Although Casa Don Alfonso is an Italian restaurant at its core, the new roasted chicken and eggplant dish we loved on a recent visit reflects the rich culinary exchange between the Middle East and the Italian coast, regions long connected through shared flavors and trade.
The chicken is first sous vide for ultimate tenderness, then seared to achieve a perfectly crisp exterior. It’s served with baked eggplant over a bed of couscous, complemented by tomato gazpacho, black pepper yogurt, fresh mint and a hint of cumin.
“This dish is meant to show how we are connected in our region to other countries of the Mediterranean,” said Casa Don Alfonso restaurateur Mario Iaccarino, who owns the original Don Alfonso 1890 in Sorrento, Italy.
100 Carondelet Plaza, Clayton, 314.719.1496, casadonalfonsostlouis.com
This article appears in April 2025.