Family Affair

Wow your tastebuds at the upscale-yet-comfy Café Bellagio

Comments (0) By Michael Renner Wednesday, Oct 6 2004

The wine list, numbering well over 100 bottles, is heavy on reds from Italy and California. Sixteen wines are offered by the glass, and Bellagio provides a generous pour at an uninflated price. (A staffer tells me they come up with the price by dividing the bottle price by four -- the number of glasses poured from each bottle.) Prices range from $6 to $11. Among the bottles, some cabernets stand out: A 2001 Frei Brothers Alexander Valley Reserve is a decent buy at $45 if you've got the money; ditto a 2000 Mount Veeder Napa ($60). Off the list and available for $70 a pop until it runs out is the highly touted 2000 Merryvale Reserve cabernet.

Wines run anywhere from under $30 to the triple digits -- somewhat like the menu itself. Which isn't a bad thing: You could order dinner and wine and depart Bellagio with only middle-of-the-wallet impact, or you might opt to splurge. It's nice to be faced with that choice.

Jennifer Silverberg

The Gabriele brothers provide the setting for relaxed, upscale contemporary dining.

Location Info

Map

Giovanni's

5201 Shaw Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110

Category: Restaurant > Italian

Region: St. Louis - The Hill

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Details

Calamari livornese $6.95
Tagliatelle con pomodoro, basil, ricotta and salsiccia $15.95
Penne alla Francesco $15.95
Veal scaloppine alla Romana $19.95
Torta di cioccolata $7

314-994-1080. Hours: Lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; dinner 5-10 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

11631 Olive Boulevard (in City Place), Creve Coeur

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Bellagio's entrée portions aren't overwhelming or obscene. Translation: "room for dessert." Of the eight desserts, a few are made in-house, including a torta di cioccolata, in which chocolate fudge and chocolate sponge cake are layered and crowned with chocolate mousse.

At the tender age of five months, Café Bellagio is already poised to become a fixture in an area that doesn't boast many dining options. And with their lineage, one wonders what the next generation of Gabrieles will offer us.