After a few awkward turns exiting from 40 eastbound, the parking lot appeared full (though the number of patrons did not seem to match). We were seated right away, and were greeted by a wait staff that all kind of seemed to act like they hadn't really done this before. Nevertheless, they were extremely down-to-earth and any day would I prefer that than the wait staff that acts like your several notches too far down the 'foodie' chain.
Definite points in my book when the bread came out soft and oh-so-warm. The salad was also a nice change of pace from the St .Louis Italian standby. Garbanzo beans, a roasted red pepper, a rope-y mozzarella and a not-overpoweringly-sweet dressing made for a refreshing surprise (though the red onions on mine stole the show... in a bad way).
Our entrees came out on what seemed to be the same platters my Grandma would serve the 20lb Thanksgiving turkey on. They were H-U-G-E. Like fed me for three meals huge. The strong waft of garlic exploded as soon as our dishes were served (though most could be attributed to my guest's butter-garlic-pasta side dish, both plates overall could have used a garlic intervention). Luckily, I love garlic, so I could stomach my Spaghetti Bolognese with ease. The flavors of the dish mixed well, and a small kick of heat really upped the dish for me. My only complaint is that I'm pretty sure bolognese is ground meats stewed in sauce (though I am only a wannabe foodie, so you never know). The meat in this dish seemed more like that the kitchen ran out of bolognese sauce so the improvised by giving a meatball a few rough chops and throwing it in. Either way it was good, just not what I expected.
bottom line: nice little italian joint (with a few different kicks than your typical STL italian), if you're in the area
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