Osteria Marco

Osteria Marco is the ultimate 'go-to' restaurant. It's perfect for families before a show, for a first date, or just a weekly date night. I had been to Osteria Marco before and thought it was great. Awesome atmosphere and great food. This time I went for date night and with a mission in mind: determine why, on any given day of the week, customers are waiting out the door.

I figured it out. Location, location, location, along with a great, simple menu. I said simple because with the right location, there is no need to make the menu over done because the people will come regardless. However, the menu is lacking one major indulgence of Italian cuisine: pasta! I grew up in St. Louis where every restaurant on "the Hill" or any Italian restaurant for that fact, has homemade pasta and sauces. I am not undermining Osteria's food by any means, but I just think that if you are going to be an Italian restaurant you HAVE to carry this Italian staple. It offers a great array of food and is simple but done right. If I had it my way, Osteria would do everything the same, but show off the skills of Frank Bonanno more through some classic Italian pasta dishes.

My Roots

In this post i thought i would give you a taste of some of my st. louis favorites, which i will continue to add. this recipe comes from a local fast food chain in st. louis called Lion's Choice. this is the only fast food place i will actually eat at, mainly because if you saw the freshness of their beef you too would wonder why it is considered a fast food joint. Lion's Choice is known for their roast beef sandwiches and here is my healthier take on it, although it is not the same, its pretty dang close!

Lion's Choice Roast Beef and Swiss:
good quality roast beef, like Neiman Ranch
swiss cheese
Lawry's seasoning
good whole wheat bread or your favorite grilling bread

on the bread layer the roast beef and then lightly sprinkle with Lawrys then top with swiss cheese
in a broiler, broil the sandwich without the top until the cheese is melted, top with other piece of bread, slice and enjoy! serve with homemade potato chips or fries :)
more st. louis inspired dishes to come.....

Quick and easy caprese

This is a new twist on the classic caprese salad, my favorite go to salad for a dinner party :)
instead of regular tomatoes, I get roasted tomatoes from the salad bar. This adds delicious flavor!

easy caprese:
roasted tomatoes
fresh bococcini mozzarella
fresh basil
good balsamic vinegar
good olive oil

layer the roasted tomatoes in the bottom of a tarte pan, then layer on the mozzarella, then add the fresh basil. season with sea salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic.