Lorusso's Cucina, St Louis

Dining at LoRusso's was the perfect compliment for our 39th anniversary. It simply does not get more enchanting and romantic than here for dinner. Rich Lorusso keeps the menu fresh and always interesting.

LoRusso's is my family's favorite restaurant on the Hill. The cooks always grant our special requests due to allergies. The tortellini is excellent, and we love the elegant, yet friendly atmosphere.

After dining at most of the popular places on the Hill, little did we know that we were saving the best for last! We loved everything about it! Nice casual atmosphere, hostess & waitress were both very courteous, great atmosphere and perhaps a little more pricey than some of the other places on the Hill, the atmosphere and food was worth every penny! We loved it!

The butternut squash ravioli was excellent. With two vegatarian daughters, finding a nice restaurant with good choices for them is sometimes hard. But the menu here was wonderful, and the food for all of the diners in our party was tremendous. We are planning a return trip in a few months, and this will be our first stop (maybe our second and third stop, too!!)

Had a fantastic date at LoRusso's Cuchina on Thursday. I've been there often enough for lunch and one can frequently see local politicians, CEOs on power lunches, etc. Mr. LoRusso came up to our table and personally asked my date what wine we would like. We went to dinner a little early (530ish) and it was very quiet. Our server was polite and unintrusive (always good on a first date). About 615ish a piano player appeared and played a mostly good repetoire though there were a couple sappy songs. Patronage significantly picked up and by the time we left at about 715, it was crowded but not loud and/or clamourous. I had the horseradish salmon with vegetable medley. Boneless salmon had a light horseradish sauce over it and both were placed on very tender spinach leaves. The string beans of the medley were a little tough but the other veggies (squash, carrots, cucumber) were perfectly tender. My date had a veal dish but I refrained from sampling so I could not speak to it but he deemed it very good (and he's a bit of a conniseur). The pinot grigio we had was just dry and sweet enough. Coffee was hot and strong and did not taste as though it had been sitting in a percolater for a couple hours. Overall the food and ambience was excellent. I highly recommend LoRusso's either for a romantic dinner or a great lunch.

Even in the Hill Neighborhood, too many Italian restaurants are stuck on variations of pasta with marinara or alfredo sauce. Chef/Owner/Greeter Rich LoRusso presents a broader range of Italian flavors without requiring a second mortgage. Specials are usually special, not just a regular menu item written on a chalkboard. Pastas with seafood and creative veal dishes are an opportunity to experience more of Italy.

After reading very positive reviews about LoRusso's, I chose it to take my brother and sister-in-law to for their 25th wedding anniversary. It exceeded our expectations! We all loved our respective dishes. The service was also very attentive and courteous. My brother said it will be the restaurant for him and his wife on special occasions. I likewise am looking for the next opportunity to return as well.

Highly overated. Food was not good, in fact it was not even hot. Service was off as well. Out of a table of 6 none of us liked our food.