Ferro

The back patio has a nice dining atmosphere and the server did a good job. Their food tastes very fresh and homemade, but lacks some flavor. I suspect this is because they don't want to douse everything in sugar and salt. - Lasagna al chingiale e manzo (lasagna with boar and beef): 4/5 (could have had a bit more flavor) - Linguine Marinara con Verdure (linguini marinara with vegetables): 4/5 - pane di banane con Nutella e gelato (banana bread with ice cream): 4/5 - crostata di fruita (fruit cobbler): 4/5 - Torta di Nocciole (hazelnut cake): 4/5 - Pollo e Pesto pizza (chicken pesto pizza) : 3/5 (not enough flavor)

The must-go-to place in Idyllwild! Italian food with a flair. Sit at the Pizza Oven bar, and watch deliciousness being made. We ate the clams in Linguini and the Lasagna. Both were beautifully made and presented. They have the best espresso and cappuccino drinks, and a good assortment of beers including An old Rasputin Stout from Fort Bragg, Ca that is one of the best Stouts you will ever drink. I was so pleased to find it at FERRO.

FERRO was recommended to me by my Airbnb host. I wanted to treat myself, so this place looked like one of the best places to do that in Idyllwild. I wish I had stayed on their back patio where the live music was happening, but I didn’t know about that going in. I had the linguine with clams and mussels. Lovely spice and tang from the red Chile flake, lemon, and splash of marinara. All shellfish filled cooked, al dente pasta. Paired it with a Chardonnay from Napa off their wine list, based of off recommendations from the waiter. And because it’s an Italian restaurant and I have a duty to try as much tiramisu as I can during my short time on this earth, I ordered it. A good portioned slice, honestly I think it could’ve used more lady fingers and the ones in there wouldn’t have gotten hurt from a longer soak in the espresso and rum. But take that with a grain of salt, I ate all of it. Great experience here overall!

After asking around we were pointed toward Ferro being slated as the best restaurant in town. I can see how locals would claim this but warning to visitors. They know their locals and service for visitors is reduced by the popularity of the locals also having dinner at the time. The food was good but not excellent. It was my husband’s 75th birthday which I had let them know when I made the reservation. They didn’t do anything to help us celebrate and the slow service finally made us a bit grumpy. There were three tables of four that where served start to finish before we even got our main course and we wish we hadn’t push it and tried to order dessert. We were disappointed and will not be going back on subsequent trips to the area. We actually were talked into BBQ’ing our own dinner for Saturday night! LOL. We like to support local restaurants and hope things turn around with the customer service if this one.

If you're deciding between the two 4.5 rated Italian restaurants in the village, go to the other place. Menu and decor looked more elegant here but the food was very disappointing. The house salad and free bread sticks were the only highlights. Ordered the risotto which came out looking like soup (see photo). Taste was ok but the rice was not Arborio, texture was more like regular rice simmered in broth. Veggies were basic. Not what one would expect for a $26 dish. Pizza was paper thin, minimal toppings with almost no sauce or cheese. Service and atmosphere was nice.