Charlie Gitto's

Got Vino? First Annual Hill Wine Walk

charlie gittos — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:16:38 +0000

Join Charlie Gitto’s and 12 other participating locations for the Hill Wine Walk on Saturday, May 19, 2012 from 1-5 pm. Registration begins at 12:45pm at Berra Park (corner of Macklind & Daggett). Tickets are only $25 per person and include:
- Souvenir wine bag & wine glass
-26 Sample wine tasting (2 @ each participating location)
-Map & Wine info

*Must be 21 to participate

We have tickets available for sale! Just stop in to our restaurant on the Hill to purchase yours today! You can also purchase them online at the website below or on the day of the walk.

We will have our patio open at 1pm with a nice Appetizer & Salad Menu available. The restaurant will open early at 3pm with our full dinner menu available.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU FOR THIS GREAT EVENT!!!

http://iacc-midamerica.com/news__events/the_hill_wine_walk

Charlie Gitto’s in West News Magazine

charlie gittos — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:56:59 +0000

Italian culinary tradition made the Hill neighborhood famous and Charlie Gitto Jr. renown among restaurateurs.

“I grew up around food and a family that loved to cook,” said Gitto, who said that as a kid, he always wanted to own his own restaurant. “In 1981, the opportunity came to open Charlie Gitto’s On the Hill, and the rest is history.”

Over the last 30 years, Gitto has continued to make St. Louis restaurant history by focusing on his creative Italian cuisine and expansion. The newest restaurant addition was in 2010 in Chesterfield with the opening of Charlie Gitto’s From the Hill. Like its sister operations on the Hill and at Harrah’s, it has its own unique atmosphere and style with a menu built on Gitto’s collection of signature dishes that loyal customers over the years have come to expect.

“We wanted all the locations to have a different feel and a different personally,” Gitto said. “(Charlie Gitto’s) From the Hill has a casual, elegant setting that’s comfortable, not pretentious.”

Click the link below to read the rest of this great story!

http://www.newsmagazinenetwork.com/2012022115345/charlie-gittos-from-the-hill-brings-hill-tradition-to-chesterfield/

Great American Bites: Toasted ravioli at Charlie Gitto’s in St. Louis

charlie gittos — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:35:22 +0000

Great American Bites: Toasted ravioli at Charlie Gitto’s in St. Louis

By Larry Olmsted, special for USA TODAY

The scene: New York has Little Italy, San Francisco has North Beach and Boston has the North End, all among the nation’s most famous Italian neighborhoods. But The Hill in St. Louis, aptly named as the city’s highest point, may be the best preserved of them all, more a true neighborhood than a tourist attraction. Seemingly frozen in time for half a century, The Hill has a Romanesque church modeled after one in Milan, bocce courts, and quiet residential streets dotted with mom and pop Italian grocery stores and bakeries. Baseball great Yogi Berra grew up here, and is said to have coined his pet phrase, “It’s so crowded no one goes there anymore,” about the now defunct Ruggiero’s restaurant, where he once worked as a waiter.

Toasted ravioli is ubiquitous in St. Louis, where it is commonplace not just on Italian menus but as a bar snack, transcending ethnic divides like the chicken wing or nachos. Charlie Gitto’s invented the metro area’s specialty

In fact, people do still go there, both tourists and residents from other parts of St. Louis, because The Hill is home to some excellent Italian restaurants, the most famous of which is Charlie Gitto’s. In the tradition of Yogi, Charlie Gitto’s is popular with professional athletes, both local and visiting teams, and has a heavy dark-wood steakhouse feel, with a private room in the back named for former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. It has hosted everyone from Joe DiMaggio to Vincent Price, Barbara Bush to Mark McGwire, and according to current owner Charlie Gitto, Jr., “Anybody that’s anybody who visits St. Louis.”

But despite its long tradition of upscale Italian cuisine and celebrity clientele, the reason most people make it a point to get to Charlie Gitto’s is because this is the place that invented a true St. Louis specialty, toasted ravioli.

Reason to visit: Toasted ravioli, Amy’s gnocchi, Signature shrimp, Chicken Nunzio

The food: Toasted ravioli is ubiquitous in St, Louis, where it is commonplace not just on Italian menus but as a bar snack, transcending ethnic divides like the chicken wing or nachos. To a lesser extent you can find it outside of St. Louis, where it is usually called fried ravioli, and that’s what it is: breaded and deep-fried ravioli served as a starter or bar snack. There are other claimants, but Charlie Gitto’s is generally recognized as the birthplace of the dish in its previous incarnation as Angelo’s restaurant.

“Toasted ravioli was invented here in 1947,” says Charlie Junior. “Louis Townsend was the guy who accidentally dropped ravioli in the breadcrumbs. He decided to fry them instead of tossing them, and brought them to Angelo, who thought it was a great idea because he could quickly get them out to the bar. In the post-war era, the bars were really busy, all these classic cocktails, and Angelo served ravioli as bar food.” He showed me a clipping from a 1967 Life Magazine celebrating Angelo’s and the 20th anniversary of Townsend’s invention.

Charlie Gitto, Sr. worked for Angelo and eventually took over the restaurant, and when his son ascended to the throne in 1981 he changed the name, but not the recipe. “The ravioli are all handmade, irregularly shaped. Meat ravioli was always the standard, but sometimes I do a special, like seafood. Every single table, especially out of town guests, gets an order.” Keeping the tradition alive, staff sometimes passes complimentary toasted ravioli to bar patrons and those waiting for tables.

Charlie Gitto’s is a decidedly upscale restaurant featuring 28-day dry aged steaks, seafood, and a wide selection of pastas, all homemade daily, plus a huge wine list.

These are not your mass-market fried ravioli, which are usually heavy, greasy, and made from cheese ravioli. These are stuffed with a rich and tasty mix made from whole pieces of chicken, veal and beef that are slow-roasted with vegetables, then ground up and encased in fresh homemade pasta. The breading is very light, the pasta also light and tender, and the interior delicious, the consistency of very good homemade meatballs. They are instantly addictive, and one of the rare such regional “delicacies” that lives up to – or exceeds – their billing.

Surprising for a place known for a bar snack, Charlie Gitto’s is a decidedly upscale restaurant featuring 28-day dry-aged steaks, seafood, and a wide selection of pastas, all homemade daily, plus a huge wine list. While ravioli run $10, most entrees are $25 and up, and the dry-aged ribeye tops out at $42. Entrée specialties include Chicken Nunzio, a breaded cutlet topped with fresh lump crabmeat and lemon sauce; Amy’s gnocchi, named for Gitto’s daughter and tossed with pan-crisped prosciutto, fresh peas, and mushrooms, in a buttery chicken-broth reduction; and the Signature shrimp, jumbo crustaceans flash-cooked at 1600-degrees with garlic, butter, and seasonings. Gitto has three other restaurants, all serving “The Original” toasted ravioli, including locations at the Harrah’s casinos in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Pilgrimage-worthy?: Yes – the toasted ravioli are better than you could reasonably expect, and the entire menu is full of tasty choices.

Rating: Yum! (Scale: Blah, OK, Mmmm, Yum!, OMG!)

Price: $$$ ($ cheap, $$ moderate, $$$ expensive)

Details: Original, 5226 Shaw Ave., St. Louis; 314-772-8898; charliegittos.com

Patio Bar Happy Hour at Harrah’s

studio2108 — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:38:02 +0000

Monday – Saturday, 4:30pm- 6pm and 9:00pm – close

Savor appetizers from our Sicilian Sampler Menu for only $2.95.

Click here to view the Sicilian Sampler Menu.

The perfect place to unwind after a long day!

Saturday and Sunday Brunch in Chesterfield

studio2108 — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:27:25 +0000

Join us for brunch in Chesterfield on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am – 3pm. To download a copy of our brunch menu, click here or view the menu below.

Visit our brunch page to download or view the menu!

Happy Hour in Chesterfield

studio2108 — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:19:20 +0000

Monday – Sunday, 3pm- 6pm in the bar area only.

Savor appetizers from our Sicilian Sampler Menu for only $2.95. Enjoy draft Microbrews for only $5.00, wine by the glass for $5.00 and our famous house- infused martinis for $5.00.

Click here to view the Sicilian Sampler Menu.

The perfect place to unwind after a long day!

Charlie Gitto’s “On the Hill” Celebrates 30th Anniversary On – What Else – National Ravioli Day, March 21, 2011

studio2108 — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:34:09 +0000

Restaurant Celebration Includes Filming for The Food Network

The renowned Charlie Gitto’s “On The Hill,” where toasted ravioli became a St. Louis invention, is celebrating its 30th anniversary on – what else – National Ravioli Day March 21, 2011. Charlie Gitto Jr. opened the “On The Hill” restaurant March 21, 1981. Gitto’s preparation of toasted ravioli will be featured on The Food Network this summer for the program “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” The segment was taped Saturday, March 19, 2011.

“After 30 years of serving authentic Italian cuisine, we are excited to share our special taste of St. Louis with a national audience,” said Gitto. He personally prepared ravioli delicacies for the The Food Network show, which highlights the most amazing foods from coast to coast.

In addition to “The Hill” location, Gitto also owns and operates Charlie Gitto’s “From The Hill” in Chesterfield, Mo. and Charlie Gitto’s “At Harrah’s Casino” in Maryland Heights, Mo. He co-owns Mike and Charlie’s Italian Restaurant at Harrah’s Casino in North Kansas City, Mo. Gitto’s offers drop-off and on-site full service catering from its three locations in metro St. Louis. More information is online at www.charliegittos.com.

OpenTable Names Charlie Gitto’s “On the Hill” One of Nation’s Top 50 Italian Restaurants

studio2108 — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:25:06 +0000

Diner Reviews Honor Charlie Gitto’s among 12,000 Restaurants Nationwide

One of the most popular online restaurant reservation services has named Charlie Gitto’s “On the Hill” in St. Louis one of the nation’s top 50 Italian restaurants. San Francisco-based OpenTable, Inc. honored Charlie Gitto’s based on more than seven million reviews submitted by diners of more than 12,000 restaurants nationwide. The restaurants with the highest scores from diner feedback received the distinction. For the complete listing, visit www.opentable.com/italian.

“While we are proud of our Italian cuisine, we get rave reviews about our steaks and seafood as well,” said owner, Charlie Gitto Jr. “The ranking shows the high quality of our diverse menu.” Gitto opened Charlie Gitto’s “On the Hill” in 1981 at 5226 Shaw Avenue.

Earlier this year, Wine Spectator honored Charlie Gitto’s with its Award of Excellence for the restaurant’s selection of more than 450 wines, primarily from Italy and California.

Charlie Gitto’s newest restaurant, Charlie Gitto’s “From the Hill”, is located in Chesterfield, Mo. and opened in early September. He also operates Charlie Gitto’s “At Harrah’s Casino” in Maryland Heights, Mo. and co-owns Mike and Charlie’s Italian Restaurant at Harrah’s Casino in North Kansas City. From its three St. Louis-area locations, Charlie Gitto’s offers drop-off and on-site full service catering. For more information and full menu lists, visit www.charliegittos.com.

A Perfect Reason to Stop By This Evening!

studio2108 — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:45:12 +0000

Important health tip for the summer: Drink more wine! A better protection against harmful sunburns might be a healthy dose of SPF sauvignon blanc, suggests a new Spanish study.