Every neighborhood, from St. Louis to Naples, deserves a little family-run Italian restaurant where it’s easy to grab a plate of pasta and relieve Mom of the cooking chores. Yes, even Frontenac, and that’s what the del Pietro family now provides. Located in a new strip on the north side of Clayton Road a little west of Plaza Frontenac, Sugo’s Spaghetteria feels right, too, with an extremely authentic trattoria-ish aura, except for the black industrial pipe ceiling. It also sounds authentic; it’s noisy unless it’s fairly empty, thanks to the concrete floors and wooden tables. Yes, there’s some outdoor seating, but it’s on the front walk overlooking the parking lot, allowing a fine view of the generously-portioned parking spaces. (All those Escalades and Navigators take a wide stance, of course.) Plenty of family groups visit, although there’s no no kids’ menu. Instead, pizza and pasta will take care of most young ones. The darkish interior seems to remind the children that this is a place for indoor voices, which might suggest turning down the dining room lights at home.
This time of year, there’s plenty of good material for bruschetti, although fresh basil, garlic and olive oil can push even winter tomatoes to a sometimes-tasty point. On a most recent visit, things were excellent, pieces of warm toast topped with the seasoned chopped tomatoes and shards of cheese. And our first experience with the dish here, a while ago, was mostly acceptable. Eggplant Parmigiano was absolutely charming, a light, crunchy coat of bread crumbs on thin slices, all nestled next to a lightly flavored chunky tomato sauce so thick it stood in mounds on the plate.
The pasta seems to be fresh rather than dried, and cooked to a proper toothiness. A mushroom tagliatelle with mixed mushrooms, a little olive oil, some cloves of roasted garlic, a bit of mozzarella worked well (although it, unlike three other pastas delivered at the same time, was far from steaming hot), and so did the same pasta for a tutto mare of shrimp, crabmeat and seafood juices with a light hit of red pepper. We didn’t see any of the clams the menu promised, but it was, as we said, a little dark. But the hit was the lasagna, a portion large enough to stun even St. Louisans, multilayered and leaning like the Tower of Pisa, every bite bringing slightly different tastes of pasta, sauce, cheese and sausage, the whole thing beautifully balanced. The fennel in the sausage’s fennel did not run roughshod over the delicate cheeses, the pastas did not absorb every bit of the sauce’s moisture. A truly fabulous piece of lasagna.
Three specials of the day show off preparations of chicken, veal and seafood. Once, they were out of osso bucco and offered beef short ribs instead, cooked in a rich tomato sauce so dark it was almost mahogany, and served over polenta, that delicious peasant food. We’ve had a veal Parmigiano, too, crisply breaded, not remarkably thin but fork-tender and full of meaty flavor, with a side of pasta alfredo, showing a sauce that was more about garlic than about cheese, and goodness knows there’s nothing wrong with that.
The only dessert we’ve ever found at Sugo’s is tiramisu, but a version that is both light and rich at the same time, fluffy and moist, with a very slight hint of anise. As far as wine goes, it’s all Italian, which is no surprise, including some primitivo by the glass. Primitivo is an Italian grape that oenologists say is related to zinfandel. It certainly tastes like it could be, rich and fruity and dry.
Sugo’s Spaghetteria
10419 Clayton Rd., Frontenac
314-569-0400
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Entrees: $9-$18
