Just inside the entrance to Frazier's Wine Bar, a "Please Seat Yourself" sign invites you to choose among several tempting options. Do you cozy up on one of the Victorian velveteen sofas at a marble-topped table near the front of the narrow dining room? Or would you prefer a more traditional dining experience at a table whose burnished mahogany top softly reflects the glow of a votive candle?
Maybe you'd like to make new friends at the long plank-topped communal table. Or pull up a stool at the intimate bar at the back of the room, where a well-trained bartender will help you choose among the 30-plus wines available by the bottle or glass.
Regardless of your choice, if this is your first time back to Frazier's since the restaurant reopened in August, the "Please Seat Yourself" sign serves notice that you're in for a different experience.
A makeover of both dining room and menu have transformed Frazier's from a fine dining establishment that had gotten pigeonholed as a special occasion destination, into a casual spot suitable for dropping in on a regular basis.
Becoming a regular patron is a financially feasible proposition, too, with a number of options on the streamlined menu priced under $10 and nothing over $15 - unless you can't restrain yourself, that is, and find yourself splurging on a full dozen oysters on the half shell at a $1.50 a pop. Even then, the price isn't out of line, given their impeccable freshness and the fact that these are not your common Gulf Coast oysters. The selection, which changes with the market (recently, briny-sweet beauties with a clean mineral finish from Savage Harbour in Canada), is listed on two large chalkboards on the wall.
The chalkboards also list daily wine specials, as well as an evolving selection of cheeses and charcuterie. Increasingly, the charcuterie is made in-house by Rob Bland (formerly of Coquette), who joins chef Albert Wojciechowski in the kitchen. Bland's pistachio-studded pork terrine is a still life on a plate, framed by cornichons, ovals of whole grain mustard and toasted baguette rounds. A mix-and-match selection of charcuterie (which might include boudin blanc, house-smoked kielbasa and, if you're lucky, rosy petals of bresaola) and cheeses is a steal at $14.
Wojciechowski, who had worked his way up to the top position in the old Frazier's kitchen before it closed, lives up to the restaurant's longstanding stellar reputation in the new one. That he does so at markedly lower prices is a reflection of his creativity and skill at transforming less costly ingredients into a seasonally changing offering that draws its inspiration from both sides of the Atlantic.
A recent small plate offering, featuring succulent shreds of duck confit scattered across a lightly dressed arugula salad, would be at home in a Parisian bistro. So would an entree that serves up pan-roasted salmon, its delicate crust glistening with the merest sheen of lobster citrus butter, over French green lentils.
Closer to home, the chef's take on fried chicken sports an extra-crunchy crust that holds its own under a slathering of bacon gravy. Served with a mound of ultra-rich, creamy mashed potatoes, the presentation does an old Southern tradition proud.
The menu offers plenty of surprises, too - the earthy-sweet cubes of eggplant you discover buried beneath the arugula in that confit salad, for instance, or the short rib "Philly" that isn't a sandwich at all, but a knife-and fork dish pairing the slow-cooked beef with white cheddar ravioli, sautéed peppers and onions, and celeriac puree.
The minimally descriptive list of desserts on the blackboard gives no hint that the poppyseed angel food cake is made more heavenly by a cloud of raspberry crème fraîche. It leaves you to delight in the discovery that the espresso pot de crème is capped by an inspired layer of marshmallow brûlée.
One thing that isn't surprising, given that the owners are Kevin and Stacey Jennings, is that service is as knowledgeable and attentive as the kitchen is talented. Since opening Frazier's, their first restaurant, in 1998, the couple have continued to set high standards for the total dining experience with subsequent ventures, among them Coquette, Vivace and Porter's next door. With the latest incarnation of Frazier's, they prove that they can maintain those standards in a restaurant where you seat yourself.
