Fresco is tiny and sweet, like Ross itself. Fresco has a homey feel, without the sterility that can come with a bevy of architects, designers and restaurant consultants. Franceschini often seats customers, occasionally delivers an appetizer or an entree, and when he's cooking, watches over everything from a large opening between the kitchen and the small dining room. Every aspect of Fresco's food benefits from attention to detail. It is, in a word, wonderful.
Pastas reveal the chef's command of technique and concern with quality.
Seasoned with a bit of garlic, salt, and white wine, they are stunningly flavorful. Still, given the quality of everything else, I'd give this dish another chance. Marco Franceschini opened his restaurant in October after working in restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles for a decade. Before coming to the United States, he worked in his family's restaurant in Florence, where his father's simple, classic style influenced Franceschini's cooking. His cuisine isn't fancy, he explains, and he doesn't want it to be.