For a delightful lunch or a romantic and gracious evening meal, Villa Farotto offers a unique “all-in-one” approach
By Dave Lowry
Photograph by Katherine Bish
Gumbo Flats, the bottomland west of Chesterfield on Highway 40 that is, depending upon the whims of the nearby Missouri River, periodically above water, is busy. Busy as in, “Was that shopping center there yesterday?” Like a developer’s view of The Promised Land, the valley has sprouted strip malls, discount behemoths and restaurants the way Memphis grows Elvis impersonators in August. The last—restaurants, not Elvis clones—includes the usual assortment, most of them informal, fast-food-type chains. Inevitably, though, given the population of West County, more blue-chip eateries are making a presence there. Villa Farotto not only makes the list, it may well be at the top.
Appetizers here are few, though well-selected. A tangle of oyster mushrooms, shiitake, cremini and sliced portabellas are sautéed in garlic butter, then generously topped with a satisfyingly stringy mozzarella mild enough to allow the woody, earthy taste of the mushrooms to dominate ($7.50). The same cannot be said of the mussels; the herb and tomato broth in which they arrived is too strong ($8.50). Go instead for the unusual cakes of risotto stuffed with chunks of Italian sausage, Parmesan and mozzarella, then grilled, a rewarding combination commendably blended ($7.50). Toasted ravioli, touted as the “original,” are ordinary ($7.25). Thick rings of squid and zucchini sticks rolled in cornmeal batter and fried are crisp and delectable ($8.95).
The Villa’s pastas are worthwhile. Linguine is sprightly with a very fresh pesto sauce and fresh garlic, tossed with grilled, doorknob-sized scallops ($15.95). The house take on ravioli is sumptuous, stuffed with veal and chopped portabellas and garlic and spinach and served in a glossy tomato sauce, finished with a drizzle of garlicky butter ($15.95). The kitchen’s obvious fondness for savory, free-range fungi (the staff is ahead of the curve; the fantastic range of non-cultivated mushrooms is set, trust us, to be the next big trend in restaurant food) is evident in the wild mushroom risotto. The rice is creamy, golden and luscious, just the distant side of al dente, a perfect medium for the mushrooms ($11.95).
Served with a marrow spoon for scooping out the succulent center of the bones, osso buco is quite satisfactory, a veal shank slow cooked, then smothered in a rich, herb-infused veal demi-glace that lacked only a gremolata sprinkle of lemon rind to make it an authentic Milanese production ($20.95). The Bentley tenderloin (christened after a local car dealership, we were told) features a cut of meat that is usually bland, the culinary equivalent of the Diane Rehm Show. Grilled and dressed here, though, with a thick, lusty glop of Gorgonzola and red wine sauce, the tenderloin is elevated into the exceptional category ($32.95). Even more unrestrained in presentation, a veal chop stuffed with slices of prosciutto, spinach and fontina cheese and then crusted with Parmesan and splashed with a shimmering Cabernet demi-glace demonstrates an expert blend of tastes and texture ($31.95).
Some seafood presentations are too fussy. The crushed pistachios coating the salmon, along with a citrusy glaze, all but obliterate the flavor of the fish ($17.95). But a pungent pesto spooned over a thick steak of swordfish works well, the presentation completed with a spray of vegetables cooked until just done and a big pillow of creamy, garlic-scented mashed potatoes ($18.95). The addition of saffron risotto to what’s called a “classico” cioppino is questionable. This is, however, an unusually robust version of the dish, a tomato broth loaded with mussels, clams, shrimp, squid and fish ($29.95).
“Gourmet” (the word has been so leached of meaning as to be nearly impossible to write without ironic quotes) pizzas are a specialty here. Purists will find the combination of toppings out on the edge: roasted vegetables with garlic hummus ($8.95) or pesto, shrimp, roasted garlic and mozzarella ($10.25). Still, the original Farotto’s Pizzeria is one of the grandfathers of pizza in St. Louis (a co-owner of Villa Farotto is the daughter of the Webster Groves pizzeria magnate), and aficionados of the local version will want to give these a try just to see how they compare. Villa Farotto also features a no-nonsense “pick a protein” selection on the menu, a mixture of seafood such as salmon, swordfish or halibut or of meat, such as tenderloin, strip steak or ribeye, matched with your choice of two sides (from $16 to $28).
Lots of drinkable Chianti in the $20 to $30 range dominates the wine list. The ’03 Toad Hollow Chardonnay is a happily unpretentious wine lacking the oft-overly oaky tannins of too many other California chardonnays and is a nice bargain at $23. Same for a Rosato Quatroventi ’03 ($28) from Calambria, a typically ignored wine region of Italy just coming into its own.
Basic yellow and orange tones are supposed to emulate a “Tuscany” mood in the dining room and throughout the restaurant. The atmosphere here is comfortably formal, with spacious tables and booths arranged in a sprawling semicircle that makes even crowded evenings relatively quiet and convivial for diners.
Aside from a couple of menu selections the waiter had to explain had been dropped before they could be deleted from the printing, there were very few missteps in service of the sort expected of a new restaurant. Villa Farotto, not incidentally, has taken an “all-in-one” approach to dining. In addition to the dining room, a separate kitchen and café for lighter fare are attached, and a small but well-stocked deli and wine selection also is available. On a rainy, blustery afternoon we dropped by Villa Farotto for lunch in the café. For about the same price you’d pay at one of the sandwich chains, we had a so-big-we-had-to-take-half-home lunch of smoked turkey and Gouda cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and a piquant dressing with a bag of kettle-fried potato chips ($5.75) that was delightful.
There aren’t many places where one can enjoy such a lunch, eaten at a booth alone along with a leisurely perusal of the daily paper, then return that evening for a romantic and gracious meal in formal circumstances—and then on the way out grab a jar of marmalade from the in-house deli for breakfast. Villa Farotto is unique, well worth a visit and, as we write at least, above water.
Villa Farotto
Address: 17417 Chesterfield Airport
Phone: 636-519-0048
Average Main Course: $24
Dress: Consult Famous-Barr's fashion ads—but remember the bulky sweaters make your hips look big.
Reservations: A necessity.
Bottom Line: West County's best Italian-inspired fine dining with a working farm next door.
