Looking for spaghetti and red sauce? Go to the Hill. This is an Italian experience you've never had in St. Louis
By Dave LowryPhotograph by Katherine Bish
You know the proper term for those helicopter maple seeds: schizocarps. You know, too, that the proper way to eat an Italian dinner is antipasti, pasta, secondi, dolci. Thanks to Acero, you can indulge your knowledge. The menus are decorated with schizocarps (acero is Latin for “maple”; the restaurant's in Maplewood, get it?), and diners are encouraged to order their way through the leisurely evolutions of fine Italian dining. It's pleasant to be smart and well-fed.
Antipasti set the pace here, meant to be savored while lingering over the menu to select a main course. There is the expected: melon wrapped in prosciutto, marinated olives and a soup of the day. Recommended, though, are the platters, large enough for sharing cold meats or cheeses. The cheeses are authentic and exquisite; meats are all handmade, fine slices of coppa salami and rings of a delicious, coarse, garlicky sausage called petit Jesu because whole it's big enough to fill a manger. Bruschetta, almost obligatory in a place like this, is far above average: The bread is grilled, and toppings change regularly. It was marinated and topped with chopped eggplant and tomatoes on our visit: delightful. The tricolore salad is a Caesar preparation, the lettuce roughly chopped and lightly dressed. It's OK; a far better salad is the bed of spinach leaves tossed with crumbles of gorgonzola, bites of pancetta and a correctly made ravigote dressing that brings all the ingredients together. Ravigotes are too often excessively mustardy. This one was just right-lightly acidic, with enough body to do the job.
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Acero's pastas are very worthy, though note that portions are traditionally small and may leave you wanting more. A plate of delicate angel hair spun with finely chopped tomatoes and chunks of guanciale is not to be missed. The latter is unsmoked hog jowl, a meaty bacon that should be much more popular than it is. (Think of it as pancetta's less successful sibling.) Playing card-size ravioli are stuffed with ricotta, mascarpone and Parmesan, along with a soft-boiled egg. It all spills out onto the plate when cut, a splendid creation of tastes and textures. A swirl of spaghettini is crowned with plump mussels and slices of leeks in an aromatic olive oil. Chanterelle mushrooms are sliced into a tangle of tagliatelle ribbons. The night we visited, morels found their way into a spectacular presentation with linguini.
Secondi courses are satisfying in size and variety. Sea scallops, nearly a dozen of the chunky beauties, are grilled and glistening, along with English peas and a tumble of balsamic-marinated cubes of squash. A fillet of trout is also grilled, served atop a mound of diced tomatoes and spinach, with a side of grilled asparagus topped with pesto. A big fillet of halibut was roasted, moist, meaty and white. Porchetta, a long-roasted pork shoulder, arrives full of flavor and falling onto the fork, neither quite as spicy nor as herby as most Italian versions and the better for it. The meat's taste is uncompromised in Acero's version. A cap or culotte steak, a boneless hunk of sirloin that can often be too tough for grilling, was tender, thick and beefy and matched nicely with a hefty plop of polenta.
Speaking of which … At Acero, that humble cornmeal mush is elevated to star status. Presentations change continually, and you can find it dressed with roasted mushrooms, salsiccia, peppers and tomato, or-heavenly-warm, chopped tripe in the Parmigiana style, cooked in a smooth garlic-and-sage tomato sauce. Instead of on the traditional wooden plate, polenta is served on a marble slab that cools the golden stuff and makes it easier to slice-and gives it a slight al dente texture. Recommended if it's offered as a polenta course: the braised oxtail with a horseradish syrup, a near-perfect alignment of soft, savory meat and tingly warm horseradish. The tripe might be excellent, but if Acero were to enter a cooking competition, the oxtail and polenta would be the better bet.
Desserts feature sorbets, gelatos and panna cotta. A semifreddo—a “half-frozen” custard-like ice cream drizzled with lemon syrup—is nice if you've got room. The wine list is decent (though not as extensive as one would expect in a place calling itself an enoteca) and devoted entirely to Italian varieties. A wide selection is available in the 250-milliliter quartino size that arrives in chemistry set beakers, allowing diners to sample without overdoing it. Go for the light, citrusy Bianco di Custoza, or that big ol' whackin' red Gabbiano. Unfortunately, no matter what you drink, it'll be poured into the currently popular stemless wine glasses that reflect a gimmicky California sensibility celebrating change bereft of improvement. The wide mouth allows too much oxidation, while the stumpy body warms white wines unnecessarily.
Acero's interior is comfortable and simple. Brick walls, decorated with artwork that isn't awful, along with a wooden floor and an unpadded ceiling, make for considerable noise at peak hours. It's a bit quieter in the back room, and in clement weather the patio is an enjoyable option, offering a pastoral view of a parking lot and what must be the longest-timed stoplight in Christendom. Tables are a little close, though one does not feel at all cramped. The hostess' bottom is commendable; ask for the table directly behind her station if you'd like to spend the evening, as we found ourselves doing, evaluating it.
Acero obviously hopes to combine very authentic Italian cuisine with dramatic, innovative riffs. And it's succeeding. Prices are reasonable, unless you wish pasta as a main course. Doubling the price does not mean a similar expansion in portions here. Also, the menu features several dishes unfamiliar to most diners, yet their descriptions are more abbreviated than Katie Couric's anchoring career will no doubt be. More explanation would be nice, especially since our waiter, who otherwise performed respectably, bungled a few explanations. Overall, Acero adds a unique touch to the Maplewood dining district. Don't miss tasting it.
Acero
Address: 7266 Manchester
Phone: 314-644-1790
Average Main Course: $22
Reservations: Si, natura secondo
Dress: Nice, though not overly formal; think somewhere between Carlo Palazzi and Benetton
Bottom Line: Artful and imaginative presentations of great Italian cooking in a pleasant, convivial setting
