Yelp photo courtesy of Eric Seelig
The Soprano Sandwich at J. Viviano & Sons on the Hill
HOT SPOT
Photo by George Mahe
Putting the V in Sandviches
The Hill has several excellent, well-known sandwich shops (Andriana’s and Gioia’s, among others) and a few that are exemplary but lesser-known. Many St. Louisans shop at J. Viviano & Sons for Italian staples and wine but have never stopped by the deli counter for a sandwich. Check out the menu below, and try to pick just one. (Start with The Soprano: thin fried eggplant topped with fresh mozz, tomatoes, and basil, served on toasted round muffuletta bread). Also of note: the little-known sandwich counter inside the Volpi retail store, at the corner of Daggett and Edwards. The star of the unpublished, six-item menu is the po’ boy, with three types of Volpi meats and standard Italian sandwich fixin’s on a Companion Bada-Bing hoagie roll. Since both establishments have limited seating, the best option is to grab and go, then head for the confines of Berra Park, a three-minute walk from either place.
Photo by George Mahe
The sandwich menu at Viviano's
Photo by Kevin A. Roberts
Cinder House at the Four Seasons St. Louis
INSIDER TIP
Making Some Noise
Over the past year, The Washington Post published several articles addressing excess noise in restaurants. (SLM’s dining editor chimes in from time to time, too.) One article even indicated that too much loud noise can be stressful, contributing to hypertension and higher cholesterol levels, as well as trigger poor food and drink choices. An article published this week said that for those with hearing impairments (25 percent of American adults), restaurant noise “isn’t just an irritation, it’s discrimination”; yet the law remains silent on the “invisible disability.”
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Nationally, many restaurant critics are now using decibel (db) to measure ambient noise. Crowdsourcing apps that recommend quieter restaurants (like Soundprint and iHEARu) are finding an audience as well. Locally, restaurant designers and architects have begun to take notice. The noise level at Cinder House is mannerly, as is the dining room at Grand Tavern by David Burke and the rooms at Kemoll’s Chop House. The bar area at newly opened The Bellwether has more long, flowing drapes than Sunshine’s warehouse. Several restaurants—Turn, Il Palato, and Bulrush, among others—have responded by going retro, installing (gasp!) carpeting in some areas. Noise expert Daniel Fink reminds us: “The major cause of hearing loss is noise exposure, and it’s entirely preventable… If we can make restaurants smoke-free, we can certainly make them quieter.”
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
From Louie in Clayton, mussels with white wine, garlic, shallots, tomatoes, parsley—and grilled house made focaccia.
MICRORANT
Mussels Without Bread
Mussels from Prince Edward Island are one of the most popular restaurant appetizers for good reason: They’re inexpensive, sharable, and versatile. And when the mussels are gone, the always-flavorful broth is the lagniappe, nearly as rewarding as the bivalves. Now we’re not saying restaurants have to serve shards of buttered, toasted, artisanal bread to sop up the remains but most do. So if a restaurant forces us to ask for a few sponge-worthy scraps, the server shouldn’t treat us like we’ve just asked for ketchup to smear onto our Wagyu steak. That blank stare for something that’s expected—and, dare we say, needed—is completely unnecessary.
Follow George on Twitter @stlmag_dining and feel free to send him Tidbits at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
