Good food, low cost–and a European parking experience. What more could you ask for a casual evening’s entertainment?
Mangia Italiano, in the food-happy South Grand neighborhood, expanded a few years ago, with a second dining room that’s partly non-smoking. But it’s still a laid-back, slightly artsy sort of joint that features the pasta that’s made in-house. (It’s also sold retail at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market, and at the restaurant, but we find that a call in advance is a good idea if you’re interested.)
One of the best appetizers is the fig salad, dried figs poached in port and split to be topped with tangy blue cabrales cheese from Spain. There’s a little balsamic vinaigrette over it, the whole thing a remarkable dance of tastes. A caesar salad was fresh and crisp, with a well-seasoned dressing and housemade croutons. Unfortunately, the salad does not come with anchovies, nor does the kitchen have some on hand to satisfy those who yearn for the hairy little fish. Still, even the anchovy-deprived admitted that the salad was delicious.
Entrees are mostly under $12 and offer excellent value. The lasagna is swell, but we have a soft spot for the butternut squash ravioli. No, this is definitely not something post-modern and chi-chi. It’s an old Italian dish, from Mantua, although it generally is presented as tortelloni over there. It’s sauced with butter and a sprinkling of fresh sage, along with a little pepper to zing it up ever so slightly. It’s rich and soothing, real comfort food and a great combination of sweet and savory. The pasta itself is delicious (the house-made quality again) and it’s a superior dish.
The list of specials is fairly long and detailed; careful attention pays big dividends. On one visit, however, they were $15 and $16, and prices were not part of the server’s description. Still, they remained a good value. Conchiglie, shell-shaped pasta, sprawled in a lobster broth with tiny langoustine tails (basically crawfish) and real crabmeat, along with some bacon, the whole thing topped with chopped radicchio. A few edamame were thrown in, too, just for fun. The whole dish, in fact, was great fun, tasty and intriguing. This wouldn’t seem to be a logical place to eat a pork chop, but logic, as Ann mutters sometimes, is a crutch. The thick, juicy chop was topped with an apple chutney. Nearby was a sweet potato puree that tasted so buttery it could have been put on toast. Roasted broccoli was the second vegetable, a technique we’d never tasted before, and even well-known broccoli-loather Joe was very pleased. Roasting changes the consistency, makes it chewier and concentrates the flavor, making it more like, say, brussels sprouts (which he does like, and very much, thank you). All in all a fine plate of food.
We’re always on the lookout for something different on the dessert menu. At Mangia one night, it turned out to be chocolate truffles, half a dozen drizzled with raspberry puree and white chocolate and filled with nuts or chocolate chips. We suspect this was one of those restaurant moves that made lemonade out of lemons. They were more like really chewy brownies rolled into balls, but they were rich and chocolate-y, just the thing to finish off a glass of primitivo, that Italian red wine that’s related to zinfandel.
Surprisingly crisp service from the deeply casual-looking staff, too.
European parking? Well, it turns out that South Grand has installed a new style of parking meter which we’ve seen only in Europe, although some American cities reportedly have them as well. On each block, there’s a machine. Park the car, go to the machine, insert money, take the ticket the machine spits out and put it on your dash, making sure any passing meter maid can read it. Get used the routine; it appears to be the wave of the future.
Mangia Italiano
3145 S. Grand Blvd.
314-664-8585
http://www.saucemagazine.com/website.php?e=157
Lunch & Dinner daily
Sunday Brunch
Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: fair
Smoking: Yes
Entrees: $6-$16