Review: Café Bellagio in Creve Coeur
For much of the 20th century, The Hill defined Italian cuisine for St. Louis diners, whether for natives or visitors. In many respects, it still does, but like the rest of the city, it isn't the same as it was. The arrival of Café Bellagio in Creve Coeur, with the Gabriele family moving into a second location, is another step in carrying the product closer to the consumer, or perhaps a dilution of ethnic enclaves in the city, or maybe just a need for growth in the busily expanding local restaurant scene.
Frank Gabriele, son of Giovanni, one of the senior members of the St. Louis Italian restaurant hierarchy, is the man in charge as executive chef at the suburban location, where the aura is more casual and the conversational volume slightly higher. Brother and co-owner Carmelo is in the dining room.
The Guru enjoyed several meals at the suburban establishment, but following his policy that a restaurant sets its standards by the way it sets its prices, there were soft spots in both food and service. Improvement was noted in both areas as we repeated visits, and while enjoyment is now high, it's not quite as high as the Guru, or the Gabrieles, would like.
For example, on an early visit, we asked twice before bread arrived, and the server neglected to offer cheese for a couple of pasta side dishes. Not tragedies, but not service in the Giovanni style. The dining room is cool, with cloth drapes swooping like Olympic ski jumps from the midpoint of the ceiling to the walls. There's a large dining room, and a smaller one, and a couple that can be used for private parties, plus some piazza space outside, though that’s not recommended for this time of the year. An interesting addition is a travelogue of Italy that shows on a translucent wall, best viewed from inside the smaller dining room. Anyone who ever has traveled to Italy will gasp at some familiar scenes – Venice, Rome, Florence, even the gorgeous cathedral in Orvieto, where a not-quite visible gelateria serves some of the best ice cream in the world.
The menu offers both classic and more contemporary Italian fare, of course, with a surprise in the fact that the least expensive entrée is the presidential namesake Involtini di Pollo Bush, chicken rolled in prosciutto, Asiago cheese and spinach, dusted with bread crumbs and served with a shiitake, shallot and white wine sauce. The senior Gabriele also had a pasta-with-salmon dish named for the late President Reagan, and while it remains on the menu, the political association is now unspoken.
And the dish is delicious, a farfalle (bowtie) noodle with salmon that is cooked to the ideal point of al dente, offering a little resistance to the tooth and a delicately balanced white sauce. Mrs. Guru, who maintains that great pasta dishes are available at all top-rank St. Louis Italian restaurants but are not ordered enough, also was delighted by Bombolotti Guanciale, small rigatoni with tomatoes, pancetta (Italian bacon), onions, basil and pecorino cheese. The tubular noodles like rigatoni and penne offer more surface to the sauce and pick up more flavor than pastas like linguine or spaghetti. Anyway, this was superb, with a peppery backtaste and the smokiness of the bacon adding superior dimensions.
Appetizers were outstanding, too, especially the bowl of clams and New Zealand mussels steamed in a rich, delicious herbed broth heightened by chunks of tomato. Superior shellfish flavors, and great broth for dunking a bread that is similar to, but a large step ahead of, the Italian-style white bread served for too long on The Hill and its many outskirts. All the other appetizers we tried were wonderful, too, led by the Calamari Livornese, squid sautéed with olives and capers in a terrific basil-heightened tomato sauce. Ravioli stuffed with a mixture of sea bass, shellfish mousse, mushrooms and spinach was a brilliant combination of complementary flavors in a sherry-cream sauce, and Tuscan shrimp were perfectly cooked, nicely chewy and exceptionally flavorful.
Caesar salad was fresh and crisp and avoided the St. Louis problem of being drowned in dressing; standard mixed greens, with a few grape tomatoes and some sweet onion, sparkled in a lovely vinaigrette dressing that was perfectly balanced.
Entrées also were very good, though a little pricey. Veal Picatina, in white wine and lime rather than the expected lemon, was pleasant, but the veal did not offer as much flavor as it should have. Large shrimp, skewered and marinated, then lightly breaded and grilled, were just right, and a strip steak was properly cooked, flavorful and tender. What more could anyone ask?
The wine list is good, if not great, and there are nice by-the-glass selections. A MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir was excellent, and it comes from the Sonoma County area where the late actor actually lived and grew grapes. The wine is very good, in the $30 range, and interesting in that it's from California wine giant E. & J. Gallo Winery, which has numerous relatively small properties from which its skilled winemakers produce excellent wine. The Guru is certain that a label or wine list that said Gallo would undoubtedly scare off some potential customers who should know by now that Gallo is like Budweiser. Both organizations have the skill and the financial wherewithal to make any beverage they want, at any level of excellence.
Desserts also were excellent, led by a traditional, first-rate chocolate cake served with banana ice cream and pointing up one of the classic cake-ice cream combinations. Another superior offering was an apple tart, served with tangy cinnamon ice cream on the side.
Café Bellagio is close to where it wants to be. Given the talent of the Gabriele family, there's no reason it can't climb the extra step. Besides, there's a reason for the ambition. Frank Gabriele recently became a father again, with another Giovanni joining the clan. Carmelo has a son named Giovanni, too, adding to the fun. Besides, in the Guru's family, there are three first cousins named Joe, and we don't get mistaken for one another.
