Italian Dinner: Vangel's
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Everyone loves Italian food, so when I discovered this Italian restaurant I was pretty excited. Vangel's has been around for a couple years but somehow slipped through the cracks and I had no idea it existed. But, once I noticed it, I looked at the menu and thought it looked really good, so naturally I had to go and check it out. When the food turned out to be nothing short of awesome, the next step was obvious... time to take the group there!
Cuisine - Vangel's calls their menu a mix of modern entrees and comfort classics. That actually seems pretty accurate! Among the appetizers, their Arancini (a fried rice ball with prosciutto, lemon, and parmesan, in a sauce of tomato basil bisque and whipped herb ricotta), or traditional meatballs (baked with marinara, mozzarella, parmesan, and basil) are definitely comfort food - and incredibly good, I might add! On the other hand, their charred broccolini with calabrian chili oil and lemon, or the seared cauliflower steak with chili, pistachios, almonds, and herbs, and not something you see every day (and also pretty amazing, I might add). They have a nice selection of salads (house, Caprese, Caesar, or chopped), but for me the real attraction is always the entrees. While not a huge menu, it's an awesome cross-section of great choices! Here, they also have a mix of traditionals, like the tortellini pasta with prosciutto, peas, and mushrooms in cream sauce (which I had and was fantastic), to baked lasagna, to Rosa (ziti in a blush sauce with salsiccia, spinach, tomato, and parmesan). Several of their dishes, such as the Parmigana, Piccata, or Marsala, come with your choice of things like chicken, veal, eggplant, or salmon. The seafood choices, like the shrimp scampi or the pan-seared salmon with rice pilaf, broccolini, and charred lemon, are also great choices. And while not typical, their smash burgers (traditional with cheese and garlic aioli, or French Onion with swiss cheese, caramelized onions, and mushrooms) are served with delicious truffle fried and are truly fantastic burgers! Bottom line, there is an excellent selection of traditional and more unusual Italian fare here, and everything I tried was utterly delicious!
Price - For a really nice Italian restaurant, Vangel's does a great job of keeping their prices reasonable, as they're trying to keep the feel of a neighborhood restaurant. The appetizers and dinner-sized salads are in the mid teens; the entrees range from the upper teens to the mid twenties, with only a few dishes breaking the thirty dollar mark. A few years ago this would have been expensive, but today, this is all pretty reasonable for a place with food this good, and for my money it's well worth it!
Other Info - Vangel's is located at the east end of a small strip on the north side of Manchester in Warson Woods, right next to a Dollar Tree; they are almost exactly halfway between Lindbergh and McKnight. The entrance is at the signal with Sappington Rd. There is a parking lot right out front as well as around on the east side of the building.
I'll be looking forward to seeing lots of my friendly foodies on Tuesday evening the 13th for some great Italian food at Vangel's!
Italian Dinner: Vangel's