Alyssa
Di Frabo Ristorante Italiano recently celebrated its one year anniversary on June 23rd and after getting a taste of gnocchi with Alfredo (my new favorite pasta combination!), we had to go back to indulge in more Italian favorites. Di Frabo, located in Dominion Ridge, offers artisanal Italian food, a specialty that started at Il Castello Di Frabo in Monterrey, Mexico.
David Bodden, the sommelier and mixologist at Di Frabo, knows a bit about Italian cuisine. The Italian native is constructing a new, more traditional menu for Di Frabo. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a gorgeous, lavender drink perfectly named Tequila-Toulouse, in honor of Bodden’s sister who’s from Mexico. Accented with a lavender flower, we may have snapped a few too many photos of the cocktail. As if too many photos is even a possibility!
The tomato bisque at Di Frabo puts an emphasis on tradition. The thick soup topped with croutons and basil mirrors a soup that would be found in a trattoria. Now days, most bruschetta you encounter comes with heaps of extra ingredients. Bodden has simplified the dish to make each and every flavor more intense. You’re taste buds won’t need to try hard distinguish each and every fixing, instead you can feel each flavor when you take a bite.
When a dish combines pasta and seafood, you have my stomach’s full attention. The alla pescatora from Di Frabo comes with generous amounts of shrimp, mussels, clams, baby clams and squid.
An Italian culinary tradition makes a mouthwatering appearance with the porchetta entree. The savory and moist boneless pork roast cooks for several hours in the wood oven before the cooking juice is used as a glaze. Paired with rustic potatoes and broccolini, the dish will leave you 100% satisfied.
We’re not done yet! Our last dish was a personal favorite – ravioli stuffed with shrimp, lobster and crab in a lobster sauce with sun dried tomatoes and basil.
Di Frabo’s new menu will be available to the public late next week. Di Frabo is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with brunch until 3 p.m.