I love finding hidden-treasure restaurants. So, it was perfect that I happened on Fernanda’s Grill and Pizzeria while my daughter and I were spending a day hunting for treasure at Aunt Tique and Uncle Junk’s in Thomson.
After happily wandering the aisles and finding a few special items—including a tiny 100-year-old leatherbound copy of a Sherlock Holmes mystery—we asked the proprietors: Where’s a good local restaurant that’s also kid-friendly?
It turned out to be easy: They pointed across the street and up a short brick walkway to Fernanda’s on Main Street.
It was a blustery cold day, with hawks circling overhead in a blue sky as we took our short walk to Fernanda’s. Fortunately, it was lovely and warm inside, and we shed our coats as the hostess led us to a booth in the back. The restaurant is spacious, with pale gray walls, exposed brick, greenery, dark booths and chairs, and a brightly lit bar area.
Motown and other popular music from the 70s and 80s playing in the background added to the homey atmosphere. And huge pieces of colorful artwork adorn the walls—mostly images of pasta and pizza and spices, plus a painting of a chef in front of a pizza oven.
The menu is huge too. The restaurant offers New York-style pizza, but that’s not all. Appetizers range from zeppoles (fried dough) dusted with parmesan to bruschetta on garlic cheese toast to southwestern eggrolls. Entrée-size salads include a hot spicy chicken salad to a Mama Mia salad (with banana peppers, sliced bell peppers, red onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and your choice for feta or mozzarella on romaine) to a mango salad topped with buffalo chicken.
There’s a whole page devoted to hot or cold subs served with fries or a salad (for an upcharge), including an Italian sub, burgers (with beef or chicken), a gyro, even a veggie sub.
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Another page features pastas, all served with a side salad and garlic bread, with everything from raviolis and spaghettis to various parmesans and Alfredo pastas. Pizzas are served whole—no slices here. You can customize your own 10- to 24-inch pizza, with various costs for regular or premium toppings; there’s even the option of a cauliflower crust.
Or you can choose 10- to 18-inch specialty pizzas, including one stuffed with meats and extra cheese, a couple of white pizzas, or a veggie delight. There are a few unusual options, like a Puerto Rican pulled pork pizza with mojo marinade on the side or a buffalo chicken pizza that you can dress up with alfredo sauce and pineapple.
The kids’ menu has good variety of tasty options too: popcorn shrimp, ham and cheese sub, spaghetti and meatballs, mac and cheese, pizza or calzone, chicken tenders, cheese sticks, and a fettucine alfredo. A short dessert menu includes cheesecakes, sweet zeppole dusted with sugar with your choice of sauces, cannoli and something mysteriously called a triple berry tab (perhaps some sort of crisp?).
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Aunt Tique’s had mentioned the good pizza. And it had smelled great as we were walking over. But on that cold day, my daughter and I both had the same thought—a big dish of steaming hot pasta. She chose the fettucine alfredo (one of her all-time favorites), then set to coloring the kids’ menu, while I considered the chicken marsala over penne and the pasta a la vodka. There were almost too many good choices. But our server mentioned that the Mama Mari’s spaghetti was a customer favorite—with pesto and lots of veggies, it sounded full of flavor, and I was intrigued by the addition of quinoa.
My dish came with a salad, and my daughter immediately sampled a crunchy garlic crouton. I dived into the bowl of romaine, dressed simply with a bit of shredded purple cabbage, grated cheddar cheese, and a couple of halved grape tomatoes. It was definitely crisp and fresh, served with a cup of super tangy ranch dressing.
Our server came up in the meantime: She explained that the chef had made my meal with fettucine instead of spaghetti…was that OK or should they remake it? Of course it was fine; I honestly probably wouldn’t have even noticed, but thought it was a nice touch that they’d checked.
Both our pasta dishes were huge. My daughter’s could have been an adult portion, and mine was even larger. She quickly grabbed one of my garlic breads—she ended up enjoying all three with my blessing and reported that they “go great” with the alfredo sauce and had an “excellent crunch.”
While she was enjoying her makeshift appetizer, I tasted my pasta. Fettucine is actually a good choice for this dish, since the wider noodle allows the fragrant pesto to infuse every bite. It was heady with basil, with lots of additional fresh parmesan grated on top, and tons of flavor. There was so much pesto, it pooled at the bottom of the dish.
I’d added tender chicken, but I noticed that the quinoa added some nice heft to the dish—I probably hadn’t even needed the chicken. Veggies included broccoli, artichoke slices, lovely sweet blistered tomatoes, and every so often a tangy bit of olive.
My daughter’s alfredo pasta was the perfect yin to my yang. The truly excellent Alfredo sauce clung to every noodle and was rich with sweet cream and parmesan and was so smooth and cozy on a cold day.
Both of us had more than enough to bring home. But we’d already seen the desserts listed on a chalkboard at the front of the restaurant and had decided we had to have a cheesecake. The day’s options were crème brulee, regular and blueberry, and we chose the last. Granted, we were so full, we couldn’t finish even the slice we shared, but it was firm and creamy, not as tangy as some cheesecakes. The blueberry swirl added extra sweetness, and I liked the plump whole dried blueberries that topped it.
With our meal boxed up, we were able to scan the QR code on the receipt and pay right there, without having to download an app. And the next night, we were able to all enjoy a taste of Fernanda’s at home: I cooked some more spaghetti and mixed it with my leftovers, and with her alfredo pasta, my husband, daughter and I had a full meal.
After a day of junking and exploring downtown Thomson, it was a treat to relax in Fernanda’s homey atmosphere, with its generous portions and nice staff. It turned out to be the find of the day.
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Fernanda’s Grill and Pizzeria
127 Main St., Thomson
Entrées start at $9.99 and go up to $25.99 for a large specialty pizza
