One bite and you’ll know why the Pasta con Melanzane at Rich & Charlie’s hasn’t changed in 20 years. As kids, the eggplant perched atop the big bowl of piping hot pasta was an afterthought. We’d throw the purple hunk on Mom’s plate to uncover the shell-shaped doughy nuggets underneath, little beauties bathing in a subtly sweet tomato sauce and duo of cheeses. These days, we fight over those thick eggplant slices – blanketed in molten cheese just slightly browned and crunchy from a little time beneath the broiler. Carbs and cheese. Salty and sweet. It’s an addicting combination: then, now, always.
Rich & Charlie’s, 1081 S. Woods Mill Road, Town and Country, 636.227.8965, richandcharlies.com
— photo by Jonathan Gayman
This article appears in December 2012.