Restaurant Review

For close to a year, those passing by the old fire station in Lakeville, CT, have wondered what the construction would result in. We had heard that it was definitely going to be a restaurant, but then the question was whether it would be an Italian restaurant, or maybe a pizza joint – but then we also heard a few other theories. Well, lo and behold and much to our delight, Fern officially opened a few weeks ago – and we were there for it.

Some of the rumors were proven to be true because the Fern menu does don such options as specialty pizzas from their fancy wood-fired oven as well as some Italian-themed pasta dishes. But Fern is way more than that.

First off, the building has always been beautiful. The old fire station has undergone only a couple of changes since it was the home of the Lakeville Fire Department, but Allee Architecture of Millerton, NY, did an amazing job with the conversion from a gym to a restaurant, because as soon as you walk through the door you just go, “Wow!”

The space is welcoming as is its staff; the ambiance, feel and flow is truly refreshing. The bar is centrally located and the restaurant flows around it. The left side of the restaurant, where you enter, is a smaller room and is slightly more cozy whereas the room to the right is the large room (where the fire trucks used to park) with the big glass doors that let in amazing natural light. This larger room offers both tables and booths for seating options. In the back of this room you can see the pizza chefs making and baking the pizzas in the large wood-fired oven.

Looking around the space, not a detail was left to chance. Each design element makes the mood, feel and ambiance reinforce your feeling of welcome and comfort. 

Onto the food

The staff was very friendly and welcoming on the early Sunday evening when we went to Fern, which I might add is a perfect date night place. That said, we were surrounded by families with children of all ages, in addition to friends meeting for drinks and dinner. A place for everyone.

Our waitress welcomed us, handed us the elegant yet simple menus, popped the specials plaque on the table, and brought us water. We perused the menu which had an assortment of salads and appetizers ranging from the classic Caesar salad to grilled octopus and prosciutto with melon. Each of the categories – pizza, pasta, mains – all offered four choices each ranging from fettuccine bolognese with ricotta cheese to a roasted chicken and grilled pork chop with various accompanying sides. But as if it wasn’t hard enough to choose between these offerings, the night’s specials were equally delicious. 

Since it was our first time here, we opted to try a little bit of everything which included the Caesar and kale salads; a Margherita pizza; the scallops and shrimp special pasta (my favorite); the rib eye steak; one of their specialty cocktails to quench my thirst; along with the chocolate pudding dessert.

The presentation of the food is beautiful. The food itself was delicious. We each had our favorite dishes out of our selected choices that evening and were excited to expand on our choices for the next time we come to Fern.

We left there pleasantly surprised with the array of choices and felt that there was definitely something there to please everyone. For me, Fern has the whole package: the right atmosphere, friendly and accommodating staff, with delicious food.

Fern is located at 9 Sharon Road, Lakeville, CT. To call (860) 596-1930. Google “Fern Lakeville” to make an online reservation.