125384 Thu Apr 27 19:25:53 -0700 2006 9 8 Midwest 0 680528 Folks: Need a couple of outstanding (price no object) Italian restaurants on the hill in STL....please provide me with a couple of names, specialties, and approximate price range. Thank you. Thu Apr 27 19:25:53 -0700 2006 0 El Chevere 1 680540 My favorite place is Trattoria Marcella, which is just off The Hill on Watson at Pernod. Excellent food, nice decor, and good service. I probably spend about $40 when I'm there but I don't have alcohol. My friends have been very impressed with the food and the wine selection. If they have the special green salad with julienned apples, you must get it. However, it appears to be seasonal. The fritto misto is the best fried calamari and spinach around. No sauce required. I've never been, but I hear Dominic's is a very nice place. Maybe someone can give a report. Link: http://www.gayot.com/restaurantpages/info.php?tag=SLRES9903&code=SL Fri Apr 28 18:34:23 -0700 2006 680528 0 David Prince 2 680549 Trattoria Marcella is great. Also good is Lo Russo's, Zia's is a standard (inexpensive), Pietro's is good and Cunnetto's is fantastic (excellent and inexpensive), though the wait could be longer. Sat Apr 29 11:58:31 -0700 2006 680540 0 Greg Mattison 1 680551 Definitely go to Trattoria Marcella--one of the best restaurants in the city and probably the best Italian. The Frito Misto is amazing, the lobster risotto, too. We usually split the Frito, split a pasta/starch and then split a meat/fish--it's all wonderful and you don't want to miss anything. Great salads, too. They seem to like serving creme brulee alot for dessert, but I have never had anything that I recall being great for dessert. If you want GREAT dessert, especially if the weather is nice, go over to the Central West End (Maryland just west of Euclid) to Bar Italia and eat some of their absolutely wonderful cakes on the patio with a great cup of coffee and maybe an infused grappa. Also great for people watching! Most places on the Hill are either old-school, but still pretty good Italian-American places, e.g., Dominic's, Gitto's, Giovanni's; or places that should definitely be avoided, e.g., Cunetto's, Zia's, Rigazzi's--you'll get better food at Macaroni Grill than any of these joints. Sat Apr 29 15:37:00 -0700 2006 680528 0 Matthew 2 680555 Trattoria Marcella always excellent. But as to Bar Italia, why bother? Go to La Dolce Via on Taylor for dessert. After all, Dolce makes all the desserts that Bar Italia serves. Sat Apr 29 18:17:06 -0700 2006 680551 0 Lucy "B 3 680560 Why bother? The reasons I stated in the post--great patio, interesting people watching, great coffee (at la Dolce Via, too, I know) and wonderful infused grappe. Don't get me wrong--I love la Dolce Via (we were there for breakfast this morning) and I know that they have expanded evening hours now; but Bar Italia is the perfect capper to an elegant evening out on the town. La Dolce Via is fine for eating breakfast while letting the kids play in the (toy) kitchen, but it seriously lacks evening atmosphere of any sophisticated nature. Sat Apr 29 22:54:51 -0700 2006 680555 0 Matthew 4 680574 We have been less than impressed with Bar Italia food and service. The best food and dessert in town, hands down, (at least one of the top 3 contenders) is Atlas Restaurant on Pershing in DeBaliviere nabe. Mon May 01 10:00:48 -0700 2006 680560 0 Christine 5 680586 I agree. My general rule is to avoid saying anything if I can't say something good about a restaurant. However, in my opinion Bar Italia is well past its prime and has never achieved the same high standards it displayed when it was just a hole-in-the-wall across the street. Matthew, I'm glad you've found your bit of restaurant heaven on earth but to reach the 9th sphere of eating enjoyment I suggest you look elswhere. Mon May 01 17:04:28 -0700 2006 680574 0 Lucy B 6 680623 I mentioned basically 3 things I liked about the place--the desserts (coupled with the patio and people watching makes them better than at la Dolce Via), the coffee (darned good) and the infused grappe (doesn't exist in any other restaurant in St Louis to the same degree, with whhich I am familiar). Find one place in St Louis that offers a better combo of the three. I don't mind aloof waiters and lengthy waits for a check--I'm there to relax and savor. The highly pretentious poseurs are part of the fun, as well. I never mentioned restaurant heaven on earth. I regularly spend my restaurant dollars at places other than Bar Italia, and usually at the same 2 or 3 places. I was just responding to the original post, which I thought might interest the original poster. As far as entering any of your spheres, no thanks. Wed May 03 19:29:18 -0700 2006 680586 0 Matthew 1 680627 Most stings mention Tratoria Marcella - that's one of the best resturaunts in town but it's not on the hill. Head to Dominics: old school, yes, but wonderful in that old school way. On the pricey side, but I'd say it's worth it. Link: http://www.dominicsrestaurant.com/hill/index.html Wed May 03 22:21:46 -0700 2006 680528 0 Jberendzen