Fresca Trattoria — Restaurant in Mountain Park

I would give this 3.5 if I could. Great potential with this restaurant. The atmosphere is tasteful and simple. I’m happy to see something a little different coming to the Stone Mtn/Lilburn area, especially this location.

We came in with a party of 5 and discovered we had slightly different menus amongst us, a few had the full menu but most did not.

Looking at some of the pictures online of the food others posted pictures of in their reviews I noted that what we ordered wasn’t quite the same. The pizza did not fill the tray and was football shaped (the chef made a visit to our table to apologize for the shape). The bread basket only came with focaccia.

We ordered two apps to share. The whipped ricotta was very nice. For a restaurant that has a more fine dining menu (read smaller portions, seasonal menus, no kids menu, food to be enjoyed not fast food),I would expect their house dipping sauce to come with the bread not evoo & balsamic vinegar. I didn’t think it was worth paying for the dipping oil on top of the ricotta so that’s on me. The mussels were cooked well but I think I prefer mine with lemon, white wine and garlic. The tomato felt a bit too stodgy and didn’t highlight the mussels as well as it could for me.

We all shared entrees so we could get a taste of everything.

The scallops were cooked fairly well and only a touch overdone. The flavors were very simple. The dish was on the small side compared to the lamb and salmon at similar price points. A nice little low carb option.

The salmon had a whole lot going on with the pomegranate/beet gastrique and unfortunately it just didn’t help the flavors so it was quickly scraped to the side as the sweetness was just too much for the dish.

The lamb was executed well and all the flavors blended well.

The pizza was ok according to my son, I did not try it as it was not as big as expected and I knew he wasn’t going to be overly happy with sharing too much.

I did not try the ravioli but my daughter said it was good.

The tiramisu was the big hit for the table. The cheesecake was unique (cake crust, not graham cracker) and was done well. The spumoni bombe had potential but it was overpowered by the chocolate ganache and cherry gelee. The jaconde was lost in this dessert sadly. The olive oil cake was so close to perfection with the rosemary and meringue but the cake itself was so overdone and dry. Such a simple palette of flavors but oh so tasty.

Our waitress must have been very new. Water was not brought to the table when we sat, and we had to ask a couple of times for refills. She did not offer any suggestions or highlight anything on the menu unless someone ordered something she liked and then she chimed in with her opinions.

I was a little underwhelmed as were the rest at my table for a $250 meal (not including tip) that consisted of 2 apps, entrees and dessert for 5.

I do love that they make their pasta on site daily. I think as the weeks pass and they get the kinks worked out this will potentially be a grand addition...

We had a great meal here tonight. Started with the bread basket, which was really good. The bread was very fresh and the evoo/spices for dipping was tasty. I ordered the Pappardelle dish for my main and it was delicious. Could have used a bit more salt, but overall it was really good and well portioned. My wife ordered the Gnocchi. It was very fresh and had really nice texture. Paired well with the sweet potato and kale. I think that dish could use some sort of sauce base, but again it was very well made gnocchi. For dessert, we had two items. The Kitchen Sink Cookies - these were the most disappointing thing we ate. They weren’t bad, but pretty dry and not worth the $9 price. The other item we had was the Panna Cotta with the strawberries. That was the bomb! So good. I wanted a second.

Overall atmosphere was nice and the service was timely and consistent. No issues there. Glad to see a nicer restaurant come to this area. Much needed. Due to price (in line with other nice Italian spots), it’s not a place I could go to often, but I will definitely be a return customer.

Edit: we went for a second time this evening (a few months later) and the food just didn’t land this time. The pear pecorino ravioli was delicious, but the portion size was so small for $29! The corn and lobster campanelle was not great though. The corn tasted like it came from a can. The sauce was thin and needed salt and I couldn’t really taste the herbs well. The lobster was plentiful, but not very well cooked. The house wine was great (some Syrah blend). Service was good again and timely. The food quality and overpricing (imo) make me move this from a four to...

Large groups can hear each other talk. If you want to actually talk to your friends, hehe dine here for a super nice evening out. She has several 8 people tables. All pasta and desserts are made in the restaurant! Eat dessert first!!! Hehe. The menu rotates seasonally. EVERYTHING is delicious. The Ribeye Steak was exactly medium rare. Lamb dishes are savory too. The crab and mushroom savory cheesecake is a must for an appetizer. The stuffed shrimp with crab and asparagus risotto was perfectly cooked. The salmon was wonderful too. The flour less chocolate cake, seasonal cheese cakes, tiramisu and the spumoni bombe are the perfect sweet ending to a delightful dinner. The Bombe is similar to a chocolate cover cherry without the artifical color. They had an Easter Brunch that required reservations. All their reservation required meals have been sooo delicious! The Pasta Omasake...don't miss this monthly event!!! Highly recommend every special occasion event. There are Prom specials too. Make reservations and enjoy your holiday meal here. The staff is sooo nice and friendly also. Support your local business and save gas and dine in...