The Hill in St. Louis is the home to some of the best Italian restaurants in the United States. There's some very good ones, but the one that I'm fondest of the most is Zia's.
Zia's is probably not the best on The Hill, but it certainly isn't the worst. The thing I like about Zia's the most is that it's unpretentious, the service is good, the food is always solidly great, and you get great portions for what you pay.
They have their Zia's salad, which is their variant of an Italian chef's salad that includes two types of lettuce, black olives, artichoke hearts, parmigiana and provel cheeses, topped off with their sweet Italian dressing.
Their toasted ravioli is nothing special compared to toasted ravioli any where in St. Louis. But they have a very good marinara sauce in which to dip the ravioli's.
They have beef, chicken and veal dishes - their veal piccata is out of this world. Their veal carciofi is also very good, similar to their piccata, but with mushrooms instead of capers.
Pasta is outstanding, as well. I love their Tutti Mare - Linguine prepared in a rich garlic cream sauce with shrimp, sea legs, clams and mushrooms (see recipe). They also have a great tortellini dish, and their Capellini Carciofi is great, too. Capellini in a light lemon butter sauce with charbroiled chicken pieces, artichoke hearts, fresh broccoli, sweet red peppers and fresh sliced mushrooms, dusted with fresh grated parmigiana cheese
Zia's wine list is adequate, but not great. Their Budweiser is always cold. And they make their own tiramisu!
Zia's is one of the few places on The Hill that is open for lunch through the week. They take all major credit cards, and since The Hill is mostly in a residential neighborhood, there's only on street parking. Prepare to walk a little bit.
If you don't know which one restaurant on The Hill to try first, go with Zia's and then go from there. You won't be disappointed.
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