Hotspot of the Week: Fresco Rooftop Restaurant

The word “Fresco” refers to an intricate painting done on a ceiling; Fresco Rooftop Restaurant embodies the term well. Located in the epicenter of downtown Madison, steps away from the Overture Center for the Arts Fresco offers an all-around beautiful dining experience. 

I recently had the pleasure of dining there with my boyfriend to celebrate our anniversary.  We found Fresco on the third floor of the Madison Modern Art Museum, walking through a few exhibits before heading to dinner. We were greeted by friendly staff and quick service. Given it was a warm summer evening, we were able to sit in the rooftop sculpture garden on the restaurant’s patio. Jeremy and I enjoyed scallops with vegetable succotash and creamy pappardelle with a sausage truffle ragu. Our server emphasized that the vegetables were seasonal and the chefs source many of their ingredients from the local farmers market. To help celebrate our anniversary, our server gave us complimentary champagne!

We ended the night with milk chocolate beignets dipped in creme anglaise and hot coffee. Our server took some pictures of us with the State Capitol building, historic Orpheum theatre sign and top half of Sate Street in the background. Although the prices are a little high for more casual fine dining, I would highly recommend anyone looking for a nice dinner to celebrate anniversary and birthdays, before seeing a show at the overture center or just to enjoy some good food with pretty views.