Modesto – Fine if You Have No Place Else to Go

Date Dined: May 26, 2014

Overall Rating: 3 Stars

It was the day after our wedding and we were starving. Moving 16 centerpieces, a chuppah, and a boat load of other things will do that to you. People were craving Italian so we headed to the Hill to give them a taste of Saint Louis’s Italian district. Unfortunately, it was Memorial Day and most of my standbys were closed. While making Jess drive around searching for the mystery Italian place we went to once we stumbled onto Modesto. For some reason I always thought it was located in Maplewood, but nope, right on the Hill. By now we were really hungry so we figured “eh, why not?”

Décor: 4 stars

Modesto’s décor is actually the best part of the meal by far. I love open and partially open kitchens so that suckered me in. A row of booths runs down the center of the restaurant, while tables are spaced an appropriate amount of room apart. There were even some larger, circular booths recessed in the walls which would be fun for a small group of people. Upon entering you can also sit in the bar area, which would also have been just fine with us.

Service: 2.5 stars

If you’ve been reading my blog on a regular basis you know that I’m both understanding and demanding about different things when it comes to service. There was really nothing to brag about at Modesto. Upon entering we were greeted with a restaurant that was at the most one-forth full. Their first question was if we had a reservation, which doesn’t sound weird here on paper, but the tone she used almost conveyed the subtext of “if you don’t have a reservation you may need to wait.” I was happy some of Jess’s friends were there and shared my sentiments or else I would have thought I was imagining things.

Our server was likewise lackluster. She kind of looked like she was doing us a favor being there. I’m not one to be fawned over and formal restaurants actually make me a little uncomfortable,  but this chick acted like we were her parents giving her a lecture about the national deficit. I think she asked us once how everything was. The thing that bummed me out the most was that we mentioned that we had just gotten married and her exact response was “oh.” At least crack a smile girl. Needless to say Jess and I had a debate about her tip and of course I lost, but what are you going to do?

Price: 2.5 stars

Average is the word, you’re not going to find any great deals here. In fact, after being served Barcelona’s plentiful servings the sizes here were a little disappointing. If you are hungry do not come here as you’ll have to order 4 dishes a person just to satisfy yourself (you can get away with 5 for a two top at Barcelona or even Guidos). Not much to say, but considering the quality of food, I’d definitely say not worth it.

Food Rating: 3 Stars

Let’s start off with the drinks. In three words, “stick with beer.” The mojitos were on special that night for $5.00, but only the regular ones. I ordered a coconut mojito, and paid the full $10.00 price for it. (Another opportunity to provide some above average service, just squirt some coconut in there for me). Well… it tasted nothing like coconut and the drink was so watered down it made me think that I was drinking natty light. The sangria was likewise watery with no trace of sweetness or fruityness to it. Ugh.

There were some very tasty dishes, and some god-awful ones, but all in all everything was pretty average. I will say that a lot of the food came out in odd numbers. I always appreciate when food comes out in easily divisible numbers. Fours and sixes are good, three tops are also pretty common, but there were a few ones and fives at the restaurant. (Not to mention that tapas is meant to be shared and trying to split a taco between more than two people is difficult).

The bread is nothing special. It’s one of those white, Italian loafs that comes out a little cold and tasteless without something to spread on it. Unfortunately, the only thing that came out to spread on it was an olive tapenade. Why not just fill one of the ramekins with butter?

Now when it comes to the food, I’m going to start on a positive note with my favorites. The fried artichokes were greasy, but very satisfying, and one of the only dishes that I thought was generous considering the price. Lightly breading, with just the right amount of saltiness, I could have snacked on these things all night. The tosta de sobrasada or grilled bread with chorizo, goat cheese, and honey was surprisingly delicious. The sweetness of the honey really complimented the chorizo, and this was a dish that could have very easily turned into a disgusting clash of tastes.

After those standouts there were two dishes that were good, but not outstanding. The pork belly tacos were on special, and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of pork belly they gave you. Chunks of slightly crispy meat were marinated with a Spanish BBQ sauce and served on a flour tortilla. My only observation is that they might want to consider charging an extra buck and giving the table two served on smaller corn tortillas. The patatas bravas were likewise very good, but that’s to be expected considering that it’s just Spanish French fries. Still, good job and I’ll give props where do.

Now for the things that were just average, and unless you’re really craving them I would order them someplace else. The croquetas de salmon were fine, but it almost tasted like they used canned salmon. The filling was pretty mushy, and all you could really taste was the breading. The chili relleno’s filling was okay, but the pepper itself was mushy, and not warmed all the way through. The queso de cabra, which I always order when available on a tapas menu, was likewise mediocre. The goat cheese lacked the creaminess of its quality bretheren, the tomato sauce could have been Ragu, and the bread was tasteless. I’d stay away unless you’re really craving this signature dish.

The fried cauliflower would have been better seared on a grill. It was lacking everything that made the artichokes great. Greasy, tasteless, and still raw on the inside, I would say skip this one. If they change the menu to have a pan seared version I might try that. The bistec a la cabrales, could have been straight out of a greasy spoon diner, but not nearly as good. Not only was the presentation kind of sloppy, but the lack of any sort of seasoning on the meat coupled with the toughness made me not even finish the slice I took for my plate.

By far the most disappointing was the Paella. Upon seeing the picture you might think the same thing I’m thinking, wow that looks pretty good. It’s not. The rice was crispy and burnt causing me to actually hurt my tooth... on rice… The chicken on the other hand was nicely bland and mushy. The seafood, in general, also lacked any sort of flavoring, which also included tasting like seafood. If I had been blindfolded I would never have guessed that there were actually four types of different seafood in the dish. The only thing that managed to survive, somewhat, is the chorizo, but in its small cubed state its presence was severely lacking.

For dessert we ordered the churros and tres leches cake, two of my favorites. The churros were Disney quality, soft on the inside, cinammony-sugar on the outside. The tres leches cake was acceptable, with the right amount of moistness, but it was like eating a cup of sugar. 

In Conclusion

If you’re driving around and everything else is closed or booked go check out Modesto. If you go in expecting a chefs who have never studied Spanish cuisine then you won’t be disappointed. The food in all ways is average and the house drinks awful. Maybe if we were in Rolla, Missouri I might make this a go to, but so many other delicious options I think I’ll be skipping this place for years to come.