Ottawa Foodies

Had a work event here yesterday and was pleasantly surprised at Fresco's italian inspired offerings. There was a small set menu for lunch, which consisted of items not available on their regular menu. In fact - I don't even think they're open for lunch and may have done this specially at our request. I'm usually leery of set/group menus like this however everything was fantastic.

Started with a beef carpaccio amuse. An old Italian standby consisting of thinly sliced sirloin/tenderloin, arugala, capers, and freshly shaved parmesan. Very tasty. I had the grilled portobello for my app. Thinking it would be a large portobello cap grilled with some sauce, it came diced and mixed with whipped chevre, topped on a lightly toasted crostini - highlight of the meal for sure. For my main I had pan-seared black cod atop a light risotto, and finished up the meal with an made-in-house mixed berry cheesecake.

Everyone's meals around the table (including my own) were met with great praise. Service was professional, courteous, and attentive. I'll definitely be back...

I'm not creating a new food for this because we can't totally remember the exact name for it...it was an appetizer. Focaccia bread with herbs and a light tomato base topped with herbed goat's cheese. It was really yummy. When I first went to Fresco's about 3 years ago, this is exactly how it was served then! Can't mess with delish!

I've been here twice now (I will post reviews and pics after) and the first time we were there, my bf wasn't feeling well so I don't really remember much else except that the appie we shared looks exactly the same as now. We were here on this past Tues. night for a friends' birthday, reservations, so they had the tables nicely dressed and balsamic vinegar ready to go for the bread. Service all night was attentive, we never went without water or fresh drinks. Appetizers and meals were well spaced apart, not too long of a wait and not too short.

I've been here about half a dozen times over the last few years. Some of the staff took ownership in spring 2006 and I feel the quality and consistency has increased in an already solid establishment.

The food is Italian and Italian-inspired with a modern flair. The atmosphere is sultry with some good background lounge-type music. The service is generally attentive and prices are moderate. Often there are nights with live music after (I believe) 9 pm upstairs.

This place is pretty busy with good reason. I think it is probably the best and most interesting restaurant on Elgin Street at this moment. I bet it will be around for some time.

I'm pretty sure the full name of this appetizer is Antipasto Di Mare. It was a sharing appetizer for about 2 people....came with smelts, mussels, shrimp, calimari (not the deep fried kind), smoked salmon and capers, hot peppers, and olives. Everything was great except for the wee wee wee size of the mussels. I've never seen them so small before! My friend had mussels in his pasta dish for his main and they were way bigger?! The smelts seemed a little dry to me but I don't think I've actually had them before so I have nothing to compare them to. The smoked salmon was almost 'melt in your mouth' good.

This is what my friend ordered which was one of the specials that evening. He got it medium well and he said it was delicious. Some mashed potatoes and steamed veg to round it out. I thought the presentation was pretty.

I find we have this problem with a curry dish at the place I work at too. Some people don't realize when they order it that it will not be as spicy as at thier favourite thai restaurants. Of course when I make our sauce I try to make it flavourful and tasty, but I am limited in that I have to stop short so that it is appealing enough for "the masses", and not just for spicy food or hard-core curry lovers.

I chose the curry cream sauce instead of the curry tomato sauce on spinach fettucine. It comes with broccoli, bell peppers, shrimp and scallops. When it arrived, we all commented on how good it smelled....but, after the first bite, I knew I wasn't going to be satisfied. The curry was sooo bland....it was like the chef just sprinkled curry powder in the cream and heated it up. It was strange because the smell suggested it to be full of flavour, but it just wasn't. Maybe that's what I get for ordering a curry dish in an Italian restaurant??