First Look: Gio’s Ristorante and Bar

Photograph by Katherine Bish

To open a restaurant anytime requires vision and commitment. To do so in a recession—especially after a highway closure—requires steely confidence. Having just opened Gio’s Ristorante and Bar (in the Gateway One building downtown), do Dominic and Jackie Galati know something we don’t? They know the value of a good view, a good lease and a generous landlord. They know how to assemble an all-star culinary team, including John Ruggeri (former chef and general manager at Dominic’s) and Steve Scherrer (of the critically acclaimed Arthur Clay’s). They know today’s customer expects creative touches, like a lemon-mint crust for the lamb chops or a prosciutto wrap for the halibut. (And how nice not to be spending another boring evening with the Marsalas and the Saltimboccas!) They know a separate café menu is mandatory, that the downtown lunch crowd is a given and that, come spring, the patio will hum like an opening-day fastball. But will it all work? Dominic is also honest enough to admit this: “You never know.”

Address: 701 N. Seventh, 314-241-2424
Website: giosdowntown.com
Hours: Mon–Fri 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sat 5–10 p.m. Closed Sunday