The smell of fresh bread makes my mouth water as I enter Baris. Baris is a local pasta restaurant that is known for their amazing and cheap food. In fact, they have framed certificates on their wall that prize them as having the best pasta in Waco. I've heard plenty of good things and have even eaten there a couple of times with friends.

          This week was a more eye-opening experience because I ate their by myself and focused my all on using my five senses to get a real feel for the place. The first thing I notice as I pull into the parking lot is how small it is. It is a completely mess as there is barely enough room for cars to squeeze to the back parking lot. Additionally, a couple parking spots block the view to the connecting street and make it hard to leave at times.

          As I approach the green door I hear the crinkle of a bell attached to it and notice a Baylor Bear claw sticker on the window. The delicious smell of baked bread hits me and I ask for a table for one. The place is rather packed for 2 p.m. on a Sunday, but there is still plenty of seating. They have both booths and tables. On the table lies a mahogany menu on top of a paper place mat with a map of Italy. The tableware includes a simple knife and fork set. They are clean, but have some scratches on it. I order water and wait for it to come out.

           The restaurant has brick walls on two sides and the other two sides are colored in yellow paint. The place has a homely atmosphere with the soft yellow lighting and ceiling fans. The brown floor tile is smooth and clean. The booths need some new upholstering to replace the torn mahogany-colored ones. The servers are all wearing black and are attentive to the more busy tables. I get my water and have to wait 10 minutes before one of them decides to take my order. I decided on a tossed salad, fried cheese ravioli and Dee’s special.

          The water comes is a slightly transparent, plastic cup with crumbled ice and a lemon slice. It tastes just like tap. The waitress serving me then brings out the salad with two different dressings. The one in a white bottle is ranch and is sub par, but the red house dressing is delicious! It tastes tangy, sweet and salty all at the same time and looks watery salsa. However, the salad is a bit too much for the small plate and lettuce spills on to the place mat as I stir it around. The salad consists of lettuce, a slice of tomato, sliced red onions and shaved carrots. It taste simple, but has a spicy after taste. All in all, the house dressing really makes the salad exquisite.

          I have to wait 10 more minutes before the baked ravioli comes out. All together is consists of three pieces of ravioli and a small bowl of marinara sauce. The ravioli is filled with white cheese that crumbles instead of melts. The outer shell is dry and the edged can be bit tough. The marinara is more salty than sweet and the herbs tended to get stuck in my teeth. The marinara is a little overpowering, but definitely makes up for the dryness of the ravioli when eaten together. It’s not a bad appetizer, but I wish it was moister.

          Now the Dee’s Special is a plate of ziti pasta covered in cheese and meat sauce. It came out another 10 minutes later and was set on the other end of the table. As I go to pick it up, it burns me. I realize that the waitress never informed me that the plate was hot and the thought makes me fume a little inside. The first thing I notice is a scoop of what appears to be cottage cheese. It is fluffy and tastes like a bland form of whipped cream cheese. It is delicious. The next thing I try is the ziti and, although it is soft, I’m disappointed as it leaves a bit of grease on the plate when I pick it up. The melted cheese that lies on top of it all is pretty decent. It is well melted and keeps the rest of the food steamy and warm. The last thing I try before digging into the pasta is the meat sauce. It is rather salty and leaves a slightly bitter after taste. When I eat it all together I feel that there is a bit too much going on. I then realize how salty it is because I find myself having to continuously drink water between bites. It is filling like all pastas, but some pieces of the ziti were hardened and overcooked. Altogether, I find it to be much too salty.

          After I finish half the plate, I call the waitress and ask for a to-go box. After waiting for 10 minutes, I get up to leave without my unboxed pasta. As I make my way to the register to pay, the waitress follows me and finally asks me if I needed box, but I decide against it. She then goes in the back to get the owner, Mama Baris as she’s called, to ring up the order. It appears that only the owner is allowed access to the register. As she approaches, I get a giant whiff of cigarette smoke and I am taken back. I pay and leave.

          Overall, this restaurant was alright. My favorite part of the meal was probably the house salad dressing and the ravioli. The pasta and meat sauce was way too salty for my liking. I prefer the elegance and flavors offered to me at Olive Garden. As I review these facts, I realize that I never even got my free bread. Although I would come back again, it would definitely be for a different entrée. The atmosphere was decent and homely, but the staffing annoyed me. They were less than attentive and only checked on my once throughout the whole meal. The atmosphere and smaller details really made the place what it is, but I am not the biggest fan of the main courses. Hopefully, the next time I decide to eat there, I’ll find something with a little less salt and get a little more bread.