16 N. Central
Clayton
314-932-1040
Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Sat
It could be said that Frank Schmitz’s newest restaurant, Bocci Bar, personifies the man himself: playful on the outside, serious (about food, anyway) on the inside. Bocci (plural of bocce) might be where Schmitz’s mates toss back a few after a rugby match, but dally long enough to tackle a seriously tasty lobster spaghetti or “a Bocci-sized meatball.” Admirers of Schmitz’s mates might well be there, too, craving at least a bowl of traditional Tuscan acquacotta, beneath the dangle of Bocci’s flattering incandescents. When the elements allow, a glass wall ratchets open to release aromas of three-meat pappardelle Bolognese and a salumi pizza with red grapes and olives, in a lunchable, pairable 5-inch size. Schmitz may have positioned Bocci to be the sophisticated brother of his flagship restaurant and neighbor, BARcelona, but it also can be unexpectedly raucous and entertaining, just like urbane Uncle Julian’s Macarena at that last family wedding.
