Grade: C+
Federal Pizza, located at the intersection of Oregon and Central avenues, is by all means the quintessential scenester date restaurant. With dark mood lighting and complimentary valet parking, Federal Pizza is an optimal spot for a low-key date. The unassuming atmosphere makes for a night that would be, for lack of a better word, lighthearted.
Aside from the overtly dark lighting and the alternative music that the staff has playing in the background, this is by no means a high-browed, artsy pizza joint, contrary to some of the other restaurants in the uptown Phoenix area.
The food at the restaurant is its most redeeming quality. Unlike its pricey counterpart Postino, a dinner for two can be managed with only a $30 budget.
My appetizer, a tempura fried dish of vegetables including artichoke and sweet potato, was impressive. At a restaurant with such a heavy focus on Italian influences, the tempura vegetable plate mysteriously named the “Mister Mister” was a satisfying and refreshing rendition of the Japanese appetizer.
The portions were big enough, with one pizza — they only come in one size — being enough to satisfy two people. The quality of the food is just as expected, the dough of the pizza being hand tossed and some of the ingredients being locally grown, according to our waiter. The pizza was cooked well with fresh ingredients, and it was evident that our cook had paid attention to detail despite the fact that the dining room was busy.
I ordered the Manifesto, a pizza with Portobello mushrooms, goat cheese and fennel — an unlikely trio of toppings, yet not too outlandish; the flavor was full and rich.
To say that the service was mediocre would be kind. Each of the three staff members that we encountered over the course of our meal at Federal Pizza was awkward at best. Mumbled sentences and strange silences filled the “conversations” we had with the waiting staff. I was asked multiple times what I ordered after the fact, and at the end of the meal our party was pressured just a bit too hard into buying a dessert.
The service, despite its pauses and mumbled statements, was fast and attentive, and that’s a quality that cannot go overlooked. Our drinks never went empty, and there weren’t any necessities missing from our table at any one time.
I was not impressed by the dessert selection, a small variety of fewer than five different desserts. As cliché as the dessert “Mud Pie” is, it has no place on the menu of a restaurant like this.
The appetizers and pizzas are both affordable, especially for the quality of the food. It is in no way a competitor to the likes of Pizzeria Bianco or even Cibo, but for the price, we were impressed at the full flavor that Federal Pizza had to offer.
The good, reasonably priced food will bring me back to Federal Pizza. And as for the service, when it comes to a restaurant like this, its quirks and faults can become almost endearing, especially if the food is executed so well.
Contact the critic at dvalente@asu.edu
