Charlie Gitto’s From the Hill brings Hill tradition to Chesterfield

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.”

Lunch and dinner selections feature core items that have been menu staples for years, such as Toasted Ravioli made from the original recipe created in the Gitto kitchen in 1947. The Signature Shrimp appetizer roasts large shrimp in garlic butter and seasoned breadcrumbs. Another Gitto classic, the lightly crumb-dusted and sautéed Chicken Nunzio topped with sweet lump crabmeat, melted fontina and finished with lemon butter is a most popular preparation that remains a perennial favorite.

Two specialty dishes with which Gitto is especially pleased are the Seafood Pasta Suzanne – a decadent mix of tagliatelle pasta, shrimp, scallops, clams and langostinos tossed with a three-pepper cream sauce – and Veal Anthony, which is sautéed in an herb and artichoke cream. Both are named in honor of Gitto’s children and are examples of the Gitto’s chefs’ culinary creativity.

Pastas, a menu mainstay, are made fresh with homemade pasta to create traditional standards, such as Baked Spaghetti with Meatballs, Cannelloni, and Manicotti. Brick-oven pizzas are made to order with fresh dough, ladled with red or white sauce and crowned with a variety of toppings. The adventurous gourmet will want to try the White Clam, a white-sauce concoction with fresh clams, pancetta and caramelized onions.

Beef connoisseurs favor Gitto’s steaks. All are premium center-cut, aged a minimum of 28 days and served with the option of various signature sauces.

A choice of salads dressed with made-from-scratch dressings are presented a la carte, and soups present yet another pre-entrée consideration.

“Our soups are made fresh daily and made from family recipes,” said Gitto, noting that guests always will find minestrone, lobster bisque, matzo ball and chicken noodle on the menu along with weekly specials.

Speaking of specials, “Wednesday’s special is my mother’s meatloaf,” Gitto said. “On Fridays, we have broiled or fried cod.”

Charlie Gitto’s From the Hill offers an impressive display of homemade cakes, cookies, pastries and gelato available packed to go at the dessert and espresso bar. The dessert counter complements the carry-out/drop-off catering options designed to accommodate corporate events and at-home entertaining.

“We try to have something for everybody,’ said Gitto, describing how Charlie Gitto’s From the Hill’s menu and catering services are tailored to serve the community while conveying to customers that neighborhood feeling made famous on the Hill.  “We want to be affordable for everyone – we stress that. We want to be an affordable place you can frequent.”

 

Charlie Gitto’s From the Hill

15525 Olive Blvd. • Chesterfield

(636) 536-2199

11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday-Thursday

11 a.m.-11 p.m., Friday-Saturday

Brunch menu available Saturday and Sunday

www.charliegittos.com