This month’s installment of the Wayback Machine spotlights Giuseppe’s, a restaurant that always seemed frozen in the Eisenhower years. Located on South Grand at Meramec, it drew families with children who behaved, cops knocking back meatballs and spaghetti, and couples enjoying a pleasant evening. Despite the white-tablecloth setting, it was always more casual, less “big night out” and more “Lou always has the eggplant Parm.”
The meatballs were huge and tender. The chicken cacciatore was served in a slightly chunky tomato sauce. The pasta with chicken livers, whether on or off the menu, was always a favorite dish.
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Owner Giuseppe “Joe” Pugliese was a native of Sicily and cooked at the old Rose’s, an Italian restaurant downtown. He struck out on his own when that restaurant closed, in 1974, but purchased much of the furniture and equipment, including the mahogany panels in the main dining room (hence the time warp feel).
By 2009, under new ownership, the restaurant was just serving lunch. It shut its doors five years later, leaving only a catering operation, Giuseppe’s Catering (still in business) in its wake.
It’s a shame. Those snap-brim hats and narrow ties that are popular once again would have looked right at home.
