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Restaurant Ratings

The ratings are based mostly on the degree to which the food excites us, and a little on environment, service, and other considerations. I rate restaurants relative to all other restaurants in the New Orleans area. Here's what the stars mean to me:

starstarstarstarstar
Among the best locally.

starstarstarstar
Excellent and ambitious.

starstarstar
Worth crossing town for.

starstar
Recommended.

*
Acceptable.

No star
Unacceptable.

Cost Ratings
Each dollar sign indicates a ten-dollar range, including a normal meal for the restaurant (dinner, if they serve other meals), not including drinks, or tips. So, for example. . .

1$--$5-15
2$--$15-25
3$--$25-35

. . . and so on, with no upper limit. While this scheme may suggest mathematical precision, know that perception of price varies from diner to diner as much as the star ratings do. So consider this an estimate.

All reviews are based entirely on meals I have personally taken at the restaurant and paid for from my own pocket. I don't take free review meals, nor am I reimbursed by anybody for my restaurant expenditures.

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Fresco

Italian. Pizza. Pasta. Mediterranean.
Uptown: 7625 Maple. 504-865-7046. Map.
Lunch and dinner continuously seven days.
Very Casual.
V MC DS
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
It lives up to its name. Outdoor tables fill the front of the restaurant, and even inside the building the feeling is of being on a patio. That's enough to make it popular among the college crowd, which keeps the place busy, especially in the late evenings. The food is less impressive. Pizza is the specialty, and it's reasonably good, although the crust is too soft for my tastes. The menu goes on to include a great deal of Middle Eastern food, salads, sandwiches, and pasta dishes. The menu is flashy with food and drink specials.

WHY IT'S GOOD
My main problem with this place is that much better versions of everything it serves can be found within a block or two. Ciro's makes incomparably better pizza. Better Italian dishes are across the street at Antonio's. Jamila's and Babylon both make much better Middle Eastern eats. It's more about the crowd and the scene. And the late-night hours, which is a premium to the college crowd.

BACKSTORY
Fresco opened in 2002, taking over a space that previously had hosted the Maple Gardens Chinese restaurant. It reopened just two months after the hurricane, and became immensely popular for that.

DINING ROOM
The preferred tables are those on the patio, but even inside it feels like you're outside, somehow. The setting is very casual and the service is performed with no frills.

ESSENTIAL DISHES
Roasted eggplant dip.
Hummus.
Mediterranean shrimp (with garlic butter and feta).
Spinach pie.
Buffalo chicken wings.
Caesar salad.
Roasted lamb salad.
Greek salad.
Pizzas to order.
Spicy chicken pizza.
Shrimp or chicken pesto pizza.
Stromboli (turnover pizza).
Baked fusilli pasta with ground beef, marinara, and melted mozzarella.
Spaghetti and meat sauce.
Fettuccine Alfredo.
Spinach and portobello mushroom pasta.
Portobello ravioli.
Cheese tortellini with ham and broccoli.
Shrimp Italiano pasta.
Wrap sandwiches.
Roast lamb wrap.
Philly cheesesteak wrap.
Shrimp pesto wrap.
Italian feast sandwich.

FOR BEST RESULTS
The best food here is the pizza, but suppress the desire to load it up with ingredients. The Middle Eastern appetizers make a good starting point.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Nothing I've eaten here couldn't have been made with more care and better ingredients. It's not terrible, but its not good enough to grab me.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES

This review was updated with new information on 4/14/2010.

A list of over 325 full, current reviews is here.