Every once in a while something comes along that's a little bit different. Leonardo's Kitchen and Wine Bar, Rich LoRusso's new baby, is situated in an old gas station, and it's really a working guy's spot. (I use guy in a bi-gender sense, youse guys!) Lots of lunchtime carry-out traffic, picnic benches out front that are an optimistic touch here in the depths of winter, with sandwiches and hand-tossed pizzas the point of the whole thing.
The front room, with a counter for orders and a large cooler for nonalcoholic drinks, has lots of light, and perhaps five tables. There's also an inner dining room on the way to the kitchen, so don't be discouraged if tables look filled up when you walk in.
Happily, Leonardo's is not one of those spots who don't turn their pizza ovens on until evening, so it's a good spot for lunch cravings. One size, a 12-incher, a crust that's medium-thick by St. Louis standards, chewy and pleasantly yeasty. The cheese is a mixture of provolone and mozzarella. I was particularly taken with the Piggy, with bacon, sausage and hot salami, robustly seasoned but not fiery. Less assertive, despite the drizzle of roasted garlic olive oil, was the chic sev, with chicken, artichokes and spinach.
Both hot and cold sandwiches (plus hamburgers, which will have to wait for a return visit), all on hero-style rolls. Italian beef, beginning to get a toehold in this town for good reason, appears, moist and messy and tangy-spicy from its ladle of giardiniera, the olive-vegetable relish and, of course, the beef gravy.
And here is a sandwich whose very name has to evoke a smile: The Yogi Hoagie. This brings forth a stack of beef, ham, salami, mortadella and cheese with lettuce, tomato, a little red onion and some dressing. These vinaigrette dressings being used on such sandwiches are what lift them from snoozers to super – eschew mayonnaise for the zip of acidity, if you're wise. The salami, aged and thinly cut, almost makes one think there's prosciutto in there. It's an excellent take on the classic. Also fun to say, but another choice that had to be skipped was the Three Stooges: Hot salami, Volpi salami and baloney, which is actually mortadella.
Two of the three sides with the sandwiches deserve a little extra attention. The salad della casa, or house salad, is not what one expects to find in a red checkered cardboard container. the lettuce is fresh, there's roasted pepper, artichoke hearts, a little onion and a light dressing, plus a piece of garlic crostini, all very satisfying. And the fries – well, they're swirls about the size of a comma on a billboard, lightly dusted with a seasoning that left us thinking. Salty/tangy/faintly sweet with a light note of – is that maybe cinnamon? The nice woman behind the counter said it was ketchup seasoning, which made sense. However, I will say I don't like ketchup with my fries, and I thought this was pretty darned good.
Yes, there's pasta – hey, it's a LoRusso operation, after all – but everyone was going for pizza and sandwiches. Maybe some evening with a glass of one of the twelve by-the-glass selections, mostly Italian, of course. Daily specials that aren't necessarily from the old country – like soups that were New England clam chowder and chili with beef and hot salami. And, oh, they close at 8 except Friday and Saturday.
Very casual, let me repeat. But tasty.
Leonardo's Kitchen and Wine Bar
2130 Macklind Ave.
314-664-1410
www.facebook.com/leonardoskitchenandwinebar
Lunch and Dinner Monday-Saturday
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Sandwiches and pizza $8-$14