First Bite: Giovanni’s Kitchen

First Bite: Giovanni’s Kitchen from St. Louis Magazine on Vimeo.

For more than four decades, Giovanni’s On the Hill has been synonymous with classic Italian food and dignified service. It’s where owner Giovanni Gabriele’s most famous dish—Pappardelle alla Bella Oprah, named after Ms. Winfrey—remains a crowd favorite. In Creve Coeur, his sons, Frank and Carmelo, own Il Bel Lago, known for a modernized but sophisticated approach to our city’s most renowned cuisine. Giovanni’s Kitchen is an amalgam of both, but with lower prices and a “jeans are fine here” vibe. Leave it to the Italian Magi to offer affordable, house-made pasta, including casoncelli—prosciutto- and cheese-filled ravioli with porcini mushrooms and truffle oil. That combo of quality and price is what separates those who deliver the goods from the wannabes. Factor in the scatter of lacy globe chandeliers and muted red walls, and you’ll conclude Giovanni’s Kitchen may have discovered the sweet spot—and we didn’t even mention the aged balsamic–, black pepper–, and strawberry-topped tiramisu.

8831 Ladue

Ladue

314-721-4100

Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Sat

giovanniskitchenstl.com