Modesto really does have it's gems. (the other two are Concetta right down the street from Tresetti, and on the other side of town Familia Juarez for authentic Mexican). This is easily one of the best restaurants in the central valley. The wine selection and adjacent bottle shop are amazing. The French Onion soup is super good. It is a five star place for me but I give it only four-stars because it can be a bit inconsistent. I travel for work and actually stay in Modesto if I am working within 30-miles just for the this and the other two restaurants I mentioned. The bar area is casual and if you want a more formal dining experience the dining room can give you what you want (but casual is still OK).
Review Source:I enjoy the service, the wine, however; Â the appetizers, finger foods, or bar food should be tossed out. Â My friend and I were so disappointed when we came in AGAIN to find that the food had not improved. Â Wine is great. Â Prices are okay. Â The food should not be called food. Â Example: Â the fish tacos are basically one skinny fish stick cut up into pieces along with a little chipotle. Â Ugghhhhh. Â We should have learned the first two times. Â We tried and found it very forgettable.
Review Source:Got an invite from one of my bff's along with a ticket to "The Piano Guys" concert at the Gallo in Modesto. Â Tresetti's has a prix fixe menu for $30 that includes soup or salad, a choice of entrees and a dessert, good deal! Â I wasn't down for dessert; only wanted a simple entree and salad. Â I had a hankering for pasta since I wasn't really interested in salmon or chicken, my standbys. Â I asked the waitress if they offered a marinara and she said yes; what I actually got? Â More of a tomato sauce with not a lot of flavor. Â I wanted a linguine but the only pastas available, fettuccine and a penne. Â I opted for the fettuccine, a bit overdone, and in no way al dente. Â 15 minutes later....stomach cramps, oh my! Â
The restaurant is "cozy" and very cute; our waitress did not have a good sense of "personal space" and then threw me under the bus when one of my companions called her over to see when we could order our dessert. Â The waitress replied as she pointed to me, "well, she was busy (refering to the fact that I was in the powder room)". Will I return? Most likely not since I rarely visit Modesto and the dinner was not memorable accept for the tummy pain throughout the most awsome concert I've been to in years!
BTW, the raspberry lemon drop was the best part of my dining experience.
Probably one of the best restaurants that I have eaten dinner in Modesto. Â I just wish that they had wine tasting more often because the ambiance of the place seems ideal for that. The wait staff is very professional and the food at this place is awesome! Â A gem in downtown Modesto!!!
Review Source:I love Trestti's. I probably love Tresetti's a bit too much actually (according to my bank account).
This is my go-to place for a beer and a bite to eat. Love the atmosphere, love the people (patrons and employees), love the food. I usually order off the bar menu (chile verde quesadilla, calamari, and garlic and brie) but the regular menus are amazing. I love that at lunch they usually have a low-cal special that still tastes delicious!
Great crowd late night too...definitely my favorite place in Modesto to hang out.
Tresetti's is as good as it gets. Outdoor sitting, great service and quality food. Now the price point for dinner here is pretty high so I only stick to a burger or a salad, but I've heard great things about their NY strip. I am a definite fan of this place and is a ideal to check out if you ever visit Modesto...
Review Source:Tresetti's is a pretty darn good restaurant for finer dining, yet casual. My pasta with a spicy-lobster-lemon sauce was decadent. The seafood in it was so fresh it could have swum off my plate. The pasta tasted homemade. The portions are perfect; had I not eaten an entire plate of bread before the meal I could have finished my dinner, but the bread and whipped butter were too tasty to pass up. Â The only downsize is the meals are pricey. Â If you don't mind the splurge, I would recommend it.
Review Source:I stumbled across Tresetti's the other day and stopped in for lunch with my Mom. We had the best service. Donna's energy was sweet and her service was attentive. I had the southwest salad, Mom had the Veggie Sandwich, and we shared Creme Brullee (sp?) It was delicious! We will be back!
Review Source:Tried the pork tenderloin oxaca style, very good and flavorful too. Also the herb roasted chicken-not better than ok. No flavor, and dry from over cooking. Excellent service. Wine list absolutely sucks. And for no good reason than the owner is trying to cut a fat hog with shitty, cheap wines. Come on Paul, I can do better than that from my own cellar. But, excellent service.
Review Source:A surprisingly delicious meal in Modesto, CA tonight at Tresetti's World Caffe!
A co-worker and I saw this place as we were exiting Galletto's last night and decided to give it a shot tonight. Â Boy, am I glad we did! Â We were immediately greeted upon entering and given the best table in the house-- a quiet corner table with lots of room that looked out onto the street. Â The ambiance is great here, with low lighting, candles and fresh-cut daisies on each table. Â The small details really set this place apart from others.
Our server, Vanessa, was such a sweetheart. Â You can tell she really enjoys her job and cares about her customers. Â She was attentive the entire evening, which I can imagine must have been a feat given that it was a busy night. Â
And now, the food:
Everything was simply amazing! Â I don't know what brand of crack others are smoking when they say this place is overpriced. Â I ordered from a 30-dollar pre fixe menu, which bought me an amazing three-course meal:
1) A perfectly-seasoned cup of french onion soup
2) A generous portion of  chicken cordon bleu (with hints of sherry and tons of fresh herbs in a rich sauce) + moist, delicious rice + the most delectable vegetable medley (steamed to perfection) I've eaten in recent memory
3) The very best port-poached pear I have ever enjoyed, complete with what I think was a mascarpone "whipped cream" and an irresistible, sweet jus.
Come to think of it, I'd have been worried if they charged any less, as the portions were also quite generous. Â I enjoyed a simple but impressive 7-dollar glass of sweet riesling as well, which brought the entire meal together very nicely.
If you find yourself in Downtown Modesto, do yourself a favor and enjoy a wonderful meal at Tresetti's. Â For the price, service and fare, I doubt this place can be topped.
We went and had another Great lunch today at Tresetti's, and I wanted to say that the service/sever was AMAZING! We love a server who we can have Fun with and Kristi is that person. So not only did we have some Really tasty food, we had a enjoyable time with Kristi. Thank you so much for having such good food,
and such Great Fun people serving it.
I have been to Tresetti's about 5 or 6 times over the last couple of years. Â I have really tried to like it, but I have finally come to the conclusion that the food is just not that great,and they are overpriced. Â The only thing I like there is the brie and garlic appetizer.
I went last night because my friend wanted to go there for her birthday, and she loves the french onion soup. Â We split the chicken cordon bleu, and the breading on the outside of the chicken was hard and tasted burned. Â We also ordered tiramisu for dessert, and it was some of the worst tiramisu I've ever eaten. Â For some reason there was a lot of liquid in the bottom of the little crock they served it in, which made the consistency kind of gummy. Â
I do like the ambiance of this restaurant, but you can't eat the ambiance, so I will not be dining at Tresetti's again.
Went in this place to have a late night beer, even if it is a wine a and dine spot. Nice setting, wine merchant next door and seating outside. The staff is a little too cool if you are not a regular. Gets very loud, and not the type of crowd you would expect, or maybe its just modesto. Â thought it would be more of a classy joint.
Review Source:Ok before I elaborate, if Shannon is your hostess it is 5 star, if Jessica is, it is 2 star at best, and the food averages 3-4 star when good 1 star when it was the way it was tonight.
Jessica said we could not get a grilled new york, so we tried the baked, it was cooked like prime rib, and was tough as leather and salty with no flavor. After we said how bad it was, we were told we could get a grilled one, it was ok, but my gargonzola potatoes were very cold.
Jessica also forgot my friends drink, then when she finally remembered, she never came for a refill.
Nothing like the dinner I had there last night when we had Shannon who is awesome. No consistency at allmakes it loose respect in my book.
Dropped by there for some dessert and coffee. Â The mascarpone-filled cannoli with pistachios and a cherry sauce.....unbelievable! Â Probably one of the best things I've ever tasted. Â
The only thing preventing me from giving the place 5 stars is the smoking in the patio. Â Very unappetizing.
I went here on a Sunday evening and sat at the bar with a friend. Â The bartender was lovely, very accommodating to my friend and I who love fancy, frilly, innovative drinks. Â I ordered a burger: FAIL. Â How do you mess up a burger? It was dry, the bun was bad, I've had better burgers at Jack in the Box. Â I know that's the only thing I've had there, but if they can't get a burger right then why would I want to take my chances on something a little more difficult to make?
Review Source:The food here is great! Â There aren't many places that I can say that about in Modesto. They have an attached wine shop and bar that really act as a whole different business. It is one of the nicer bars and a great place to have drinks on the patio.
Tip : ask for the chili verde quesadilla! It's very good and usually available as an appetizer at the bar.
Great food. Â I've been coming here for quite a years though I hadn't been in a while. Â The food here has always been one of the top places to eat in town. Â I don't think it's as good as it was a few years ago but it's still top notch. Â Prices have risen as well but maybe it just seems that way because they used to be very very reasonable. Â
It does have a bit of the SF bay area feel inside as well. Â Different than most places in the downtown area.
I had the baby mixed green salad and mahi mahi served with a spicy aioli and fingerling potatoes
Pros: The steamed clams were amazing - the sauce was garlicky and delicious. Â I also really enjoyed the potatoes in my dish. Â The portions were quite generous
Cons: I did not enjoy the dressing on my salad, which was a sundried tomato balsamic vinaigrette - it reminded me of tomato sauce. Â The croutons were a bit too crunchy. Â My mahi mahi was overcooked and the aioli was much too thick - reminded me of a glob of mayonnaise
I was not very impressed. Â However, I highly recommend the clams!
L and I enjoyed a great dinner here. I suppose I must be Bay Area food snob I never guessed that Modesto would have such a good restaurant. I hadn't made a reservation, even though the information that the conference provided on local restaurants said I should. The hostess was concerned that we didn't have a reservation, but found a table for us anyway. Before we left every table was taken. Our dinner, with two cocktails each, was pricey, but well worth it.
I had the grilled vanilla bean brined prime rib of pork. It was topped with a spicy pecan butter, served with buttermilk mashed potatoes and succotash. The rib was the size of a small pig. I also had the onion soup.
The pork rib was very tender and the vegetables were wonderful. I was able to have a nice breakfast with the leftovers. The onion soup was good, but not the best I have had.
L had the grilled Australian lamb chops. The chops were in marinated in molasses with roasted garlic and extra virgin olive oil, then topped with a mint demi glaze and served with truffle scented mashed potatoes and braising greens. She had the soup of the day, lobster pumpkin bisque with lemon cream frache. There were pieces of lobster in the strange soup. We both thought my soup was better, but by the time she finished it she said that hers grew on her.
I like her chops more than my rib.
Right next to Tresetti's Wine World - this place is GREAT and GREAT is hard to find in Modesto. Â Their food is prepared superbly from appetizer to desert and one just has to love it that you can by a cheap or very NOT cheap bottle of wine from their wine store to go with anything you want. Â I went with my brother and they obviously thought we were together as they sat us at a very romantic table - but we found it amusing.
It's a little bit of a bummer once the late night crowd hits because it loses it's sense of class as all the party people look for somewhere to go...and there really ISN'T anywhere to go in Modesto for good night life.
Ive always liked Tresetti's! its been too packed to go there before but generally its a very relaxing place to hang out. We generally like to grab a few drinks and sit outside, talk to passer-bys and smoke an cigarette. great way to warm up or cool off your Friday or Saturday night. Also very well centrally located to head to other clubs/bars after wards.
Edit: had to add another star as i got paid today and the first thing i thought of was "Lets go have some drinks at Tresettis!" This is a really cool place!
I had been here before for a drink, and really didn't care for the place. As others have said, it was filled to the brim with the typicals. Those that are way too trendy for my taste, the crazy prowling cougars, and the occasional gangsta trying to up their personal class factor. (This is the Mo I know ...)
Anyhow upon recommendation from my wedding coordinator, the fiance and I went in for dinner. I'm so glad we did. The food was absolutely delish. So far from your standard chain style cooking, it was so fresh and so well prepared. Definitely worth the money you pay. The service was good, we didn't get the bad service others have mentioned. However, it was a Thursday evening at like 730, and the place was pretty empty. As for plates, I went for the Fillet Mignon in plum sauce, I believe, with fingerling potatoes. OHH-EMMM-GEEE. Fiance went for the chicken breast with cous-cous, which normally I can't stand, but this was so good and so well prepared. Total dinner for 2 with two beers put us back about $75 with tip. Obviously this isn't your everyday dinner place, but for a nice dinner for two it was perfect!
Final Verdict 3.75 stars
I like Tresseti's because I can usually count on it to be the same. I pretty much always end up there when I go drinking downtown...which is a rare event lately. But, it has its Pro's & Con's.
Pro's:
Great Food...gourmet and delicious, their Brie and roasted garlic is amazing! As is the calamari...as is the truffle Ravioli...as is pretty much everything I've tried.
Romantic atmosphere in the dining areas
Good mix of people young and old in the bar
The lovely Jessica is a waitress there(formerly of P Wexford's)
The wine shop has a worldly  variety
awesome patio with great heaters in the winter
Their women's bathroom is the nicest, cutest, cleanest, biggest one toilet room downtown :)
Con's
Rob the bartender is gone
Drinks are pricey...think $5 or $6 beers...$8 or $9 martini's
Food is pricey...think $20 - $35 full course meals (but well worth it)
The bar area is small...and it gets packed like a tuna can on busy nights
That bitchy bartender who screwed up my Irish car bombs (see note at bottom)
It sucks that Rob the bartender is gone. He sold me my first LEGAL drink at midnight on my 21st b-day... he was the world's greatest bartender!
NOTE***
One time when I went there (post Rob) we ordered a round of Irish car bombs, which I have ordered countless times there and at other bars, (so I know how they're supposed to be made) the BITCHY RUDE girl who made them argued with me when I told her the shots were supposed to be 1/2 whiskey 1/2 Baileys...she only poured whiskey! When I questioned it she wouldn't even fix it! Hello, an Irish car bomb is three things: a shot of 1/2 whiskey 1/2 Baileys, dropped into a 1/2 pint of Guinness. She was lame. Rob never would have made that mistake!! I don't think she works there anymore...thank GOD!
After a mediocre meal across the street from this establishment, I was about to return to the Doubletree to sit in the lounge, have wine, and feed my addiction (Sudoku, not the wine). It was still light outside at around 7.15 and the heat had dropped to a pleasant  level. Tresetti's had some tables outside on the sidewalk, and I decided to check it out. Inside the door I was met by a sweet hostess who thought it was no problem to just sit outside and have wine and sparkling water. She even asked me if I wanted some bread. She grabbed a wine list and accompanied me outside to any table I wanted. A few seconds later she cam back with bread and napkin/flatware.
The wine list was ok, though a little short considering that there is an adjoining wine merchant. Prices for reds were $24 through $40, except for the half-bottle of Opus One for $80. Sparkling wines were not well represented. Veuve Clicquot was the only Champagne at $30 for 375 ml.
I had questions about two of the reds. I couldn't tell the origins of those. When I asked the waiter, he had no clue. He left and after a few minutes returned with both bottles. He showed me and told me his boss recommended the second one which hailed from Italy. Great! He started pouring; I already had my hand outstretched  to taste. But he never stopped. He just poured the whole glass full. It is more of a ritual, I know. But at $40, I expect just a little more knowledge.
I asked for the largest bottle of sparkling water there is. He asked if it had to be Pellegrino or if it could be any sparkling water. I ordered whichever sparkling is biggest. He brought a beautiful blue bottle. After tasting and finding it rather flat, I noticed the bottle said Spring water, not Sparkling. Not really wanting to deal with my genius, I didn't complain. After another few minutes, he came back again. It was 7.30 and he was leaving. He was hoping I could pay. I did.
It took me about 2 hours to finish my wine and water. The tables around me slowly filled up. It became quite Felliniesque. I noted some of the statements I overheard. One woman to another, "My brother is a schizophrenic." A man to a woman friend, "I can drive. Last night I had a picher. I'll be all right." Another man to a woman, apparently a first date. "A scallop is like fish. It looks like a little 'making a little circle with his fingers'. Â I guess she liked fish since I could smell the scallops when they were brought. And they really smelled like fish!
During these two hours, the waitresses that replaced my waiter never once came by to check on me.
I came here for lunch with two friends. It's like our girls lunch out to talk, chill, and just catch up on what's been going on in our lives.
We went on a Saturday, and their lunch ended pretty early (2:00 PM, I believe), so we couldn't do a reservation, so we just did a walk-in. There were only 2 other crowds in there. The place was nice and clean.
The food was good. Nice, hot, and fresh. I ordered the Gumbo, my friends ordered some ravioli, or something, but enjoyed it.
One thing I didn't like was the service. The waitress was a little pushy for us to leave. Kinda odd when she actually told us "take your time".
I would recommend this place, and would definitely come back to try more items on their menu.
For reference: went on 09/22/07
I completely agree with Pale C. on this one. Â I LOVE Tresetti's and I'm hard pressed to think of any improvements the restaurant can make.
I've been here several times on dates and nothing in Modesto can really compare to Tresetti's romantic atmosphere. Â Maybe Dewz back when it was on I street, but now that it's moved to 1505's location (yick), Tresetti maintains #1 status. Â
I have always experienced excellent meals at Tresetti's. Â The crab cakes are surprisingly light and are a perfect way to begin a meal. Â One of my favorite staples on the menu is the house made tri-colored raviolis. Â The taste AND presentation are perfection. Â While I've always enjoyed the appetizers and entrees at Tresetti's, I tend to judge a restaurant's overall quality by their dessert menu and let me just say...YUMMY. Â The menu varies, but the creme brulee and flourless chocolate cake have always impressed me. Â The creme brulee is a great balance of cold, light custard and a warm, crisp, sweet caramel. Â I've experienced a lot of too sweet or not warm enough creme brulees, but never at Tresetti's.
A three-course meal can run pretty pricey here, but it is SO worth it. Â I can't wait to find another excuse for a date night at Tresetti's, their twinkle lights are up year round along the outside railing, but during the holidays it adds a special something to the ambiance.
Tresetti's has never fully impressed me.
The ambiance is great, the food so-so, and the bar area can be very hectic and I have definitely been over charged, several times.
Tresetti's is definitely home to one of the "older" crowds in Modesto, but I would come here over Aqua Shi any day.
I heard so much about this bar from friends of friends that my fiance and I decided we'd try it out. When we went the first time just to have some drinks, everyone there was INCREDIBLY "hipster" minded. No one said hi to us, and it took us at least ten minutes just to get a f*cking BEER.
The second time, I decided I'd give them a chance to redeem themselves by going to dinner, and trying out the food. They advertise San Francisco style food, and service, and after living in San Francisco for a year and a half I thought I'd try it out. It was mediocre AT BEST. My fiance had the seafood polenta, and the polenta was overcooked- and you get more sea food on your plate at OLIVE GARDEN for 10 bucks cheaper. I had the duck, and it was overcooked. The service SUCKED, and the waitress told us she had to go home and take care of her roommate because he was HUNG OVER. Nice atmosphere for celebrating an engagement.
I won't be going back here. I think people just think it's all that because there's nothing better in town. It's a yuppie joint.