Pasta House Company

Contributor

Citysearch

The Food
St. Louis foodies publicly disdain the ignoble Pasta House, regarding its pseudo-authentic Italian menu, shirtsleeve service and family atmosphere with the utmost haughty condescension. But as one of them, I'll let you in on our shameful little secret--we clandestinely yearn for the restaurant's mortifyingly overdressed house salad, with its delightfully glutinous ropes of provel cheese, sweet red onions and plump little pimentos. I myself have been known to skulk in furtively late at night (after 9pm, by Midwestern standards) and order nothing but a house salad and the decadent, buttery cheese garlic bread. If truth be told, the food ain't half bad, especially when you consider the reasonable prices. The most expensive entree on the menu is less than 15 bucks (OK, I admit I'm not counting the 22-ounce porterhouse steak, which truly qualifies as a heart attack on a plate and should be illegal).

The Scene
You really can't beat the affability and efficiency of the servers, who will cheerfully bring crayons to amuse your 2-year-old, refill your salad bowl and soft drink (free) and recommend their favorite desserts. It's a place even a hoity-toity foodie could love-we just don't want to admit it.