’s comings and goings. Tavernetta will be flanked by two patios, one near the platform and one on 16th Street.

“With Frasca, we dove deep into Friuli [a region of Italy],” Stuckey says. “With Tavernetta, we want to distill the classics of Italy.” Think a menu deep with trofie pasta with pesto (from Liguria) and pasta carbonara (from Rome) but done through the Frasca lens. Stuckey and Mackinnon-Patterson have been sending chefs to Italy on research and development trips for months.

The wine list, which sommelier Carlin Karr will oversee, will be made up entirely of Italian wines. “No one has done that here,” Stuckey says. “It’s hard to be so focused.” (Ed note: Barolo Grill and Luca have maintained Italian wine lists for many years.)

Tavernetta will serve lunch and dinner and the prices, Stuckey says, will hover around $22 to $25 for most entrées. “We want this to be a place where people can come multiple times a week.”

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