For quite some time Catherine the Red has taken me to various restaraunts on her rotating list of five favorite restaurants in the St. Louis area. Often I eat, and I think, “I don’t get it. Why does she like this place?” Finally I got it; I don’t like Italian food.
This is heresy, because in Saint Louis we have what I am told is spectacular Italian food on “the Hill.” (Look! Here it is on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hill_%28Saint_Louis%29) I’ve eaten a number of times on the Hill, and I just still don’t get it. It’s flabby pasta covered by mushy tomatoes covered by cheese. Same texture, covered with red sauce. Oh, and then cheese. Or, same texture covered with white sauce. Bores my mouth. It doesn’t crunch.
(Of course, there is one exception that I think only Saint Louisians eat. Italy did not produce the only Italian food I like: toasted ravioli. Mmmm – nothing crunches like breaded ravioli that has been deep fried. But that isn’t legitimate Italian food.)
So, when I looked up the web site for the restaurant Catherine the Red and I planned to visit tonight, I groaned. “Acero Italian Ristorante?” However, it seems I’ve never had Italian food before tonight.
It was opening night, so we got a lot of special attention from our waiter, he of the warm eyes and crinkly smile. The owner came over and wished us a good dinner. I chirped, “I’ll try, but I don’t like Italian food.” I said this because that’s what an owner wants to hear on opening night, and because I am a moron. (I would give you supporting links and references but it seems unnecessary.)
I am now a big fan of Italian food. We had these delicious Italian dishes:
First we had a sampler appetizer plate with three types of cheese (buffalo, a hard cheese that stared with an F … and some other Brie-like cheese), three types of salami (fennel, something that looked like prosciutto but wasn’t, and Mortadella), and three vegetable dishes (Snow Peas and Something Heavenly, Brussels Sprouts and More Heavenly Things, and Carrots with Mint). And crunchy, crunchy bread.
We followed that with polenta the waiter spread on a marble slab at the table and then combined with mushrooms and more hard cheese. Mmmmm, polenta. The best part of grits and cornbread. And finally I had risotto, which I have eternally ordered in a heretofore vain attempt at finding the legendary risotto they talk about on The Splendid Table and that one episode of Seinfeld. And my friends, that risotto is the seafood risotto at this place.
Oh, and there was cake. When chocolate cake is the least exciting part of a meal, that meal is sublime. So, I don’t know what that gummy acidic Italian goo is that they serve on the Hill, but I like what I found at Acero.
2 responses to “Italian Food”
When you were a teenager for some reason you tended to throw up in connection with having your period. Once en route to a D.C. family vacation you threw up your lasagna dinner in the motel bathtub and told me you would never eat lasagna again. And you didn’t.I would not discuss such gross information but after your smelly pajama post it is obvious you have no limit to what you will reveal about yourself to complete strangers and Trolls.
Totally and completly LOVED Achero’s! Will definitly be going back, and have another place to add to my ever-growing top fav list. I think we may be at like 8 or 9 now. Recommend you all go, take a friend or two and share everything. Even the wine list is setup specifically to share.