No surprise, this barely one-year-old spot in Wildwood Town Center is every bit as good as the Buzzetta family’s previous ventures were (Limoncello in Clayton, Benedetto’s Bistro in Frontenac, Sapore in Ballwin). They currently own the popular Sapore Italian Cafe in Kirkwood’s Woodbine Center, and at each spot, they have brought authentic Sicilian cuisine to the suburbs.
This attractive space has distinct dining areas, with a restaurant on one side, a long hallway with breakout rooms for large party tables, and a bar with high-tops. All rooms have TVs, and the hallway also contains large pizza ovens where you can see the pies being baked. Besides offering top-notch Italian food, the place is interesting in that you can have a dinner of anything from $15 pizza to a $48 rack of lamb.
We started with Fried Calamari ($10), which had wonderful, beefy ringlets of calamari cooked tender and sweet with a light coating. The frying technique here was excellent, not greasy and well-salted. It also came with ‘homemade spicy sauce,’ a delicate red sauce (which is what separates the wheat from the chaff in Italian cooking), laced with bits of red pepper flakes. My only complaint is that the bed of fried spinach underneath the calamari was soggy. It was supposed to be crisp-fried spinach, but somehow collapsed under the weight of the calamari or absorbed too much oil. A simple Margherita pizza ($15) was quite good, with the classic thin-as-a-cracker crust, San Marzano tomato topping and very light covering of mozzarella and parmesan. ‘Quality in, quality out’ describes it, since its handful of simple elements, probably imported from Italy, ensured an authentic result.
Gamberi di Scampi ($20) came as a great presentation of jumbo grilled shrimp arranged in a ‘crown’ over a bed of risotto. The shrimp got the typical Sicilian treatment—breadcrumbs with lemon and garlic. The risotto was an interesting blend of buttery rice with the slightest touch of tomato—all around excellent.
It’s hard for me to pass up a ‘parmesan’ dish at an Italian place, so Chicken Parmigiano ($17) was calling my name. While tasty and tender, it needed more: more of its delicious San Marzano tomato sauce and more of its melted cheese topping. And it needed less breading; I found that part a little heavy for the thin-pounded breast fillets.
Linguine del Mare ($17.50), however, was stellar, with great-tasting seafood (scallops, mussels, shrimp, clams) in a sauce of white wine, garlic and butter. Delicious! A daily special of lasagna ($25) was also excellent, the massive mound of noodles, tomato sauce, and ground veal and beef baked to crusty goodness. It was hard to wrap my mind around $25 for lasagna—no sides or salad—but the size and quality were good.
Desserts are brought around on a display tray, the old-fashioned way, which I found a nostalgic touch. We chose, wisely, the limoncello cake ($8.50), a moist white cake with yummy lemon buttercream frosting. It’s also worth noting that the service here was impressive. Our waitress was knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. Same for the bus boys—not something you can take for granted. Bravo.
amuse bouche
the scene | Lively restaurant, pizzeria and bar
the chef | Lia Buzzetta
the prices | $5-$8.50 starters, $15-$29 entrees
the favorites | Gamberi di Scampi, Limoncello cake, Fried Calamari, Linguine del Mare
chef chat » lia buzzetta
pedigree | All my life in family kitchens
favorite ingredient | Fresh herbs
favorite cookbook | Cooking with Gianna
favorite st. louis restaurant | Sapore
most memorable dining experience | At Cafe Martorano in Fort Lauderdale. Everything about it—the food and the ambiance—was very nice.
guilty pleasure food | Pasta
16721 main street | 636.821.3535
Photos: Bill Barrett
