Barolo Grill isn't the only restaurant that's unearthing truffles this fall: The Flagstaff House, at 1138 Flagstaff Road in Boulder, is also playing around with truffles, thanks to executive chef Mark Monette, who's created a five-course truffle-tasting menu for those who get all giddy during the truffle season.
"They're in a sealed container, and when you open that seal and the fragrance goes in the air, that is what the truffle is," says Monette. And, then, of course, "everyone is dying to try it," he adds.
A casino owner named Stanley Ho allegedly set the record for the highest amount paid for a single white truffle when he dropped $330,000 on a 3.3-pound gem. While Flagstaff House patrons won't have to lighten their pockets that much, the five-course prix fixe menu still isn't cheap, ringing in at $250 per person.
In exchange, guests are treated to ahi tuna on a Himalayan salt brick with white truffles; a Yucatan scallop sliced and stacked with black and white truffles; angel hair pasta with white truffles freshly shaved at the table; buffalo filet mignon stuffed with a slice of foie gras wrapped in brioche, and baked and served with a black truffle sauce and shaved black truffles; and cocoa sorbet wrapped in a 24k gold leaf.
"We have a basket of truffles that we bring around and slice for some guests, and everyone wants to know what it is," says Monette. "It just creates a real buzz."
Guests can also order a larger portion of the pasta dish for $80. Monette is currently featuring white truffles from Alba and black truffles from Burgundy, but that will change at the end of November when black Perigord truffles, which have a more intense and earthy flavor, arrive from France. Monette will alter the menu to showcase the Perigords, at around the same time that white truffle season ends.
