COLUMN: Fredrico’s is a close-to-campus winner
Twice per week, I park my car in the Big Blue Terrace at 8:30 a.m. and keep it there until after 9:30 p.m., so I don’t get stuck consigning my unborn children to the USU Parking Office to afford parking every day.
At $1.50 an hour it’s more economically sound to leave a vehicle in the parking deck until after 9:30, when you can remove it for no charge.
When it came time to eat somewhere at 5 p.m., so I could write this restaurant review, I didn’t want to have to pay to get my car out of the Terrace. Hence, I walked a half-dozen blocks down 700 North to a place I’ve never been and perhaps by now should be familiar with. I’m referring, of course, to Fredrico’s Pizza and Salads.
It’s unfortunate there aren’t more places like this to grab a bite so close to campus. I understand we have other options, such as the Junction, Marketplace or The Hub — when it’s open — but I think it’d be nice to have a few non-university-owned eateries near by for a bit of extra flavor.
My first impression upon walking through the doors of Fredrico’s was one of, “This place reminds me of a classic family-friendly pizza place.” It must’ve been the video game in the corner and the red leather booths. It feels like I see these two things in every pizza joint I go into — which is just fine.
Fredrico’s isn’t a sit-down-and-get-waited-on kind of restaurant, rather, it’s an order-at-the-counter-and-take-your-tray-to-your-table type of place.
I found this out when nobody approached me to take me to a table. The other thing I found out from the nice, young ladies who greeted me when I came in was that everything on the menu is good.
When a restaurant employee tells you everything on the menu is good, it could mean a variety of things. Either this means everything is delicious and it’s hard to choose which is the best, the menu is not extensive and therefore the restaurant specializes in making a few things well or the employee has worked there so long they’ve eaten each item so many times it all tastes the same.
Of course at Fredrico’s, everyone is a fan of the lunch special for $5.19 — $6.19 after 5 p.m. — which consists of pizza, bread and a salad. I considered the special but then opted for the second recommendation, which was baked ziti pasta alfredo.
I also opted for a side salad with pickled beets, garlic bread and a Dr Pepper. Before tip, when all was said and done, I ended up getting charged $15.64.
This is not to say you’ll pay even close to this much, it’s just that I was hungry and wanted to order a lot of food. The two young women helping me at the counter were so pleasant that I decided to leave a good tip and bring the bill to an even $20.
The salad was basic — iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots, ranch dressing and pickled beets — and the garlic bread was fantastic.
As I ate the bread, which was toasted to order to insure freshness, I could tell the garlic spread used to make it was made from scratch. I later confirmed this notion by asking one of the cooks. In fact, she told me the spread is available for purchase by the pint for about $4.
For my pasta, I was told instead of the usual onions, green and red bell peppers, I could add artichoke hearts and other ingredients if I wanted to. The artichokes were a great addition. Unfortunately, I also asked for mushrooms and spinach.
I was told it would cost a little extra, but I didn’t realize that I would be charged 60 cents for five leaves of spinach and six pieces of uncooked mushroom. For these two downfalls — the only two — I have to give Fredrico’s an A minus.
I don’t agree with being charged extra for something when I’m getting it in place of something of essentially equal value, especially when I’m not going to receive a legitimate amount of whatever it is I’m paying extra for. The other problem was that the mushrooms and spinach were put into the dish raw, rather than being cooked and then added to the pasta.
I can understand, in retrospect, that Fredrico’s is ultimately a pizza place, and the cooks probably don’t typically cook mushrooms and spinach when they put it on a pizza.
As for my overall experience, I’m not too worried about the slightly overpriced food. I could sense that there are a lot of ways to get a good meal for a low price at Fredrico’s. I’m also glad the Dr Pepper is on tap in the front of the house — this way my soda-drinking fate is in my own hands.
The prognosis for my first-ever Fredrico’s experience is a good one. I suggest you check it out, if you haven’t already.
– D. Whitney Smith is originally from Pennsylvania and moved to Utah five years ago. After 11 years’ experience waiting tables at a total of 23 restaurants, he decided to hang up his server apron and enroll at USU. Have suggestions for a restaurant to review? Email him at dan.whitney.smith@aggiemail.usu.edu.