Frevo

Frevo was a restaurant that has been on my partner’s list for some time. When we went to Atomix Bar, the chef had also highly recommended the restaurant. The head chef Franco Sampogna is Brazilian and comes from the region that my partner is from. The entrance to the restaurant has a very tiny art gallery, and it’s been recognized on the Michelin Guide with 1 star. We were able to reserve this a few weeks back without any issues.

When you make the reservation on Tock, you can opt to add on the tip right then, or you can wait till the dinner.

Ambiance & Service

Our reservations were at 5:30 PM, but we couldn’t stand in the art gallery for warmth until about 5-10 minutes before our reservation. When we did arrive around our reservation time, we just stood around in the art gallery section. One of the doors holding the art opened, and they escorted us into the restaurant, which was a huge counter that faces the kitchen.

The service was excellent albeit there were a couple slips. For one, I had a wine pairing, but fortunately one of the servers asked if I wanted to see the wine menu, and I reminded him that I did order the pairing with a different server. Another is that I wished they were more forthcoming about not just the food pricing add-ons, but also the beverage pricing add-ons. When we were asked “still” or “sparkling”, we said still. It turns out each of those Acqua Panna bottles were $9 per bottle. We were offered tea or coffee later in the dinner. My partner ordered the wild chrysanthemum herbal tea, which was $16. My latte was $7. None of these costs were mentioned until they showed up on the bill.

The dinner itself is $225 per person, with optional wine pairings. The regular wine pairing is $135, and the premium wine pairing is $290. The primary difference cost difference is due to the age of the wine between the 2 pairings. I opted for the cheaper due to not wanting to spoil my taste buds such that I can’t enjoy newer wines. In total, there were 7 pairings for the evening.

Food

My partner decided on a glass of the Bandol rosé 2022 from Domaine Tempier ($24). This had strong nice notes of strawberry all over, and it was pleasant to drink.

The first pairing was the Corpinnat Brut Nature Indomable 2016 vintage from Mas Candi, Spain. This was very fizzy, balanced, with mild tree fruit notes to it. This would complement the next 3 bites.

The first bite was the Kinmedai with shiso, trout roe, and nori. The nori twill is made out of sugar and wraps fish emulsion. This is was pretty good.

The next bite was the Butternut Squash, which had parmesan and truffle. We added the Hokkaido sea urchin (+$35). The inside of this ball was the squash puree which was mildly warm, but it had very concentrated focus of flavors. The sea urchin was decadent and creamy, but not totally necessary if you didn’t feel like splurging. The combination of all the ingredients together was very good.

The last bite was the Fluke, which came with apple, heart of palm, and vermouth. Beneath the this white custard-like texture was loads of fluke. The sauce had some onion-like flavors, which I am guessing is from the vermouth. It was very fragrant and sublime. Coupled that with the tartness of the apple and the texture and flavors of the fluke made it one of my partner’s favorite courses of the night.

The Milk Bread came next with smoked tofu and fonio. The smoked tofu had a cheese-like texture, and it was definitely smokey and great on top of this bread.

The second pairing was the Alsace Blanc Riquwihr 2020 from Marcel Deiss. This was a blend of Riesling and Pinot Gris, and it was pleasant with a little spice to it and mineral acidity.

The Chutoro Tuna came with aji amarillo, avocado, and basil. The thin slits of tuna looked like pieces of bacon to me at first, but it was very dense and of course not anything like bacon. The sauce was amazing. The aji amarillo added a nice punch, but it wasn’t lingering. The avocado added a balanced amount of fat, and the basil added a lot of flavors.

The third pairing was the Bandol Rose 2022 which was the same as what my partner ordered.

The Octopus came with chorizo, potato, and smoked paprika. The potato was a smoked potato cream, and on top of the octopus was lardon. The octopus was cooked beautifully. It was spongy with the right amount of snap to it. The lardon gave it some nice fat because it was so dense. The sauce here was very good as well.

The fourth pairing was the Mendocino Gibson Ranch Naomi Grenache Gris 2022 from Ruth Lewendowski. It’s full and very ripe with a creamy texture. It smells of tree fruit and citrus.

The Madai came with lentil, soy, and ikura. You could add Ossetra caviar optionally (+$55), but we passed on that. We noticed the caviar was a nice dollop that sat on top of the fish (Japanese sea bream). The sauce is soy sauce with a beurre blanc, so it had a very nice texture and flavor aroma. The fish skin was super crispy, and the meat was very flavorful.

The fifth pairing was the Gioia del Colle Primitivo 17 2019 from Polvanera. The glass for this red wine was placed upside down with a tonka bean in it. It gave the inside walls of the glass a very distinct flavor that reminded me of a potent almond and vanilla smell that was very interesting. This balances the flavor of the wine against this vanilla, and it also adds some complexity in notes. The wine itself has strong black fruit notes and some oak flavors.

The Cap of Ribeye came with Murdoc cabbage and Melegueta Pepper. The American wagyu ribeye came from Snake River Farms. There is no meat in the pepper sauce, and it was still extremely flavorful. The ribeye was buttery, tender, and supremely delectable.

The sixth pairing was the Jerez Fino Caberrubia Carrascal from Luis Perez. This Chardonnay-like wine had some earthy, nutty notes to it, and it was to complement the richness of the cheese course.

The 36-Month Comte Cheese came with honey and vin jaune. The cheese was France, and on top it came with some snow and honey comb. The cheese pieces were at the bottom of this, and it was potent yet pretty good. I thought it wasn’t that rich, but it was very tasty with the honey.

The final pairing was the Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu Les Rouannières 1997 from Château Pierre-Bise. For some reason, they served this wine instead of what was listed on the menu, so it was surprising.

The flavor of the wine had a lot of toffee, candy, and fig notes, and it’s rich and complex with a lot of delightful flavors I’ve never had before.

The Sea Buckthorn came with satsuma, rice, and Cantonese sesame. The satsuma is a mandarin, so it provides some very nice citrus to cut through. The rice and sesame gave it a nice crunch and a nice toasted nutty flavor to it.

The chocolate (left) reminded me of Brazilian wet brigadeiros, which is basically like little chocolate fudges.

The basil and yuzu (right) was basically a basil chocolate-like shell with a very wet liquid yuzu in the middle. The instant that you break the shell, the yuzu liquid pops in your mouth with very bold and straightforward citrus flavors. It was great.

Final Verdict

Frevo is one of those rare restaurants that we have been to that we highly recommend for a visit, especially if your palette is refined. Every dish here has been phenomenal, and the wine pairing was very noteworthy too.

Yelp Jabs

Of all the wines, we really only liked 2 and didn’t finish most of them. A wine expert that I showed the list to called them “hipster wines” meant to impress with their obscureness.

I’m learning that the hipster wines are trying things that are different. In my opinion, I like the new discoveries and experiences, but I also appreciate old world wines as well. The wines tonight were all clean and delicious. It wasn’t as experimental as Bom, but I still very much enjoyed it.

I would say the “art gallery” element is way overplayed. There’s a handful of paintings scattered throughout but none that a lay person would be impressed by. You’re here for the food.

I wasn’t aware of the art gallery, but my partner had raved about it and wanted to show up early. Turns out the “art gallery” was just a few modern art canvases mounted on the wall. I thought it would also be something more, but I am glad I had low expectations.

Revisions

1. Feb 17, 2024 - Initial revision.