Trattoria Fresco

[Curlz]

Thanks for floating this to the top, Tracey! I was at TF this week too...ten of us celebrated my mom's birthday on Saturday night, and had terrific food with (sadly) just ok service. I know good servers are hard to come by, but when you have that large a party and the restaurant isn't packed (we arrived at 6 on Sat), I would think you'd want to be on top of things; we thought our waiter was at the outset, but that didn't turn out to be the case for the remainder of the night. I actually got up from my chair twice to get wine from the stand to pour for our guests, and had to ask for a refill another time--that's not right regardless of the size of the group! We also had a runner who literally didn't understand a word of English. She was pouring water and one of our guests asked for more wine; at that point, there was only one bottle of white open, and although she resorted to holding up her wine glass (which had a bit of the wine left in it), the communication just never got through. Enough said?

The food was wonderful, and despite a lot of eye-rolling about the service, we had a great time. We ordered a selection of apps to share, including the antipasto, a couple of artichokes, a cone of fries, the tomato 'pretzels,' and a special of oven-fired black mission figs stuffed with shrimp and goat (?) cheese. They were wonderful, but since there were only a few on the plate, we had to order a second batch.

Entrees included steak, salmon, short ribs, and others I'm forgetting, and I had the veal chop, which was cooked perfectly and accompanied by arugula arranged between two huge onion rings that looked like a hamburger bun. DEEEEELICIOUS indeed! I had the rest of it for dinner the next night and enjoyed it all over again.

For dessert, I ordered the fonduta for four, which was plenty; imo, this is the don't-miss dessert at TF because those zeppole are absolutely stunning, the fruit is always fresh, and the chocolate is simply divine. Great way to finish the meal, and as a bonus, my niece (the family's newest dining expert) declared it her favorite dessert that she's ever had in a restaurant. And the birthday girl was happy too, so it was a good night all around; just hope they can fix those service issues...that's all!

[Beth E.]

Glad to hear about the good dining experiences (sorry your service was off though!)

I havent' been there in quite some time and this really makes me want to go.

[hitmanoo]

Curlz, that sounds like my usual experience at TF. Delicious food ruined by subpar service.

[rooftop1000]

We were good with the service I think the waiters name was Gabe...we kept messing around saying gail and dave etc. The only strange thing was when the music turned on at very high volume all by itself. they all ran to the hall to make it stop, got it off and walked away. Bam happened again no one was near that spot either....must have another controll someone was messing with.

So beth evie....when?

tracey

[jon777]

Had a very nice meal here on Saturday night. Joined some suburban NJ friends at the last minute, who had been recently and raved about the food. I hadn't read about this place (as most of my dining is locally in Hoboken or in NYC) and just knew from the name that it would be Italian.

Upon checking out the menu, it was apparent that this was not what I expected (which was a typical NJ red-sauce place). Menu was full of interesting and appealing options.

I shared a special salad with Blue Cheese and Roasted Pears and Proscuitto that was very good, with the exception that the pears were very bland (no Pear flavor), but the prosciutto and blue cheese were excellent.

Main course was the veal chopped, which was very thick, well seasoned, perfected grilled (med-rare as requested), with a side of arugula in between two large onion rings (almost an arugula sandwich). Excellent.

Other apps/entrees (mixed grill app, butternut squash soup, chicken and sweet cherry pepper lasagne, braised veal and shrimp special, lemon sole special, were all proclaimed very good to outstanding by the rest of the table. Deserts were the chocolate trio (pictured in a post above), which had a decadent molten chocolate cake and fried Godiava truffles which were over the top.

Service was average -- we were seated promptly (was an early res -- 6:30) and everything moved at the appropriate pace. Only complaint was that they forgot to bring a side order of sweet potato fries which we had ordered for the table. They brought it right out once reminded, but it was the only real dissapointment of the evening -- overly greasy and soggy.

I would compare this restaurant to the Jefferson in Hoboken (high priase) which recently (very sadly) closed. I'll happily go back -- with the closing of the Jefferson, there isn't a strong entry locally with this style of Italian cooking, which I very much enjoy...

[Curlz]

A post on another thread here on the NJ board reminded me that I haven't posted about my recent dinner at TF. For those who have already heard this story, my apologies...for those who haven't, well, I'd be curious to hear your opinions.

I went to TF for dinner a few Sunday evenings ago; arrived just before 6, and was a bit surprised to find only one table occupied inside, and a completely empty patio, which is where we chose to sit (it was a gorgeous day). I do realize that on a Sunday night in July, lots of folks prefer to end their weekends on their own decks or are still at the beach, but it was a bit disheartening to see so few customers.

The two of us ordered the salad special to share, and we each ordered a pizza; for me, it was the Milanese, which has eggplant and fresh ricotta on it. My friend got the Margherita (for those who don't know, a Margherita has very little on it--tomatoes, fresh mozz, and basil). The salad was very tasty--wild arugula and endive w/a corn and pancetta dressing (a full side dish, actually). Then the pizzas arrived, and my friend sat staring at hers...there was NO basil on it. None. We were both a bit surprised, since there are only about 4 ingredients in the whole thing (and she's a basil freak to boot)! When we asked our waiter about it, he went back to "ask the chef" and came back to report that they were out of basil. We both found this truly surprising...a contemporary Italian restaurant is OUT of basil in July? Her comment was that the next time she'd bring her own, as she has a ton of it in her garden. We ate, it was good, but that was one very odd experience as far as we were concerned!

I hear rumor that one of the chefs has left...anyone know anything more? I can't say that the food was bad because of it, but we also just had a salad and a couple of pizzas...I'm just curious.

Oh, and by the time we were heading out, at least half of the patio tables were occupied.

[Shmily]

We had the most delicious dinner here last night.  It was a last minute decision and when we called at 7 for a 9pm reservation they couldn't have been nicer or more accomodating.  We were able to get a table outside and it was lovely.  The only drawbacks were a noisy table next to us and a smoker in the corner. 

I started with the asparagus and shrimp which was delicious.  Others at our table had a beet salad, roasted red pepper salad and a special salad with figs.  Everyone loved what they had.  My main dish was the short ribs which were very rich and mouth wateringly delicious.  My husband had the skirt steak which was my other choice. 

We loved it here - the prices were right and the people friendly.  We will definitely go back!

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Gee!!! I thought smoking was illegal in New Jersey restaurants now....and the owners did nothing....that would keep me away from eating there, no matter how good the food...

[Shmily]

Have you been to the new location of Primavera in West Orange?

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I believe that Primavera has been in the new location for quite awhile now...great place for a festive lunch...always excellent fish...I think it is one of the best in New Jersey...

[rooftop1000]

those last 2 posts quoted are 3 years old.....

T

[Shmily]

those last 2 posts quoted are 3 years old.....

T

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sorry...you are absolutely corrrect...that is what happens when you try to read messages at 7 A.M.

[emilymarie]

I am curious--has one of the chefs left Trattoria Fresco?

[tommy g]

I am curious--has one of the chefs left Trattoria Fresco?

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yes, i did not get the full scoop but a good friend is related to rich and he is very minimally there

[Curlz]

I called TF on Monday to see if they were open, and there is a recorded message saying that as of Jan 1 they are undergoing renovations and are "looking forward opening in the Spring." Anyone have any additional intel?

[NJ2FLA]

I guess that's somewhat better than the number being disconnected.

Edited February 22, 2008 by NJ2FLA (log)

[Curlz]

I guess that's somewhat better than the number being disconnected.

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Exactly what I said...we'll see!

[NJ2FLA]

Any updates on TF?

[Curlz]

Drove past TF today, and although the windows are still covered in paper, the front door was propped open. I was driving, but slowed down enough to see in--and it looks like the place is fully gutted. A big table saw was visible close to the door...they aren't opening any time in the immediate future; that seems obvious. The TF awnings are still up, but who knows?

I can't believe that there isn't someone reading this thread with some intel...why not tell us?!?

[Curlz]

Fans of Trattoria Fresco may want to hear this news from Rosie at NJ Monthly:

Expected to open in July above the Eden Gourmet Marketplace, South Orange, is the aptly named Above, a restaurant featuring contemporary American cooking with a wine list that complements each dish. And to put the icing on the cake, the executive chef is Paul Lustbader, previously from Cent’Anni, Maplewood, and Trattoria Fresco, Caldwell.