The St. Louis dining scene is hardly cutting edge, but if you’re looking for old-time Italian charm, look no further.  This week’s installment on John Mariani’s website features two St. Louis classics + Larry Forgione’s An American Place. Forgione successfully transferred his small-carbon-footprint, locally-driven philosophy from The Big Apple to The Gateway To The West 3 years ago.  For a preview of what his Vegas outpost might look and taste like (slated to open at the Wynn later this year), you can read about AAP + 2 classic Italian places that occupy top spots in the St. Louis restaurant hierarchy.

Click here to read my tale of St. Louis dining at JohnMariani.com.