This week I got to go to Fresco Italiano inside the Westgate Resort & Casino located at 3000 Paradise Road. Fresco Italiano is undergoing some changes as new Executive Chef Paola Bugli takes over along with new General Manager Dora Pane.
They are making changes to the menu and adding new items. They are also giving the restaurant the feel of visiting someone’s home. From the dishes I had during the menu tasting customers are going to be in for a treat.
We started the tasting menu off with Bruschetta al Pomodoro, your classic bruschetta dish and it was good. We also had Crostini di Carpaccio that was beef carpaccio with shaved Grana Padano (very similar to Parmigiano Reggiano) on top of toasted Crostini. These were clearly my favorite of the two appetizers.
The first dish, called Gamberi e Polenta, was sautéed shrimp served over a bowl of sundried tomato polenta. The fusion of the three different tastes was incredible. It was my favorite dish. For the next course we were served two different fish dishes. The first was Filetto di Branzino con and Farrotto e Salmoriglio, which was a Mediterranean sea bass served over risotto. Both were good, but the next course offered two dishes that I liked even better.
The third course was Porchetta, a Tuscan style roasted pork tenderloin served with caramelized onions and broccolini. This was very good but the Tortellacci di Ossobuco was tremendous. The tortellini were pasta stuffed with Ricotta and Mascarpone cheese served over braised veal shank. This was my second favorite dish of the day. The combination of the pasta with the rich hearty sauce of the veal was so good.
Lastly, we had dessert, which was called Semifreddo al Croccantino. This was a semifreddo gelato with a nut brittle. The sweet and salty combination was so good together and the perfect light ending to a great meal. I really enjoyed the rustic décor. As you sat in the main dining area the one wall was a moving slideshow mural taking you to different parts of Italy giving guests the look and feel of sitting right there in an Italian village.
I really enjoyed the direction of the new menu and will be stopping in again. The new menu will officially start later in May but, trust me, it will be worth the wait. The staff at Fresco makes you feel as if you are a house guest rather than a customer. They were right there to attend to our every need from drinks to questions about the menu and, of course, recommendations on the perfect wine pairing with the meal.
I give Fresco Italiano 3.75 Forks out of 4.