Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Katie Lee and Ted Collier have taken a variety of incongruous notes and turned them into a marvelous composition. Who would expect, for example, to find one night a cavorting Brigitte Bardot—scandalous for the 1960s, but tame for 2014—onscreen behind the bar at a pizza-and-pasta place in the heart of suburbia?
And who would have thought to combine so many colors, flavors, and textures to create a bowlful of salad? A blood orange salad special included a spicy green of arugula; the softer color and taste of micro greens; a drizzle of sweet red from balsamic vinaigrette–sprinkled endive; the crunch of pine nuts; the mild bite of Gorgonzola; a mini coral surprise of halved kumquats with edible rind; and the vivid crimson of the primary ingredient, blood oranges.
And what other menu in town features a burrata section? The fresh mozzarella includes a burst of creamy texture and flavor, along with a selection of side flavors: mixed forest mushrooms; olives and soppressata; prosciutto with fig mostarda; or red and yellow slices of oven-roasted beets with balsamic and olive oil.
As with most of the categories on the menu at Katie’s Pizza & Pasta, the selection of house-made pastas rotates. One night, it might include a seafood tagliatelle, the generous portion of shrimp, clams, mussels, and fish hiding a stash of salmon caviar atop flat noodles. The pizzas are thin but not cracker-crusted, and they’re as likely to have fresh greens or uncooked shaved Parmigiano as they are to include cooked ingredients, with combinations ranging from a classic Margherita to a seasonal special topped with mozzarella and clams on the shell.
Some of the signature items from Katie’s Pizzeria Cafe have migrated west. Fried artichoke hearts, naked of breading, are a harmonious riff on their clothed cousins. And if all of St. Louis’ Italian-American restaurants are required to serve toasted ravioli, Katie’s plump quartet of artichoke-filled rectangles—with pesto and arugula on the side and Parmigiano shavings on top—is much more than a nod to tradition.
The wine list comprises a number of Italian varietals for less than $35, plus wines from Argentina, New Zealand, and the U.S. The draft beer list numbers more than 15, and it rightly leans toward local folks.
Despite the inevitable wait every evening—or perhaps because of it—courses are served in haphazard tumbles. On both of our visits, the appetizer, salad, and entrée arrived within mo-
ments of each other, without even a nod to the fact that they didn’t all fit on the table at once.
Perhaps the Roger Moore–as–James Bond flick that played on another night was a more appropriate sight for the many families who were dining before 6 p.m., as Bardot had bared her soul (and a whole lot more) during our first visit. And if you don’t like loud restaurants, don’t show up after 5 p.m.—the din at dinner is so bad, we couldn’t hear our waitress or anything of the background music, save the bass line. But the raucousness is also part of the charm. No one expects the latest happenin’ place to be tucked inside a strip mall on Manchester Road.
The Bottom Line: With help from a Kickstarter campaign, Lee and Collier have taken a pretty good game straight to the big leagues.
9568 Manchester
Rock Hill
314-942-6555
Lunch and dinner daily
