Edition: St. Louis Adventure
International Flavor, Local Flair
Author: Jennifer R. Rolf
First-generation Americans create restaurants where flavors and cultures mesh.
Many visitors to St. Louis come and go, but some never leave. Thousands of immigrants from countries far and wide plant firm roots here, raise families and puruse the "American dream." For many first-generation Americans, that dream materializes when they establish a restaurant; a place where they can share recipes that have been passed down for generations - dishes they've dined on for years with family and friends. No matter what type of cuisine is offered, St. Louis is a city where flavors and cultures mesh, producing delicious and sometimes difficult choices when it comes to deciding where to eat your next meal out. Here are a few of those restaurants and the proprietors who are here to stay.
In St. Louis, the area known as the HIll is synonymous with great Italian food. In this part of town, restuarateurs either born in Italy or descended from Italian immigrants bring their native region's flavors to life. One such Italian-born proprietor is Tony Catarinicchia, who came from Sicily for a visit more than 30 years ago, and decided to stay and make a life here. After many years of working as a chef at another restaurant on the Hill, Tony finally opened Gian-Tony's Ristorante. One of the only restaurants on the Hill open seven days a week for dinner, Gian-Tony's touts tempting Italian specialties with Sicilian flavor. Menu highlights include Vitello Alla Marsala and Pollo Alla Parmigiana.
St. Louis's only choice for authentic Peruvian cuisine is Mango Peruvian Restaurant, where South American influence can be found in every dish. From outside the restaurant, Mango's strip mall location may cause one to speculate as to what lies beyond its doors. Inside, however, is a South American treasure. The dark wood décor, warm colors, and formal place settings offer aesthetically pleasing surroundings to enjoy your meal. Mango is the dream-come-true of Jorge and Nori Calvo, who relocated to St. Louis from Lima. the Calvos loved cooking for friends and eventually opened a catering business. The natural next step was opening a restaurant. Mango's menu features flavorful foods infused with spices and savory sauces. Highlights include hot and cold starters, sampler platters, vegetarian options, and savory main dishes such as Pollo A La Plancha and Pescado A Lo Macho.
Growing up in Turkey, Chef Mehmet Yildiz of Aya Sofia developed a passion for cooking. He envisioned opening a restaurant one day and decided to pursue that dream in America, where some relatives had already moved. After a short stint in Chicago, Mehmet cam to St. Louis, where he and fiancée Alicia Aboussie found the ideal location to open the city's only Turkish restaurant (across from frozen custard landmark Ted Drewes). Inside, rich colors, dark wood, and beautiful fabrics blend together to create an exotic yet comfortable setting, and screened booths are the perfect place to dine with that special someone. Mehmet is always hard at work in the kitchen, serving up the delightful delicacies that he learned to cook from his mother and other family members back in Turkey. Cold appetizers such as hummus and biber ezme (toasted red pepper dip), complete with pita triangles for dipping, are sure to please the palate. On the list of entrees one will find Iskender (seasoned and grilled beef and lamb) and Izgara Kilic Baligi (swordfish steak). Live belly-dancing entertains patrons Tuesday through Friday evenings.
Over the past several years, the influx of Bosnian immigrants has swelled in St. Louis, making it one of the largest Bosnian population centers in the United States. Sulejman Grbic was ahead of the curve, arriving here nearly three decades ago. He chose to make St. Louis his permanent home because certain aspects reminded him of his native Bosnia. After an old dairy closed, he and wife Ermina worked for years transform it into its current splendor: Grbic Restaurant. The Grbic family shares recipes that have been passed down from Sulejman's mother and grandparents. The menu offers many Bosnian dishes, such as Sarma schnitzel and the Mixed Grbic Plate (featuring cevapi), but other dishes cross cultural barriers with French, German, and Italian flair.
After years of searching for the perfect building in which to open a restaurant, Maritza Stock took one look at the structure that now houses the St. Louis Gast Haus and fell in love. Others may not have seen what she saw: the windows brought back fond memories of her veranda in Yugoslavia, the country she and her sister fled because of communism more than 50 years ago. After making a life in St. Louis, Maritza and husband Bill Stock - who spent several years in Germany as a boy - would enjoy German meals with the family, but as the years progressed, the number of German restaurants in St. Louis began to wane. Today, the Stocks, along with Maritza's sister and two more relatives, create the family's own style of Bavarian goodness at the Gast Haus. The restaurant's airy rooms are painted with beautiful murals of Germany. The menu offers a wide array of German comfort food, such as sauerbrated and wiener schnitzel, and scrumptious sides that include potato pancakes and spätzle. Decadent desserts include Black Forest cake and chocolate cream cake.
Guido's Pizzeria & Tapas is an exception to what you would expect to find in a restaurant on the Hill. While delicious pizza and Italian staples are offered, the signature dishes are tapas - smaller Spanish specialites that the Carretero family has always wanted to share. Hailing from Madrid, the Carreteros came here and established smaller pzzerias around town before they fell in love with their current location on Shaw Avenue. Guido's extensive hours of operation (seven days a week) and convenient location adjacent to I-44 make it the perfect stop after a day at the nearby Missouri Botanical Garden or following a game at the new Busch Stadium. Tapas Frias, or cold tapas, include Jarmon Serrano and Tabla IBerica. Tapa Calientes, or hot tapas, include Queso Frito con Salsa de Escalona and Homemade Empanadillas.
Gian-Tony's On The Hill
5356 Daggett Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110
Sicilian specialties at affordable prices can be found at this Hill neighborhood favorite.
St. Louis Gast Haus
18th Street & Chouteau, St. Louis, MO 63104
Tempt your tastebuds with authentic German strudels, sauerbraten and a sturdy beer selection.
Guido's Pizzeria and Tapas
5046 Shaw Avenue , St. Louis, MO 63110
In the mood to make your dining experience an adventure? Try a taste of authentic Spanish tapas, like homemade empanadas or Jamon Serrano. Italian staples like pizza are offered as well, and Guido's is well-known for its delicious Sangria.
