| Bart and Roseanne Saracino along
with Rose LaFata, Roseanne's
mother opened Bartolino's Restaurant in 1969. Bart is from San Martino,
Compo Bosso in Pensilis, a small farming town Southeast of Rome.
Roseanne's family is
from Palermo. Bart Sr. came to America in 1954. He started out as a busboy at
Parente's Italian Village Restaurant where he gradually learned the language.
Originally, he opened LaCino's Restaurant with his father-in-law, Nick LaFata in
1961. Bart worked closely with his in-laws while Roseanne was at home raising
their four sons - John, Bart, Mike and Chris. Nick became ill and passed away in
1969 and his wife Rose could no longer
work at Lacino's because of the painful memories. Bart Sr. looked for another
location for a restaurant and he found that 2524 Hampton was available. He began Bartolino's with
Rose and Roseanne, soon to be followed by his sons. Today with
two Bartolino's locations and Chris' Pancake and Dining, the family members still work together to promote their family
traditions which are important to them.
Bartolino's
is located on the Hill,
which is the Italian section of St. Louis at 2524 Hampton Avenue. Bartolino's South opened in 1982 in South County at 5914 South
Lindbergh. Chris' Pancake and Dining
opened in 1987 and is located at
5980 Southwest Avenue on the Hill.
The founding chef was Rose LaFata. The current chefs
are Michael Macchi at Bartolino's, Gregory Jones at Bartolino's South and Greg Scheetz at
Chris' Pancake and Dining. John and Mike Saracino are located
at Bartolino's South.
Bart Jr. is at Bartolino's on Hampton and Chris can be found at Chris'
Pancake and
Dining.
The three restaurants have received recognition over the
years from many charitable organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the Saint
Louis Zoo, The St. Louis Effort for Aids and the Kiwanis Club. The Saracino family
has participated in events such as A Taste of Italy, Zoofari and Dining Out For Life.
They also hold an annual ravioli dinner and a golf tournament to benefit The
Hampton-Midtown Kiwanis Club, which Bart Sr. has been a member of for 30 years.
The philosophy of Bartolino's is customer satisfaction
and enjoyment. Our chef's motto is: Cook good food and give plenty.
Basta! (Enough said). A guest can expect a warm and comfortable atmosphere,
formal or casual, celebrating a special occasion or after a sporting event or theatre.
Bartolino's serves a variety of dishes from the traditional Veal
Parmigiano and
Lasagna to Crab Stuffed Tenderloin or Linguine with bountiful seafood. Our
marinara sauce is a delightful combination of the freshest
ingredients, firm tomatoes, onion, garlic and basil, with a touch of sweetness. It
is a hearty sauce complimenting everything from our famous Toasted Ravioli to our special
Veal Christopher served with eggplant. Our original recipe tomato
sauce is outstanding served over pasta with meatballs or in the famous 3-way special,
baked spaghetti, mostaccioli and ravioli. It is a very smooth sauce with a hint of
spice and sweet. Both sauces and our salad dressing are
available for purchase in local grocery stores, Italian specialty shops, in our
restaurants and online.
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