We always list two things we won't argue about–barbecue and pizza. That said, the former Brooklynite who is the senior member of our partnership has found something surprising. Feraro's Jersey Style Pizza is the closest he's found to the pizza he ate at Coney Island as a kid. It's hard to admit that New York and New Jersey, traditional rivals, could agree on anything, but this pie comes close.
And the place feels right, tiny, with the somewhat slapdash style of decorating that characterized the neighborhood pizza places Ann went to when she lived in western Massachusetts. Service is amiable if slightly chaotic. The phone rings constantly with orders, for both pickup and delivery. Photos of the Jersey shore and famous Jerseyites plaster the walls. A dress code? Nonexistent.
Feraro's does offer pizza by the slice, one of the few places around that does. But we went for the whole pie, wanting to give them a shot at delivering their work fresh out of the oven. The crust is medium-thick, with a good chew, just right for the regional habit of folding a slice in half the long way, crust-to-point. No provel. No. Mozzarella, stringy-gooey-stretchy, although not drowning in it. And the slightly sweet sauce is also not poured on with a heavy hand. All in very good balance. We opted for a meatball/mushroom, half and half with ham/hot pepper pie, with slices of homemade meatballs that didn't dry out in the heat of the oven.
Instead of an appetizer, it was hard to resist a sausage and pepper sandwich. And interestingly, rather than sausage in a link, here it was broken up and cooked with a tomato sauce, the peppers and some onions. Yes, messy, to the point of not being finger food except for the very daring, but tasty.
Zeppole for dessert? Now there's something different. They turn out to be balls of the pizza dough, deepfried and tossed with a generous amount of powdered sugar. But who doesn't like fried dough?
Some of their “giant” pizzas (18”) served as specialties go into the mid-$20s, so be prepared. This isn't cheap chain food. And now there's a second location in South County; check the website for details.
Don't go expecting St. Louis style pizza, and you'll probably be quite happy.
Feraro's Jersey Pizza
1862 S. 10th St.
314-588-8345
Lunch & Dinner Tues.-Sun.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: No
Smoking: No
Entrees & sandwiches: $7-$26
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This is the only pizza that we will eat in St.Louis. But Jimmy’s from Rochester N.Y. and I’m from Syracuse and Boston. We do ask them to put a little olive oil on the crust before they assemble it.