When my daughter was here the first week of May, we took a road trip to St. Louis. It had been many years since we had been to The Hill area of town and my daughter had no memory of being there. The Hill is a wonderful living photograph of history. If you click here you can read all about it. To sum it up, The Hill, a heavily Democratic enclave of Italian immigrants and their descendants, is the premier destination for Italian food in St. Louis. While The Hill abounds in Italian restaurants, pizza parlors, bakeries, delicatessens and specialty shops, food is only part of its allure. A buoyant urban community in southwest St. Louis, The Hill has flourished over the last century and somehow managed to repel the decay, neglect and suburban flight that have wracked other neighborhoods.
We had lunch at Zia's.
The food was fabulous and the atomosphere very dark and cozy.
Olive oil, herbs and crusty bread.
I had Chicken Dijon with mushrooms and it was delicious.
It came with a side of pasta.
My daughter had a combination of Ravioli and Canneloni.
My husband had the lasagne, it was the best I have ever tasted!
The bar at Zia's.
An authentic Italian market.
See the buckets of olives?
Of course we had to have real Italian cookies for dessert. This bakery had pastries, cakes and cookies that made us crazy! It was very crowded and I certainly understand why. Yummy! It was such a fun day and we enjoyed every minute on The Hill. If you are anywhere near St. Louis, it is worth a trip.
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I am joining Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday!
Hi Sue!
ReplyDeleteLook at the edges of that lasagne where the cheese has browned slightly. Looks perfect and crusty bread dipped in olive oil makes La one happy girl.
Have a great weekend!
Oh, this post is making me drool!
ReplyDeleteLunch looks fantastic Sue! Lovin' those big buckets of olives too:@)
ReplyDeleteNow I am starving !! :-D
ReplyDeleteInteresting info about The Hill. The food looks divine...and I know I would go crazy with all those cookies, etc.!
ReplyDeletexo
Pat
What a wonderful place to visit. My step father was Italian...his Dad was from Italy and owned a pizza shop when I was young...I was lucky enough to work there in my early teens and learned how to make all those delicious foods....I wish we had a deli like yours nearby here...wonderful!!
ReplyDeleteThat market looks fabulous!
ReplyDeleteSue, those houses in the first photo look like some houses around here! The food looks amazing. That deli looks like a great place to shop. xo,
ReplyDeleteHi Sue
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to see St Louis and the Hill's area sounds wonderful being all things Italiano!! That lasagne looks to die for!!
Have a fabulous weekend.. ciao xxx Julie
Very neat part of St. Louis. We ate at Charlie Gittos for our anniversary last year :)
ReplyDeleteYum! I love little neighborhoods like this. I am so glad you shared this with us. I will make sure we go there the next time we are in the area!
ReplyDelete(Now I am hungry!)
xx
A
This sounds like such a fun place to go with your family! That is exactly where I would have gravitated!
ReplyDeleteThat Italian market looks insane! Wonderful post.
I am so happy that you had a great day with your daughter.
xo Yvonne
I love it that you were so close to me here in St. Louis! We have gone on The Hill many times to eat. Really good food and people.
ReplyDeleteMy husband works in the city so he doesn't care to go back up there when he is off. Therefore we don't go very often.
It would be great to meet up sometime if you get to come back into town!
I love finding places like this to visit, where you can experience the rich tapestry that makes up our country and learn the history behind many of our immigrants. Close to Tampa we have Tarpon Springs, where Greek immigrants settled over 100 years ago. Now that's the place to go for Greek food, have you been?
ReplyDeleteHi Sue!
ReplyDeleteoh my Zia was a great cook! Everything here reminds me of her cooking ~ that delicioso chicken and the pasta... bella!
;o)
I also love your colorful springtime tablescape from the last post*
Wishing you a lovely weekend, Sue*
~Maria
That lasagna - I swear I could smell it! Thanks for the tour!
ReplyDeleteSounds like my sort of district, I would love to visit.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lot of fun Sue and that food looks amazing! No wonder I find it hard to diet when I see blogs full of wonderful food!
ReplyDeleteAnd your table below is so pretty and colorful, I just love the combo and the pretty china you used!
Hugs,
Cindy
What a fun place to visit and even more fun with a visiting daughter. The Italian food looks scrumptious!..Christine
ReplyDeleteMMMMMMMMmmmmm,
ReplyDeleteI'm in for food, atmosphere, the whole thing!
Dee Dee
Hi lovely lady. I see you had a Great time with your Daughter !!! The lunch look so good also. I love Italian food ~~~ I would like to Thank you so much for your sweet comments on my new Tablescape for my Sunday Brunch. I came over befour but could not put a comment on your Blog. I hope you have a Great Week.
ReplyDeletexxoo
Diane
That lasagna looks AMAZING!!!
ReplyDelete