Mangia has long been known for its freshly made pasta (now available at Tower Grove Farmers’ Market), but now it’s serving up a brunch that’s bursting with fresh-from-the-farm ingredients.
Chef Clara Moore might be young, but she knows what works. At 25, she’s got impressive experience and is committed to using seasonal ingredients. On Fridays and Saturdays, Moore can be found strolling the Soulard Farmers’ Market, looking at what’s new and interesting. The St. Louis native got her start working at Duff’s Restaurant in high school, attended Baltimore International College and then spent time at Trattoria Marcella before moving to Mangia, located on South Grand Boulevard, in fall 2004. A year and a half later, she’s running the kitchen. Her menu, driven by what she finds at the market each week, is ever-changing. “I see what they have, talk to the farmers and try to keep up with seasonality,” she said.
The brunch menu focuses on egg dishes: quiches, frittatas, omelets. The ingredients are simple, but they sing in Moore’s hands. For instance, the red onion, jalapeño and Cheddar frittata ($7) doesn’t necessarily sound exciting, but it was full of flavor. This version of an open-faced omelet was not overcooked; it was nicely browned, topped with bubbling cheese and was incredibly tasty. It arrived hot, alongside a somewhat skimpy fruit garnish. The following week, the spinach, red onion and feta frittata was equally good.
Eggs Benedict ($9) were enlivened by slices of homegrown tomatoes and smoked ham. The eggs were perfectly poached and perched atop thick slices of house-baked whole-wheat bread that was lightly toasted. A delicate hollandaise was drizzled over the top and provided the right amount of zing.
The quiche ($7) was the best I’ve had in a long time. The ingredients change weekly, and on one visit Moore featured Swiss cheese and mushrooms. You can taste the difference in the eggs Moore buys from the farmers’ market, and the quiche’s texture was dense, with the earthiness of the mushrooms lending deep flavor to every bite. The pastry crust was homemade and delicious and didn’t overwhelm the contents it held. The quiche is served with a side of fresh mixed greens, lightly dressed with vinaigrette.
The lamb sausage ($3) is house-made and well-flavored with fennel and a good dose of pepper. However, the patties were small and a bit on the dry side. The potato pancakes ($2) sounded promising, but didn’t have much flavor, although my friend’s baby gobbled them up.
Don’t skip a side of biscuits and gravy ($3 for one, $5 for two). The biscuits are made from scratch, and the gravy featured big chunks of salsiccia (and sometimes a bit of
lamb sausage), well-seasoned with fennel.
Cinnamon rolls ($3) were sinful – warm from the oven, with a generous amount of cinnamon and covered with orange-flavored icing. A twist on the usual, they were perfectly complemented by Kaldi’s coffee, blended just for Mangia.
Many of the brunch items are accompanied by whole-wheat toast. I was disappointed in the prepackaged jelly selection. Any jam or jelly fresh from the farmers’ market would be heavenly on that bread!
Mangia doubled in size earlier this year. The newer side, with its red walls, is spacious and nonsmoking, which makes it kid-friendly. However, I prefer the added character of the smoking side – the original Mangia – with its lively, painted walls. It maintains a definite sense of funkiness that’s not present in the newer room. The retro Formica-topped kitchen tables and padded chairs remind me of sitting in my great-grandma’s kitchen.
Our first visit to Mangia was a little lackluster – sitting in a dark red room in the middle of the day was sort of gloomy (even with a darling 10-month-old to brighten things up). Service, although friendly, was spotty. We waited awhile for our orange juice (although the fresh-squeezed stuff for $3 is worth the wait). Coffee refills were scarce and water refills nonexistent. Food arrived intermittently. But the second visit was an immense improvement. We braved the smoking side, which wasn’t so bad. Service was much more attentive and pleasant; our server even went the extra mile to search out the single remaining packet of strawberry jam.
Moore has definitely got the right idea at Mangia: freshly made food in a funky, fun atmosphere.
This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2006.