Brooke Schachner
Cunetto House of Pasta
Rating: 4/5
5453 Magnolia Avenue
St Louis, MO 63139
Price Range: $10-20
In search of Italian food, we decided to venture south of Forest Park to the Hill. After hearing good things from the Food Network’s Rachel Ray, (“30 Minute Meals,” “$40 a Day”) we decided to go to Cunetto House of Pasta, located on Magnolia Avenue. Cunetto’s serves generally delectable traditional Italian cooking in large portions and at extremely reasonable prices. Though Cunetto’s is known for its pasta dishes, the array of affordable options makes it an excellent choice for any night.
After we arrived at Cunetto’s and hung our coats, a hostess led us through a fairly crowded bar area. Upon entering the dining room, we were surprised at how packed the restaurant was. It was a weeknight and almost every table was occupied. Though most of the diners were older, we did notice some businessmen and younger patrons enjoying their dinners. Our waitress was very courteous and attentive. Within seconds, our drinks were served. While we were given bread plates and butter, bread was not served until after our appetizers, which did arrive very expediently.
The menu at Cunetto’s is generally what one would expect at a house of pasta: classic Italian appetizers, several beef, chicken and veal dishes and over twenty kinds of pasta. One of the few notable problems is the lack of seafood dishes. The menu only includes a sole filet dish and one shrimp dish. For those looking for lighter fare, Cunetto’s also has a section of low-cholesterol pasta plates on the menu.
To start, we ordered toasted ravioli and calamari sautéed in butter, lemon and garlic. The toasted ravioli was fair. It was topped with Parmesan cheese and stuffed with beef, but it was a little chewy; we wish it had been crunchier. The calamari was very tasty and cooked well.
Next time, we’ll be sure to try the fried version. For larger parties, Cunetto’s offers a “Gourmet Appetizer” platter for $26 that contains most of the items on their appetizer menu. Shortly after we finished our appetizers, our salad arrived. We ordered the insalata italiana, which is just lettuce, wine vinegar and virgin olive oil. Though simple, the dressing was delicious and the lettuce was particularly fresh. We regretted not trying another one of their salads.
When our main courses arrived, we were immediately impressed by the portions. The pasta plates were huge, and the veal dish came with its own entrée-sized portion of pasta and a glass of wine. The veal scallopini, which consists of meat sautéed in Marsala sauce and green peppers, was very tender. Additionally, the pasta side dish was cooked perfectly, though it is worth noting that substituting a different kind of pasta for the standard spaghetti costs extra.
The cannelloni bianco, rolled pasta stuffed with beef, veal and chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce, was also an interesting and enjoyable dish. The fettuccini carbonara, fettuccini pasta blended with Parmesan cheese, butter, cream, egg and prosciutto, was served with plenty of prosciutto. However, the sauce could have been smoother.
For dessert, we would recommend the New York cheesecake. Though the tiramisu was good, the cheesecake was particularly tasty, and we enjoyed the strawberry glaze that came with it. We were upset when we learned that Cunetto’s espresso machine was not working, but the coffee was good nonetheless.
Overall, we had a great experience at Cunetto’s. For a relatively low price, we were served great food by a helpful staff and we went home with enough food to last us for days.
While there are certainly glitzier, more upscale places on the Hill, Cunetto’s is a great place for groups of all sizes looking for large portions of Italian food and decent prices.
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Dining and Cooking