Jalea in St. Charles 8-23-25

I would give this restaurant a 4/5.  They are family owned and run and want to show you their food.  

This is on north Main Street in St. Charles.  It is small inside but it has been very nicely updated.  It feels clean and new even though they have the exposed brick side walls. 

Jalea served Peruvian food. 

I read all about the drinks before we arrived.  I had had a pisco sour at a different Peruvian restaurant.  Jalea has pisco sours and something called chicha sour that is made with lime (like a pisco sour) but has the addition of blue/purple corn syrup for a sweeter taste and a much more purple color.  I tried it and it was really good.

Mike played it safe and just had a couple rum and Cokes.  

For an appetizer we ordered some plantain chips with a cilantro and jalepeno dipping sauce.  It came in a tiny container, but that was good, because it was spicy and you only needed a little.  Mike didn't think he'd like plantain chips, but they were good.  They were crisp and salty and every so slightly sweeter than potato chips. 

I ordered the seafood paella.  It contained a couple scallops, several clams and mostly shrimp.  There were some vegetables (carrots and hominy) added in the rice that were a nice addition.  The dish had a slight spice to it.  

I ordered a glass of the only cabernet they had on the menu to drink with my paella.  The wine was not very good.

Mike ordered their 16 hour marinated half of a chicken.  It came with a salad and french fries.  He said the chicken was really seasoned well on the outside.  He wished he could have just ordered white or dark meat.  He ended up taking 1/2 of it home.  

Mangia Bella at Elijah McLeans in Washington, MO 8-16-25

We would give this restaurant a 3/5.  There was nothing wrong, but there was nothing great or remarkable, either. 

I had forgotten that there really isn't an easy way to get to Washington.  I think in my mind I always confuse Washington with the Eureka area and I think that there are interstates if we really want them...but there aren't...just small 2 lane roads...sometimes that narrow down to one lane over small bridges.  

I had read about Mangia Bella on the Post Dispatch's top 100 Restaurants to try.  

It is set in the historic home of Elijah McLean overlooking the Missouri River.  The ceiling must be 20ft high in the restaurant.  There are impressively huge chandeliers.  They have side rooms that look like they could hold parties for about 100!  

But the restaurant was touted as "Italian" and that was not an accurate description.  It had mostly American food.  Chicken Parmesean was on the menu, but that doesn't make it an Italian restaurant.  

They were training several new waitstaff on the evening we were there.  Our 2 waitresses were super nice and efficient.  

We started with drinks.  Then I ordered the French Onion Soup and Mike ordered a salad.  Both were just fine...nothing exceptional

 

For my entree I ordered the mushroom rissoto and Mike ordered a filet.  

     

Mike's steak was small and the few potatoes he got were cut from a larger pan.  They were good, just small.  My risotto was actually too big.  I know that it doesn't have a specific protein in it, but it would have been nice ot have a smaller bit of risotto with a side of vegetable.  Risotto gets so cloying in your mouth at times.  

The wine list was small and not very good.  I had one glass of a cabernet with my risotto.  It was OK and not worth mentioning.

This restaurant was just OK.  I don't think we'll need to make the trip back down to Washington in the future.