Rabbit butler
Amuse Bouch
Gnocchi
Soft-shell crab
Pancetta wrapped quial
Foie gras and crispy sweet breads
Palate cleanser
Trout and diver scallop
Pre dessert
Chocolate bag
Peach and raspberry tart
Birthday petit fours
Flagstaff house has been a blogging destination for a long time, and now it has happened. I wanted to bring my brother in honor of his birthday because I never really bought him a present. The restaurant is located on Flagstaff mountain, hence the name Flagstaff house. The view from the restaurant is amazing, it shows all of Boulder and the mountains. When we arrived a valet came and parked our car for us. I have never been to a restaurant with a valet, it was so cool. After we sat down, we ordered off these awesome menus that said "Happy 9th birthday" on them. Once we ordered, the fun began. Our waiter, Ryan, delivered a little metal rabbit butler holding our first treat, crostinis, smoked trout with crème fraich and lemon pesto with sun-dried tomato. The crostinis were great; the lemon in the pesto really added a nice contrast to the sort of nuttiness of the basil. The sun-dried tomato added a great sweetness. The trout was amazing. It was incredibly tender and the smoke just lingered on your palate very lightly. The crème fraich was a great addition to the fish. It added a creamy texture to the flaky fish. After that we got another complementary item, Colorado peaches with point reyes blue cheese and basil. This was a great little dish. The blue cheese was very subtle and yet very strong and then same time. The peaches were an amazing, juicy, sweetness to go with the blue cheese. Though I could not really taste the basil, the dish was great. I don't even think the taste of the basil would have made the dish better. After we got our bread we were served our first appetizer, Russet potato gnocchi with maitake mushrooms, English peas, and goat cheese. The gnocchi were incredible. They were so soft, and even though I did not think it was possible, they were softer than the gnocchi I enjoyed and Radda. The earthy flavors of the gnocchi and mushrooms complemented the sweetness of the peas and the saltiness of the cheese. It was all bathing in this delicious buttery sauce, which brought everything together in perfect harmony. Next we enjoyed a Potato crusted soft-shell crab with potato, corn, pepper and saffron mussel chowder. This dish was my brother’s choice to get, he loves soft-shell crab. The potato crust was incredibly crispy and the crab was perfectly cooked. My favorite part of the dish was the chowder. The mussels were juicy and tender. Every vegetable was cooked perfectly. The broth was creamy and the hints of saffron were heavenly. The next dish was a Pancetta wrapped grilled quail with white truffle infused heirloom polenta, tree oyster mushrooms, and garlic sauce. This was my favorite dish. It was incredible, it was fantastic, I could go on for hours about how good this dish was. The pancetta was super crispy and the quail was tender, moist, and seasoned perfectly. The polenta was a work of the gods. It was creamy, and earthy, and funky and awesome. The mushrooms were perfectly cooked and the sauce was rich and had an amazing deep flavor. The last appetizer we had was a Seared foie gras and crispy sweet breads with black pepper pineapple, brioche, and a port wine reduction. This was the least favorite of the night. The foie gras was served cold which was actually a little off putting because that caused the foie gras to get a little goopy. The sweet breads were really really crispy but a little bland. The brioche was super crunchy on the outside and super soft on the inside and the black pepper pineapple was really good. It was juicy, sweet and very peppery. Next was our palate cleanser: Grapefruit sorbet with a paper-thin wafer. The wafer was really crispy and the starchiness did not get in the way of the palate cleansing sorbet. The sorbet was sweet and tart and hit every point of your palate. Our entree was Crispy ruby trout with quail egg, diver scallop with trout roe with spinach, potato, pancetta, and shitake mushrooms. Trout is the state fish of Colorado, and the chef at Flagstaff did that fish an honor. The skin was super crispy and it was mind blowing how tender and moist the fish was. The quail egg was very good. The whites were perfectly cooked and the yolk was really runny. The scallop was sweet and tender and buttery and the roe on top was a great addition. They exploded as you chewed them almost making a sauce. The spinach, mushrooms and pancetta were really nice. The potato was really under cooked. All in all, the dish was amazing. Our next dish was a pre dessert of a chocolate panna cotta. Dishes like this panna cotta make me really happy. It's just super simple but super delicious. In the bottom of the tiny dish was a really dark intense chocolate flavor, which made the dish even better. When the dessert came my brother and I got excited. Our first dessert was the Flagstaff House Infamous chocolate bag with white chocolate mousse, fresh berries and almond cake. The chocolate bag was made off really high quality chocolate and it was filled with yummy goodness. First, a moist, fluffy almond cake, then a velvety smooth white chocolate mousse, then perfect fresh berries. It was great. The next dessert was a Peach and raspberry tart with crème franc ice cream. The tart was composed of an amazing crust, insanely fresh fruit and a nice crumbly topping. The tart was very good. It was perfectly baked that the fruit was soft but still had some firmness. The ice cream...wow.... that is all I can say. The ice cream was sitting on top of a little mound of toffee. The ice cream was sweet but because it was crème fraich, it had a great tang. We finally ended the meal with Ezra's happy birthday petit fours and three complementary loafs of poppy seed blueberry cake. I totally recommend this restaurant; it is the best restaurant I have eaten at in Colorado. If the Michelin guide comes to Colorado, give Flagstaff 3!
