It’s always interesting to see what restaurants make the transition from everyone’s-talking-about to reliable standard. Lorenzo’s Trattoria is now in its sixteenth year, rolling along with food that seems consistently to make folks happy. And “consistently” may be a key here. A visit to Larry Fuze’s restaurant shows he’s offering many of the same menu items that he was years ago. Obviously, people like them – and not just because this is change-resistant St. Louis.
Several dining rooms, well- but not excessively lit, await, and it’s easy to discover there are plenty of regulars, both neighborhood-y and from farther afield, dining or enjoying a postprandial drink. That sort of leisurely atmosphere always lends a feeling of hospitality, unless the newcomer is treated like Not Our Crowd, Dearie – but that’s way not the case here. Service is always without attitude and usually with a big smile. Plus, servers know the menu. That’s not always a given.
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The house salad with pistachios and prosciutto bits crisped up may have had the sweet edge of its balsamic vinaigrette cut back just a bit over the years – or perhaps my taste buds are finally getting accustomed to the local taste for sugar-laced salad dressings. Either way, this is a fine piece of work, fresh and tasty and not overdressed. A half order of the veal-and-mushroom risotto, pasta or risotto being a common first course in Italy, was very serious indeed, deeply flavored with a broth that showed off serious veal stock, and some excellent chanterelle mushrooms.
More mushrooms arrived in a saute with a little Italian sausage and just a drop of some truffle oil on top of polenta, a great combination. And I see that the great pairing of fresh mussels, tomato and polenta (above) is still on the menu from years back. No sense in removing something that I suspect is almost a trademark dish.
“Osso bucco’s sauce is deeply wine-y, and the slice of veal shank has been equally deeply browned. The result is the sort of flavor that works well hot for dinner, or cold from the refrigerator for lunch the next day, as we discovered. Risotto is seriously saffronesque, still a wee bit al dente, and the combination with a dusting of orange rind instead of the more traditional lemon works happily. More bonus points for having real marrow spoons, by the way.” That’s what my late husband and I wrote almost ten years ago. It describes the osso bucco I ate on this visit, too.
Still on the menu as well, and calling to the faithful, are the veal liver and the pork flat iron steak with truffle tomato bread pudding; I would gladly answer either, given a return visit.
Chicken spiedini rolled with spinach and some minced prosciutto reclined gracefully over linguini moistened with a tomato-garlic broth, crowned by spears of grilled asparagus. Despite using chicken breast for the dish, the spiedini stayed moist. The filling, just a little rich, played nicely with the poultry. One of the evening’s specials, a strip steak, had a red wine reduction to sauce it, and came with (a great change from the dreaded vegetable medley) brussels sprouts, sweet potato chunks and green beans, all oven-roasted.
Flourless chocolate cake arrived gently touched with a little amaretto in the batter, and a lovely silky texture. But the star was the ricotta cheesecake. Lighter than cheesecakes made with cream cheese, it worked well at the end of a relatively heavy meal, almost fluffy, a little hit of vanilla in there and a drizzle of caramel to luxe things up a little more.
The expected excellent service, and no rushing through the meal. Overall, Lorenzo’s is a fine example of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Lorenzo’s Trattoria
1933 Edwards
314-773-2223
Dinner nightly
