I'm counting down the top ten dishes from the new restaurants that I reviewed in 2012. Read the complete series to date.
#2. Chitarra at Pastaria (7734 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton; 314-862-6603)
You could easily overlook the most exciting dish at Pastaria. The menu calls it simply "Chitarra" and offers no further description aside from a list of the supporting ingredients: olive oil, garlic, chile. In this case, though, such a list is apt because the dish brings nothing but strands of pasta alla chitarra tossed with olive oil, slivered garlic and chile-pepper flakes. Its beauty and charm is its simplicity: the lightly chewy pasta coated with the fruity, nutty oil, the garlic softened to a very mild bite, just a pinch of chile heat. Which is why the chitarra is so exciting: It's the perfect introduction to what simple, casual and affordable Italian food should be, not the limp, oversauced slop it all too often is.
-- from "Using Their Noodles" (December 13, 2012)
Previously:
#3: Steak tartare at Little Country Gentleman #4: The "Pork Porterhouse" at Cleveland-Heath #5: Grilled quail at Blood & Sand #6: "Spicy Wonton Soup" at Famous Szechuan Pavilion #7: Pho at St. Louis Pho #8: "Dad's Green-Chile Cheeseburger" at Five Star Burgers #9: The pambazo at Siete Luminarias #10: The oatmeal cream pie at Pint Size Bakery & Coffee
