Visitors to Laganini Pizzeria and Restaurant may think they’re just walking into an old Captain D’s, but the sight of a handsome wooden bar will immediately correct any perceptions. And while this is a restaurant whose prices are extremely moderate, there’s a nice note of dignity about the dining room, which reminds us of some we’ve seen in the north of Italy. Nothing intimidating, some pleasing artifacts on the walls and an extremely warm welcome.
Laganini’s menu sails back and forth across the Adriatic Sea, mixing Italy and Bosnia, along with, we suspect, some neighboring areas. National boundaries and names have moved back and forth over the centuries in that part of the world, and goodness knows cooking styles cross borders without need of passports or identity cards. We focused mainly on the Bosnian dishes, since Italian is easy to come by hereabouts. And we were rewarded quite richly.
The fresh bread on the table was made in house, said our server, who turned out to be the daughter of the family Sadikovic which owns Laganini. She also told us that the Sadikovics make all their own breads, and practically everything else, from scratch. The small loaf was warm and tender, with a firm, if not crunchy crust, a little dense and just a tad salty, so good it didn’t need the offered butter.
Goulash soup was the soup du jour, which meant we ordered it forthwith. It truly was a soup, its liquid far thinner than the stew-type goulash we’re more familiar with. Its ruddy color and bite-sized pieces of tender beef looked right, and the strong meat flavor did justice to a rustic grandma. Although the goulash lacked large pieces of vegetables, their flavor persisted, bolstered by the sweet, slightly tingly heat of paprika, an essential ingredient. For those who are heat-reluctant, this isn’t the hot paprika one sometimes finds in stores. And on the very bright side for those who believe, as we do, that hot food should be hot and cold food should be cold, steam was rising from the bowl when it was placed on the table. That’s something we don’t see enough of, and the sort of dish that causes a delighted grunt with the first bite.
Cevapcici (chee-VAP-chee-chee) are finger-sized sausages without casings. They’re found all over the part of the world that was once Yugoslavia, and beyond, with local variations. Laganini doesn’t serve pork, so these are all beef, but cooked in a bit of lamb fat to add that note to the black pepper and garlic we could taste. They’re absolutely delicious, arriving in what resembles a large, soft pita that’s been warmed on the grill. Alongside are chopped onion, sour cream and a couple of slices of Roma tomato. It probably is would be unwieldy if picked up as a sandwich, but pulling off a little bread, wrapping it around a sausage or three – they come clustered in threes, another regional thing – dipping it in the sour cream and then in the onions works quite well.
We’re both quite fond of chicken livers, and Laganini’s braises them in a vegetable gravy thickened with the natural juices, the livers tender and full of flavor. We were a little surprised to see that it was served with polenta, but that, too, under various names, spread through this part of the world long ago. This polenta is firm, unlike the creamier Italian version seen around town, and three scoops of it arrived alongside. Neutral and pleasant, it mopped up the juices well.
When a restaurant puts “pizzeria” ahead of “restaurant” in its name, it’s trying to tell the world something. We seek clues like that, and believe in letting restaurants prepare what they think they do best, so pizza it was. The choices are a little different than usual, including a tuna pizza, and curious as we were about that, we decided on the capricciosa, a common style of pizza in Italy. The word shares a root with “capricious,” and it’s at the whim of the kitchen, usually having the most toppings of any on the menu. The Laganini version has beef prosciutto, mushrooms, tomatoes, a sprinkle of fresh basil and oregano and, in an uncommon appearance, a fried egg sunnyside up. That’s not rare on a capricciosa in Italy, and it made a nice dipping sauce for some of the crust. The prosciutto’s aroma was almost like bacon, the pie wasn’t overwhelmed with cheese, and the crust was remarkable, crispy and tender. Yes, different, but, yes, yummy.
On the sweet side, we tried a couple of apple desserts. The Bosnian applepita was grated apple baked in filo dough, drizzled with butterscotch sauce, a small scoop of ice cream and some whipped cream. No so successful as we hoped because the apples had little flavor and the filo, as often happens, had softened. On the other hand, an apple described as boiled, but which we suspect was actually gently poached after being peeled and cored, was set up like a baked apple, the center stuffed with walnuts, a little syrup (possibly the poaching liquid) and sprinkled with crushed pistachios, was far more successful, the apple still a little resistant to the tooth and nicely tart.
Laganini provides much good flavor at very reasonable prices, has a full bar and often has music on Saturday nights and a small dance floor. Because we’ve heard folks discuss the high smoke levels of some Bosnian restaurants, we checked carefully and found no residual odor during our visit.
Laganini Pizzeria & Restaurant
4625 Gravois
314-481-8000
Lunch & Dinner Thurs.-Tues.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Fair
Smoking: No
Entrees: $7-$15
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mmmm, that pizza looks really good. Speaking of pizza, have tried Villa Farotto in the Chesterfield Valley? Awesome Pizza and some of the best toasted ravioli in town. Check ’em out! http://www.villafarotto.com