Tucked into a corner of a downtown hotel, next door to the sad remains of Union Market, J. F. Sanfilippo’s is too good to leave to the tourists and convention-goers. It’s another one of that underappreciated group, St Louis’ family-owned Italian restaurants. Less formal than some of its relatives, and it has many in the area, with two dining rooms and a bar that feel almost cozy, there’s the feeling of “insider’s secret” about the place when it’s not busy.
Sanfilippo’s does nothing to disturb our firm opinion that pastas are the great secret of local Italian restaurants. In fact, they prove it with choices like linguini alla Carolina, al dente, of course, with a tomato and mushroom sauce smoothed out with a little brandy, the sort of dish that provokes little grunts of pleasure from, uh, certain diners. And then there’s the rigatoni Giuseppe, shown below, one of our favorite pasta shapes (the rigatoni, not Giuseppe), served with a vodka sauce that combines cream and tomato. (We really hadn’t intended to end up with two vegetarian options here, but it just goes to show how meat isn’t the be-all of eating.)
Veal piccata is the classic version, thin slices of fork-tender veal in a properly tart sauce, kicked up with capers. Chicken Sanfilippo isn’t on the menu, but the veal version is; they’ll be happy to trade out for a boneless chicken breast–which doesn’t turn out dry and tasteless, hooray. And it’s not just because its red wine and mushroom sauce is so delicious, it’s because the chicken isn’t overcooked. We tried two kinds of shrimp, the diavolo, which is in a spicy tomato sauce, and the bianco, served with a cream-and-brandy sauce punched up with what the menu says is Cajun seasoning. We’re not sure how Cajun this is, but it manages to be both mellow and slightly spicy at the same time. Neither is flaming hot, but both were excellent. And we’re told that you can get an appetizer of two jumbo shrimp, one in each sauce, even though that isn’t on the menu either.
And that leads us to another thing. Out of towners are often amazed by how our Italian restaurants, whether deeply serious or laid-back, don’t give the fish eye to diners who ask for things that aren’t on the menu. Most of the time, if St. Louis restaurateurs have it in the kitchen, they’ll make it for you. We respect chefs as artists, but we also respect businesses which try to please their customers.
There are some pleasant dessert options, all in the Italian tradition, like cannoli, which is filled to order, but if it’s available, here’s a chance to try something we’ve never found anywhere else in town: Signora Sanfilippo makes a Sicilian dessert called inis. It’s basically sweetened ricotta, much like the cannoli filling, that’s breaded lightly and then quickly fried. Delicious and not to be missed.
A lot of long-time employees keep things moving nicely, and the wine list, strongly Italian and of moderate price, offers some bottles that are excellent values.
And one other thing: There is free parking in the old Union Market spaces, but the access is a little tricky. A steep, short driveway leads to a heavy door. Pull in. Wait. When the door opens, climb a steep, longer driveway and park. An elevator, on the east side, takes diners to the hotel lobby, which has a door to the restaurant. J. F. Sanfilippo’s
Drury Inn Union Market
705 N. Broadway
314-621-7213
www.jfsanfilippos.com Lunch Mon.-Fri, Dinner Mon.-Sat.
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: Yes
Entrees: $9-$28
Credit cards: All major
Comments
2 responses
The food looks way delicious! With some good wine it would be even better!
underappreciated? This place sucks! They need to close down. It was a waste of money