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. 

Cafe Napoli 7-11-2025

 We'd give this restaurant 5/5.

We hadn't been to Cafe Napoli since our anniversary in December and we ended up sitting at the exact same table.  I think this little area of 2 top tables is for people who are having birthdays or anniversaries, because everyone around us gets the "complimentary" celebration dessert.  

We had a cocktail before dinner and I have to say that I had probably one of the BEST cosmos that I've ever had.  They use plenty of lime and not too much cranberry and it was really good. 

Mike wanted a salad, so, since it was my birthday I splurged and go the cold seafood salad.  It was like a ceviche but it wasn't a ceviche.  They actually saute the seafood and then they chill it and serve it in a lemon sauce.  Around the outside of the dish is a lemon sauce and a balsamic glaze.  The seafood is shrimp, scallops, squid and octopus.  It was really good...not perfect, but really good. 

We picked a nice bottle of Cabernet.  It went well with the red sauce dishes we both had.  It was called Farmstead by Long Meadow Ranch in Napa.  We liked it. 

After coming to Cafe Napoli and Napoli 2 in Town and Country (which has the same menu) I now know exactly what I want to order.  I order the eggplant parm as an entree with a side of angle hair pasta in a red sauce.  It is always good. 

Mike's order is very similar.  He gets veal parm and the same angel hair pasta.  

As I said before, they gave us a complimentary dessert because it was my birthday.  It is a frozen chocolate ice cream with a hard chocolate shell on the outside with a cherry in the center.  It is a nice little sweet to end the meal.  

Obviously, we really like this place.  That is why it is our special occasion restaurant. 

Mamma's on the Hill 7-5-2025

 I would give this place a 4/5

Laurie and Beth had told us that this was one of their new favorites.  Often they like places that we don't.  They just like different foods than we do.  So, we have different tastes.  So, we were sceptical.  

We made reservations for 6 pm.  That is nice.  There aren't a lot of places on the hill that let you make reservations.  Places are getting better, some places now have "waiting lists" online.

This place is small and super casual.  I don't need fancy, but I like it when people don't wear tshirts and shorts.  You can wear those here. 

It is also pretty small.  There isn't a lot of seating space.  We were given a table by the windon and that was good because the big window sill gave us extra room to put the breat basket, plates, etc.

Mike and I are pretty traditionalist when it comes to trying new Italian restaurants.  We try basic red sauce things.  

We started with a cocktail and an order of toasted ravioli.  Mike also got a salad.  The toasted ravs were good but not as good as Cunnetto's.  The salad was good but different, it had a balsamic vinegrette.  Mike liked it.  

For dinner I got spaghetti and meatballs.  They asked if I wanted 1 or 2 meatballs.  I only got 1.  I don't know if that changed the price of my dinner or not.  I had read online that they were known for their meatballs.  I AGREE.  That was probably the best meatball I've ever tasted.  It was seasoned well and was SUPER tender.  The red sauce was good...not perfect, but good.  I would totally eat this dish again because of the meatball.

Mike got their baked lasagna.  It was huge.  It is a mixture of red and white sauces in the layers.  Mike doesn't love the white sauce, but since lasagna is all pre-made, he usually doesn't have a choice.  He at a lot and still had a lot left over.  

Their wine list wasn't great and we ordered a wine that was just MEH.  Their wine list isn't available online, so I'm going to put it on here, so I have it for a later date.

Mike got tiramisu and I got a strawberry gelato dessert that was the evening special.  They were both good.  My gelato must have been frozen into that shape and then plated because it was HARD and needed a few minutes to soften up before I could really eat it.  

Overall we liked the food here and said we'd probably come back.  The dining room is casual (no table clothes, casual clothes, etc.) and it is small and somewhat loud, but the food is good enough to warrant a return trip.  

Kreis' Steakhouse in Creve Couer 5-17-25

This restaurant is always close to a 5/5. 

Mike was hungry for prime rib and decided he wanted some really nice prime rib, so we made a reservation at Kreis' Steakhouse in Creve Couer.  

There is always a weirdness when making a reservation at Kreis'.  The reservations say "North seating," "South seating" and "Main Dining Room."  We tried for main dining room but I think we got south seating in the front bar room.  I'm just glad we didn't get downstairs.  That is my least favorite place to sit.  

We started with the shrimp appetizer.  They are tasty.  The shrimp are seasoned and a little spicy.  They are butterflied and stuffed with crabcake mixture.  But, they are pricey...about $10 each!

We each got a cocktail and then ordered a bottle of wine that we have had there before.  

Mike ordered the big prime rib and some broccoli for dinner.  He wanted lots of leftovers to take home.  

I ordered the scallops.  They come with rice pilaf (usually rather tasetless), but tonight they had a cilantro lime rice that went with one of their specials, so I asked if I could have that instead.  Also, you get a baked potato with this.  This is too much starch, so I gave Mike 1/2 of my potato.  

We got the baked apple strudel for dessert.  They apples are good, but overall it is too cinnamony and there is not enough strudel (breading).  

It is always enjoyable to come here...but it is expensive, so we don't come often. 

Napoli 2 in Town and Country 5-10-25

I would say this restaurant is close to a 5/5.  

We went to Napoli 2 for Mother's Day.  We tried to get into Napoli Cafe in Clayton but their reservations were full.  We hadn't been to Napoli 2 for several years.  So, we decided to go back.

I do have to mention that there was quite the smell of fish when entering the building.  I don't know how to prevent this, as their fish dishes are great, but it is rather off-putting when you first arrive. 

The dining area seemed to be filled with people celebrating Mother's Day or college graduations.  

We had a good waiter.  I don't remember his name, but he was a guy who is our age and has been doing this a long time.  We ordered cocktails and after they arrived he noticed they had made my vodka Collins wrong (which happens about 1/2 the time), so he took it back.  It wasn't great the 2nd time, but much closer to the real thing.

Mike ordered an arancini and I ordered eggplant parm for an appetizer.  The eggplant parm is meant to be shared.  I knew I wouldn't eat it all and took 1/2 of it home.  It was delicious.  

   

We ordered a bottle of Dauo cabernet.  We've had it before and knew we liked it.

            

For dinner I went with the seafood linguini.  It was great. It had shrimp, scallops, lobster and clams. They know that the sauce should be made with butter and white wine.  It didn't overpower the fish.

                                

Mike had veal parm.  He said it was really good.  

                                                      

For dessert I got creme brule.  The sugar crust on the top was thick and crunchy...just the way you want it.  Mike got something called the rum baba.  It was like a bread pudding with a caramel sauce with a scoop of vanilla gelato on the side.  He really enjoyed it.  

We would totally come back here.  I think the one in Clayton is a little fancier and people dress up a little more there, but the food is great here, too. 

Buzzetta's in Chesterfield 4-5-2025

I'd give this place a 4.5 out of 5 based on this night's experience. 

This is the 2nd time we dined at Buzzetta's.  I looked all over their website and nowhere did it say anything about reservations.  When we first went there, they weren't doing any reservations, so I assumed they still weren't.  We arrived around 5:30 on a Sat. night.  We walked in with several other people who all had reservations.  So, I asked the hostess.  She said they now used OpenTable for reservations.  I wish they had something about that on their website!!

So, we asked if we could get a seat.  At first the hostess wanted to sit us at the bar.  We said we'd wait.  Then she said she thought she could find us a table.  We got a very nice table near the center of the room.  We also got a GREAT waitress.  She was very experienced.

We each ordered a cocktail.  When we tried to order a bottle of cabernet, this waitress asked if we'd be interested in looking at some better bottles that the owner had in his office.  We said "sure."  So, she brought out several $120-200 bottles.  We recognized the bottle of The Prisoner.  We hadn't had it for awhile, but we knew we liked it.  So, we said yes to that.  That was a good upsell on her part.  We were going to get a bottle of $50 wine and ended up spending about $120.  The wine was good, but it is a little too fruity for Mike's palate.  The waitress was all over helping us with this wine.  She decanted it and prominately displayed it on our table.  

When it was time to order dinner we decided to just ask for what we wanted (as it wasn't exactly on the menu).  I wanted a small order of eggplant parm with a side order of pasta with marinara sauce.  Mike wanted veal saltimboca with a side order of anglehair pasta with marinara sauce.  She said she could make that happen!  I love when restaurants will work with you.  

Before our entrees arrived we had bread and Mike ordered a house salad and I ordered some minestrone soup.  The soup was good, but the broth was a little thin.  Minestrone often has a little pasta in it (often orzo or some other super small pasta).  That pasta that was put in this was lingini.  It was fine and it wasn't over cooked, but it was odd.  

Our entrees were yummy.  

Then we asked our waitress about dessert.  There were several things that sounded good, but Mike asked her what was her favorite.  She said that the flambe was awesome.  It is made tableside.  The owner guy comes out with a portable burner and a skillet and several bottles of alcohol.  In the skillet he has butter and brown sugar.  He is making homemade caramel.  Then he puts a little of the alcohols in in and burns them off.  We asked for it over esspresso gelato.  It was warm and crunchy and cold and smooth all at the same time.  It was awesome.   Sorry the photo is blurry.