Located in the historic Elijah McLean mansion at 600 W. Front St. in Washington, Mangia Bella is a new restaurant in Franklin County. Italian for “eat beautifully” Mangia Bella at Elijah McLean’s is a new family-owned eatery. While the building has served as a restaurant in the past, it’s been home to a private, members-only social club for the last five years.
Earlier this year retired Washington physician, Dr. Robert Halsted, and his wife, Teresa, reopened the building with the plan of adding a restaurant that’s open to the public, in addition to retaining the private social club.
Built in 1839 and constructed in a Southern colonial style, the mansion was the private home of Dr. Elijah McLean, one of the town’s first physicians as well as one of its founding fathers. Today, the grounds of McLean’s historic estate include his home as well as The Inn at Elijah McLean’s, which is adjacent to the restaurant. The private home turned eatery has two floors, and spans 15,000 square feet across several dining areas, each designed to give guests an intimate experience.
“We’re looking to be the fine dining destination in Franklin County,” Robert Halsted said. And, he believes the eatery will pique the interest of people living outside the area, drawing those living in parts of St. Charles and St. Louis Counties.
The restaurant has been slowly rolled out and has been launched in phases since the spring, first opening to social club members, then opening to the public for lunch only, and just this month the eatery fully opened to the public for both lunch and dinner service.
The kitchen team includes Alex Blattel, who has previously led the cuisine at 1855 Cellar Bistro at Adam Puchta Winery in Hermann, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants and St. Albans Country Club, along with Shawn Wiltrout, a graduate of the culinary program at East Central College, as well as holding a long-time position in the kitchen at Racket Club Ladue.
On the management side, Halsted’s son, also named Robert, who previously managed an oceanfront bar and restaurant in Florida, is the restaurant’s general manager. The front-of-house manager and event coordinator is Ashley Brown, who previously served as the front-of-house manager at the Broadway Oyster Bar.
On both the lunch and dinner menus, guests will find starters, salads, soups, entrees and desserts, with lunch focusing on sandwiches while dinner dishes feature pastas and proteins like steak, scallops and rotating fish entrees. All the offerings are centered around fresh, locally sourced produce from Avante Gardens, a CSA in New Haven, and greens from WashMo Towers, an aeroponic lettuce grower in Washington, while the beef is sourced from fifth-generation cattle farmers Ruth Family Farm, north of Kirksville.
A few of the lunch options include the steak sandwich, with mushrooms and provolone on a grinder-style bun, a blackened chicken club served on a brioche, as well as classics like burgers and a BLT.
The dinner menu boasts dishes with an Italian influence. Starters include fried calamari, shrimp scampi and fresh bruschetta. Soups are classic French onion as well as a mushroom gouda, made with cremini, gouda, herb oil and crème fraiche.
Some of the Italian inspired main dishes include the lasagna roll up, made with bolognese, herbed ricotta and a velvety béchamel, as well as the mushroom risotto, chicken picata and chicken Parmesan. The menu also includes meatless and gluten-free options, such as the gnocchi primavera that combines garden vegetables, fresh herbs, vodka sauce and Parmesan. One of the gluten-free choices is the seared salmon, served with a soy lemongrass glaze and a side of squash succotash.
The full bar features an extensive cocktail program that places an emphasis on the classics, such as Old-Fashioneds, martinis and Manhattans. There’s also a wide selection of dessert liqueurs and an extensive wine list that features local selections from Noboleis Vineyards in Augusta as well as wines from California and Italy.
Overall, the aesthetic of both the upstairs and downstairs dining areas can be described as elegant and thoughtfully decorated, with antique mirrors, chandeliers and artwork that reflects the history of the building. The main floor features a speakeasy type lounge in the area that’s used for members of the private dining club, as well as a grand ballroom. The formal dining space features a crystal chandelier and high-backed booth seating. Also on the main floor, at the back of the building, is a second bar and an attached three seasons room, which features roll up doors and is climate controlled, ensuring guests’ comfort.
“We’re creating a different experience in each space,” Dr. Halsted said of the dining areas.
While total seating capacity on the first floor is just under 200 guests between all seating areas, the establishment operates on a reservation-only policy to maintain the intimate dining atmosphere that Halsted and his team have envisioned. The primary use of the second floor, which has two separate dining areas, is for private parties, events or business meetings. Dining reservations may be made on the restaurant’s website through OpenTable, or by calling 636-900-9066.
