Restaurant review: Fera’s Pasta and Pizza in Denton

by Jeph Burton of North Texas Daily , Chris Speight of North Texas Daily

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you’re going to be given a fantastic dining experience at Fera’s on Oak Street.

From its cozy, unpretentious atmosphere and well-groomed servers to its country Italian-inspired dining room, replete with faux trees acting as support beams, gentle lighting and comfortable booths, the restaurant offers what anyone might assume to be an authentic Tuscan retreat.

But the pieces aren’t all quite there for Fera’s, formerly known as Bari’s.

Seating was immediate for a Monday night around 8 pm. Music was foregone altogether, which allowed us to relish our meal over the lovely drone of the ice machine, and what may have been the air conditioner. It was a perfect ambiance, punctuated with the violent sneezes of our server with a possible cold.

A convulsive sniffle announced the arrival of our server, who visibly wiped his nose and brought out a plate with three lumps of bread.

There was only one side plate, though, which we were presumably supposed to fight over. Our server fixed the miscount after a quick request, but why not kill two birds with one stone and bring us all the side plates at once?

Fera’s does not serve liquor, but it does carry a few bottles of wine, averaging $20 per bottle. There was a decent selection of beers to choose from, including two Italian beers, Moretti, and Peroni.

Seeking to brighten our spirits, we ordered a bottle of Sangiovese. The wine came to the table already uncorked, the foil on top mangled and twisted in all directions.

Our server set the bottle down on the table without pouring a sample or the first round. The bottle just sat there looking at us in a melancholy, lonely way, knowing it had been done an injustice.

The server returned promptly to take our orders, quickly suggesting the tortellini with pink sauce, a blend of marinara and alfredo sauces, and the calzone.

Chris started with an antipasto salad, which had an assortment of lunch meats rolled up and thrown on some lettuce. There were some tomatoes and olives, of course, with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Good start, right?

Our meals came within minutes, but either our server forgot his tray stand, or Fera’s doesn’t have them. Luckily, he improvised and rested the tray on a vacant seat at our table and dished out the food.

The calzone was a brick-heavy baked pocket of cheese and sausage that took up almost the entire plate. It was served with a side of warm marinara sauce.

The simple dish reminded Jeph of a sauceless pizza folded in on itself so that only the crust showed. In terms of its portions, the calzone gives you a lot of bang for your buck. The blend of cheese inside meshed well with its delicately flaky crust, but the sausage was a little rubbery and bland.

Chris went with the meat tortellini with pink sauce. This is a good dish, but at first it was unclear whether the tasty pasta pockets were filled with cheese or meat.

After slicing into the pasta pocket, Chris discovered it was indeed filled with meat, but it did taste like cheese and had a melty consistency. Still, it was good; maybe go with the cheese tortellini, though.

Paying for our tab turned into a bizarre fiasco. We received our handwritten ticket, an itemized list of entrees and drinks – but totally lacking prices.

What’s more, at Fera’s you don’t pay your server. You walk up to the register and hand the hostess your ticket and money.

This becomes an awkward exchange of how and whom you’re tipping, how much you’re actually looking at beforehand, and how best to deal with cash tips. It just felt sloppy.

We left Fera’s feeling full but unimpressed, like we’d gorged ourselves on cafeteria food on Italian night.

While the prices are reasonable, the quality is questionable, and the service is a far cry from professional.

Still, it might make an inexpensive date spot if you’re just dying to kill that Italian craving, but don’t go without being able to hold a conversation, unless you enjoy awkward silences.

Ratings:

Cleanliness – 1/5

Service – 2/5

Affordability – 4/5

Atmosphere – 2/5

Food Quality – 2/5