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I have never been to the original Fraiche in Culver City, though I had heard good things. So when Marshal and Will of FoodDigger invited me and other foodies to a “mini” tasting event at the new Santa Monica location, which recently replaced Riva, a small-plates concept that shared owners, it sounded like a great way to compare the old Riva to the new Fraiche.

I’ve been to Riva once, but it was right before the announcement was made to convert the space into Fraiche, so I didn’t blog about it. I enjoyed my meal there, though I did feel it was a bit overpriced, which may have contributed to the restaurant’s demise. No matter; the new Fraiche under Chef de Cuisine Sydney Hunter (who was also with Riva) is elegant yet accessible, a great combination.

This tasting was special; crafted by Chef Hunter, the “mini” tasting was really a seven-course, three-hour meal complete with wine pairings that was just for us. So while what we had isn’t necessarily on the menu, it definitely showcased Hunter’s abilities and offers a look into the kind of cooking you can expect while dining at Fraiche.

Since this was an epic meal that left me full for the entire next day, I’ll give you the highlights.

We started with Japanese scallops with braised pearl onion, lobster glace, lemon oil, orange and sage, which was a nice light way to start a meal. You could tell that each ingredient was put there for a reason, and I especially enjoyed the onion with the scallop.

Japanese scallop

Next up was hands-down my favorite part of the meal: foie gras terrine layered with prosciutto and fig puree served with orange gelee, Campari gastrique and arugula. Once again, each ingredient had its place and purpose, and eating a little bit of everything on pieces of toast was definitely the best way to enjoy it, just as Hunter intended. I admit I’m not a foie gras connoisseur, but this piece had so much flavor from being cured and the inclusion of prosciutto and fig that it would have been impossible not to like it.

Foie gras (bottom), orange gelee, Campari gastrique, arugula (top)

I also liked the John Dory served with baby root vegetables pearl onions, turnips and carrots, and topped with toasted brioche crumbs. The fish was cooked on low in the oven in brown butter, making it tender and juicy.

John Dory

There was another fish dish, this one halibut, also roasted in the oven in brown butter, and served with cauliflower puree with nutmeg, caviar of cauliflower (the top part of the vegetable), paddlefish caviar, almonds, parsley, chanterelles, red currants and English peas. This one was also executed well, but the currants were too sweet for my taste.

Halibut

The kurobuta pork was served two ways, one was a bone-in chop with baby turnips, brussels sprouts, butternut squash puree and pumpkin seeds, and the other was a braised loin with lentils, carrot sauce and ginger-honey emulsion that was like a stew. I preferred the braised pork in the stew, which was more flavorful, though the other plate was beautiful.

Kurobuta chop

Braised pork

There was also rabbit three ways, with a confit, saddle and rack served up with a rich sauce made with the animal’s offal. This wasn’t one of my favorites, but I’m not a big rabbit person.  The mini rack was kind of cute, though.

Rabbit confit (top), saddle (center), rack (bottom)

The milk chocolate cremeux for dessert was a dish I had when the place was still Riva; it was good then, and it was good this time around, too. Once again each ingredient was integral to the overall experience, and the combination of the chocolate, candied pecans, brown butter ganache and coconut sorbet is perfect, but the candied pecans really make this dish with its crunchy texture. I just wish the brown butter ganache wasn’t presented like silly string.

Milk chocolate cremeux

Sommelier Iain Walling needs a shout out here; his choices to go with our food were somewhat bold, I’m told, but those risks paid off. I’ve said it before, but I’m not a big wine person so I can’t expound on the qualities of the wine we had. But I can say that everything Walling chose paired very nicely with each of our dishes. He even went with a beer cocktail of Framboise and Allagash White for dessert, which I liked a lot.

Framboise and Allagash beer cocktail

Though I enjoyed this meal, I would have liked to have tried some of the pastas on the regular menu, too, as they looked very tasty on other diners’ tables. Fraiche Santa Monica’s menu isn’t online, but Fraiche Culver City‘s is, so take a look to see what you can probably expect. Also take a look at the posts of my fellow diners Kevin of Kevin Eats, Will of FoodDigger and Esther of e*starLA.