St. Louis Restaurant Reviews: Sofia Bistro

While St. Louis hosts a growing collection of great restaurants, my own visits are rare enough that when eating out, I prefer to simply enjoy. So when a friend raved about a favorite restaurant last month, I asked if she might write an occasional restaurant review for A Veggie Venture. She agreed! Please welcome the first St. Louis restaurant review from the Foodie Patootie, an A+ recommendation for Sofia Bistro, a neighborhood spot in the UCity/Clayton area. Enjoy ...

UPDATE: Sorry, Sofia Bistro is no longer open.

Dear Husband and I ate at a terrific restaurant again in December: Sofia Bistro. It's at the corner of Jackson and Pershing in U. City, near Clayton. It was probably our 12th time eating there. We just love it there, and the food, and we want to see them succeed - they deserve it.

Sofia's is a neighborhood restaurant - cozy, warm, and you can actually hear each other without straining. Parking isn't a problem; reservations are easy to get. We like it best on weeknights.

Did I say we love the food? The best risotto in any restaurant I've ever eaten. They always have shrimp risotto and wild mushroom risotto on the daily menu. If two of you share a salad and share the risotto - it'll be a perfect meal. I had a lovely glass of Hess Cabernet, and Dear Husband had a lighter Pinot Noir - healthy pours, yummy, and not overpriced. And if you have room for dessert: we shared among four of us their house-made cranberry bread pudding and apple strudel. Superb.

Their fresh fish each night is really fresh - and this time Dear Husband enjoyed fresh Chilean sea bass: it came on a bed of delightful mixed vegetable risotto. I branched out for a change and ordered the "Peppercorn Marinated Tenderloin, Grilled to Perfection, Served Over Dijon Cognac Sauce" and it was: it arrived exactly medium with pink in the middle - just the way I like it, and lots of perfectly steamed broccoli and roasted potatoes accompanied it. Since Dear Husband and I didn't split our entrees this time, I ate half and took the other half home. Dear Husband enjoyed it another night and had a feast.

Please consider Sofia Bistro the next time you go out. It just might become your favorite place, too.

Happy eating!

Foodie Patootie
The Foodie Patootie (FP) lives in St. Louis County with her Dear Husband (DH). She has been on and off Weight Watchers for a few years, counts Points in her sleep, and eats healthfully from restaurant menus. Restaurant portions are so huge, Foodie Patootie and her DH often share entrees. Since they often dine with friends, enough items are still sampled to offer a sense of a restaurant's offerings. Oh, FP and DH also live with their Dear Dog (DD). DD eats only BARF (bones and raw food) and looks and acts half his age. Lucky DD.