I really, really wanted to love this place. That, unfortunately is where the love affair ended...with a wish, a hope, a certain expectation that going to an Italian restaurant on the world famous Hill in St. Louis, would be a life changing experience. Let me first say, the service is spot an and absolutely fantastic. They are quick to offer you more water, bread, napkins, etc. as they have a very well trained staff. The kitchen seems to be another story. I come from a culinary background and am a classically trained chef, who's life mission is NOT to blast others culinary skill set, but to appreciate each restaurant based on its food offerings.
Ok, now, the food. I ordered the Italian Nachos as a starter. I know, I know...who goes to the Hill and orders nachos. Well, any thing that is piled high with white sauce, salsiccia and cheese should be a slam dunk in my book. Alas, the generic, thin, round white corn tortilla chips, canned jalapeños, shredded iceberg lettuce and bland diced tomatoes disagree. The chips just become absolute mush, the iceberg lettuce and diced tomatoes (water content on both is too high) on top almost seemed to add to the chips demise. The flavor of the salcissia and white sauce, on the other hand, was able to power through and add a truly Italian flavor to something you normally find at a ballpark or some other type of sporting event.
The dinner salad is nothing special, a 85/15 blend of iceberg lettuce and spring mix...yes...85/15....I think I had about 5 or 6 "green" leaves mixed in with the bagged croutons (albeit fresh), 1 single grape tomato (yes...1),their house Italian dressing(nice zing) and a little bit of cheese. The bread service was your traditional, soft Italian, white bread and rock hard butter tubs (makes spreading impossible).
For my entree, I ordered the pasta Siciliano. Linguini noodles topped with chicken breast, tomatoes, pancetta, garlic, provolone, Parmesan and garlic butter sauce. The linguini noodles were perfectly al Dente (alas, not fresh, definitely dry), the garlic butter sauce was well balanced and not too overpowering, basil was almost non existent. The tomatoes...well let's just say, I realize how hard good, fresh tomatoes are to procure this time of year, but they were most certainly canned, diced, stewed tomatoes. The pancetta....this was my biggest complaint. I might have mistaken this for raw, diced pork belly (think fatty bacon), had I not known better. It was flavorless....I really expected this to be sautéed until slightly crisp on the edges and soft on the middle ( you know, the way pancetta should be cooked)....but no. The chicken was soft, still juicy and pretty tasty and cheese (powdered Parmesan and prepackaged provolone) added a little something to the overall taste of the dish. Toasted garlic bread comes with and was soft, crisp (partially burnt on one edge, but I kinda dig that) and buttery. All in all, for $15.99 and utilizing the ingredients used...I wish they'd just charge $4 more and use fresh pasta, and premium ingredients. I was not very impressed with the food overall, it's worth saying I've been there and perhaps should have tried the pizza, but it wasn't junk either. Just wish I could go back in time about 50 years and taste what made this place famous, because I guarantee this isn't the same pasta Lou and John served back in the beginning. P.S. Your menu is TOO big...but I still like you anyway read more