State Of Wonder

You know the feeling, I hope: a slow-motion sense of wonder that marks the best eating experiences, when time stops and the universe collapses into the fundamental relationship between, say, a wild raspberry and a spoonful of yellow Jersey cream. I felt that several times recently at Frasca Food and Wine. One instance involved a faint hint of yuzu catalyzing Möbius strips of white asparagus and chunks of king crab. Another occurred when the fruity acid of Piennolo cherry tomatoes lent zing to wobbly fresh shellfish. A third contrasted the strange earthiness of crisp sunchoke chips with a resolutely bitter chocolate pudding.

These were sexy flavor moves for an Italian joint that, at 15 years old, is middle-aged by restaurant