A handsome restaurant, Katie's Pizza and Pasta is, but a little wonky. No longer affiliated with its original site across from the Esquire Theatre, the new Katie's has a larger menu and a larger dining room. True to the times, it's noisy, but the outdoor tables - which were usable for perhaps a month since they opened, I suspect - are on the side away from Manchester Road, so they'll be quieter.
With a name like this, there's no surprise that a meal might be a carbohydrate festival, of course. We began with a burrata plate to share. Burrata, mozzarella's softer, richer cousin, arrived in its traditional ball, with some mushrooms, both tame and wild, sauteed in garlic and olive oil. Two crostini rode alongside. (Question: If there were three of us, why don't servers offer an extra slice or just ask the kitchen to add a third?) The burrata was properly creamy, the mushrooms rich and flavorful. Only the crostini, two slices of bread that had the stale crunch of having been left out to air dry for a long time, didn't come up to standards. Having to assemble crostini isn't too much to ask. But these were slices more than two bites each, and trying to break them up left a shower of pieces.
Pappardelle with a wild boar ragu was excellent. The pasta, housemade, just slightly chewy, wore sauce that managed to be flavorful but not too heavy on a hot late spring night. Part of this may have been due to the sprinkling of lemon peel and parsley called gremolata, not traditional with this particular item but good with many richer red-meat dishes.
On to the pizza. These are all about 10 inches in diameter - there are smaller ones at lunch - and made in a wood-burning oven. It's not quite a true Neapolitan style - the crust is a little thicker, a little crisper, and lacking the burned spots that are so controversial among St. Louis pizza fans. A margherita, the classic tomato-mozzarella-basil and often the best way to check out pizza basics, was competent but not the sort of comfort-food basic one might hope for. The basil is added before introducing the pie into the oven, cutting its flavor but adding bits of crispy.
The second pizza, titled Kup's Egg, starred more of those mushrooms, thickish slices of a fennel-scented sausage, fontina cheese, an egg and fresh thyme. More complex flavors, of course, and heartier, very tasty indeed. The egg, yolk still mostly liquid, spread appealingly after the first slice was removed. The crust was so firm, however, that it was difficult to swipe it, even the edge, to pick up a meaningful amount of the yolk. A request for a little bread to wipe it up with? No bread served in the evenings. This seems unusual for a restaurant with such strong Italian leanings. None left from lunch? No good answer, but reconnoitering the lunch menu shows no sandwiches. Finally the server, who had really been very good all through the meal, brightened. "I'll bring you pizza points, okay?" We decided she had said "pita", and the narrow wedges, fresh and hot and brushed with a little olive oil, almost addictive, certainly seemed like pita. Whatever the name, they served the purpose and were eaten like French fries, down to the very last one. We have all been witness to the shrinking bread basket in the last few years as the economy wavered. But this was a surprise.
Ricotta doughnut holes for dessert, and some housemade gelato - vanilla was a snoozer but the dark(ish) chocolate and the strawberry were quite good. The doughnut holes, sometimes called bomboloni, had the moist, slightly coarse texture that ricotta often gives. Rather unsweet, with a light dusting of confectioners' sugar and a swirl of honey on the plate, they were easy to share and easy to go down.
Very good service on the whole, on a busy night when our table had a leisurely schedule. Certainly the bread policy isn't the server's fault, and she came up with a good solution. Just be prepared to speak loudly.
Katie's Pizza and Pasta
9568 Manchester Rd., Rock Hill
314-962-6555
Lunch and Dinner daily, Brunch Sun.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Entrees: $12-$18
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