Fresko — Restaurant in Des Moines

Let me start by saying I’ve raved about this place to all of my 3 friends :) made a reservation for 5 today- celebrating Mother’s Day with my daughter, mother, and sisters. Right as we walked in the hostess was a bit rude about my party size as I had a 11month old, and didn’t include him as a person in the reservation. Felt a bit reprehended for not knowing he counted as he seats with me(she made a point to say it with a tone” so that’s 6 not 5”). Not sure if this had anything to do, but As we sat down our server looked at us and didn’t smile, so the energy got weird. I’ve been there about 5xs but my sisters have not, it’s because of my feedback they came. The server tell us the drinks and still no smile she’s also not being welcoming, my younger sister who is 14 asked what are your drinks? as she clearly spaced off, the server made a sound and shook her head and looked at her as if she was stupid/ if she wanted to say something mean to her, she said “Coke products and the drinks I just went over”. My heart dropped and it set the tone for the rest of the dinner., 5 min later a male server approaches her to grab the menus off from her almost as if he wanted to intimidate us, I had to stare at this man and make sure they knew I was fully aware of what they were doing. I understand people do not want to work, and I understand bad days, but to create a very scary environment for children and ruin our dinner. Let me say I’m lighter toned than my sisters and mother, so is my daughter so maybe this is why this happened today. But I am not coming to this place again, and just be cautious about your environment, and don’t allow discrimination...

As a guest, you will receive excellent and professional service. The front is clean and has a modern style and layout. If Adan is hosting, he will always greet you with a smile. This is a great place for gluten free brunch, and has excellent party rooms. This is located conventionally within a building that also has a starbucks, and a large work space and security. The menu is pretty basic, burgers, tacos, etc, but the specials are often unique and creative. They bring in fresh fish, or take gastronomic leaps. It is pricy for a lot of people, but I would recommend friends to give it a try, especially on their birthday where they can get a free dessert.

As an employee, I would still recommend this place for friends needing a job. This is a higher class restaurant, for Des Moines. A huge kitchen, with many stations, and lots of opportunities. I won’t go into details, but there is of course some issues behind the scenes. There are only a handful, so I think once those get sorted out, this place would be top notch from front to back. But, I can say this is one of the few kitchens I’d actually consider, “calm”, on a day to day basis. The strict cleaning routine, and high expectations make this place 1, a high turn over rate, and 2, a well run kitchen. Chef Drew is an excellent teacher and friend in the kitchen. He doesn’t have to demand respect to earn it. Another shoutout, is to Brad in the FOH. Always professional, and shows empathy and I respect it. All in all, this place was one of my favorite kitchens. Would love to see change for the better in the future, and earn that 5th star ;) Anyways, give it a try, and don’t forget to...

We went to Fresko on Monday night because the reviews were great and was excited about trying out a new Restaurant. This would of been our second time out during the pandemic so we were pretty excited. We did make a reservation online so that was nice and easy. When we arrived the restaurant was not very busy. We were greeted by the Manager which was an okay welcoming which is fine. He kind of talked down to the host (young man) which I felt bad for him. Then we get put in the corner table right next to the doorway. The whole restaurant was not full. I was going to ask for another table but my husband was fine. The server we got was pretty nice. We order drinks then mussels for our appetizer. The mussels were really good and the drinks were great. This is more the reason why I gave them 2 stars. My husband ordered a burger and I ordered the Hanger Steak. When I was about to bite into my steak I found a piece of hair in my food. Told my server she was sorry about the food (not her fault). She asked if I wanted something else she said it would be another 10 minutes. I was kinda put on the spot we had to get home to our baby by a certain time and was already running late so I said thats fine. The Manager then comes out with my new steak and all he says was "I'm so sorry about that" and walks away. It came back medium rear and I ordered the steak medium. They were in a hurry to get me a new one. I get it. Did not give us a discount or take off the steak whatever. Overall the experience wasn't the best. Probably won't be going back...