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Ding Divas: Perfectly South Grand . . .
South Grand Italian Restaurant Serves Up
‘The Hill’ Quality Meals to The Dining Divas
By Lisa Kampeter
One thing you can be certain of is that you’ll have a unique, worldly experience when you visit the South Grand area. The six-block walkable district is vibrant and alive with international authentic restaurants, nationally registered historic buildings, and plenty of storefronts. So, when we decided to go to Mangia Italiano, we hoped for “The Hill” quality but were prepared for Italian with a twist.
The drive to the restaurant was difficult for the Dining Divas. A rainy, slightly foggy evening, it took the Grandma Diva 70 minutes to go from the Family Arena area to her house in Webster Groves before she headed to the restaurant. An overturned tractor-trailer had several other Divas stuck in traffic and taking alternate routes. And construction “everywhere” slowed most everyone down, too. The Last-to-Arrive Diva was the first to the restaurant this night.
It was an exciting first part of dinner as our phone alerts kept going off. This was the night of the multiple first period goals for the Blues. We were also excited about the Cardinals’ new season, but most of this group will be bleeding blue hopefully for a couple more months.
The Game-Playing Divas had quite the Friday night a couple weeks prior. Visiting with a fellow Diva currently undergoing chemo, they spent about eight hours playing cards (and drinking a little wine). Eight hours of Hand and Foot! We were impressed, and the Warrior Diva loved it.
This night at Mangia, a very friendly waitress named Francis cared for us wonderfully. Once we could look past her “Smurf-colored” eyebrows said one Diva, you couldn’t miss her big, sincere smile. She seemed so relaxed and happy. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wonder once (or perhaps twice) what she’d smoked before her shift. She was just so chill.
There was quite the unusual crowd there. too. When we were leaving, I noticed at least a handful of tables with customers with different shades of hair color. And I don’t mean different shades of blonde, brunette, or red. Greens, pinks, and blues were popular this night. The crowd was very eclectic and very young. I thought it was cool that they had karaoke almost every night, until I noticed it didn’t start until 11 p.m.! This Italian joint must be rocking into the wee hours.
There was lots of graffiti purposefully placed on the bathroom walls, at least I think it was meant to be there. Gang signs? Art? I wouldn’t know the difference. And bumper stickers, too. The tables throughout the dining area reminded me of old vintage Formica tables from the 1950s. Or from “Ed Debevic’s,” said another Diva, as she reminisced of our Chi-town trips from years ago and our visits to the retro-themed diner with sass.
This night, we tried several appetizers and enjoyed all of them. Like the Gnocchi with a Bloody Mary sauce. Or the Calamari Fritti with an Arrabbiata sauce that had quite the kick. The Bruschetta was delicious, and the Polenta Fries deserved their “top fries” honor from the Riverfront Times.
After all the appetizers and then for some of us, a salad, we could have been done, but we continued. The Caesar salad with Mayfair dressing was enjoyed by many. The dressing on the Homestyle Ranch salad was tasteless. The Sharing Divas agreed that it needed a lot of something. It had no flavor.
The Cultured Diva said that everything she put in her mouth was delicious, especially the Porcini Tagliatelle with steak tips. The Spinach Manicotti was fantastic as was the Fettucine. The Cannelloni was good, but not as good as “The Hill”, and the fact that the Veal Oscar was fried disappointed the Vocal Diva.
A couple Divas tried the pizza. The Margherita Pizza was light and tasty, but once you tried the Campagnolo pizza, you thought the margherita pizza was bland. The Campagnolo was so good.
With all the appetizers and salads and main courses, we should have quit again. But the Determined Diva ordered a piece of the Coconut Cake, even though she was told not to. And almost everyone happily took a bite of the amazing dessert. The Baker Diva looked up a copycat recipe and plans to replicate it.
Mangia Italiano was impressive, fairly priced, and funky. It’s not “The Hill”, but it’s not trying to be, and that’s okay with us. It’s perfectly South Grand.
