Hello, bonjour, hola, ciao, shalom, and kon’nichiwa! Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Victoria, a self-proclaimed foodie. I love; no, I adore great quality food. Whether it is a highly rated Zagat restaurant/bistro or a food truck offering the very best in dining on wheels, great food and service is what I am after! To that end, I will be eating my way through southern Utah and reporting my experiences and impressions back to you.
Let’s begin by making sure we are on the same page. This is not a popularity contest. It’s a subjective review of my experiences with the service, ambiance, and culinary offerings of local eateries. To balance that a bit, I’ll team up occasionally with friends and loved ones to evaluate things together, the goal being perspectives from two very different people with differing tastes but a shared appreciation for good service, appropriate ambiance, and great food!
I make no promises to not offend anyone — not you, dear reader, or the proprietors or staff of any of the local dining spots I review. There will be times when my appraisal will be well-received, and there will be times when it will not. I can live with that. I am not looking to become the darling of the St. George food scene, or any scene for that matter. I like to eat, discuss, and write about my experiences, sharing the hits and misses with you.
My first assignment is the local favorite Cappeletti’s, a tastefully decorated Italian restaurant with an accessible feel. It’s at once casual and charming, without being too casual or seeming the least bit contrived.
Making the reservation with the hostess was quick and pleasant, and it left me counting down the hours and then minutes until I could sink my teeth into a little bit of Italy. (Okay, I must confess that this is not my first time dining at Cappeletti’s. I have enjoyed many a meal there during my years in St. George.)
When I arrived, I was seated quickly at a lovely table near the back of the main dining room, far from any significant noise and foot traffic — excellent. Menus and water were delivered quickly by my waitress, Francesca, who was friendly and knowledgeable. She reviewed the specials, answered questions, took my order, and was back before I knew it with the appetizer, Argentinean empanadas. They are delightful! Little delicious pouches of dough filled with savory beef and garlic, and then fried. The crust is crispy, the filling tender and delicious. They come four to an order and are served with chimichuri sauce, an Argentinean specialty, and sweet Thai chili sauce. This is a perfect appetizer for two!
I ordered the 8 oz. Black Angus flat iron steak, rare. It was not an easy choice, considering the number of tempting entrées on the menu. I think it was the part about being “dusted with mouth-watering seasonings and topped with a creamy gorgonzola sauce” that sold me! I chose the gorgonzola dressing for my salad.
The salad arrived quickly. It was a beautiful assortment of mixed greens that appeared to have been intentionally selected and arranged leaf by leaf, built with care and attention to detail. Of course, I may have just been projecting that assumption, but it was a pretty little dinner salad. The gorgonzola dressing was light, slightly sweet and refreshing; not heavy whatsoever. It accentuated rather than masked the delicate flavors of the greens. It was a well-balanced salad. The one less-than-satisfactory element of the salad was the tomato wedge. It was anemic and flavorless, a bit of a letdown and had it not been there, I would not have missed it at all. But I hardy had time to dwell on that. My steak had arrived!
There is nothing better than steak done right, and mine certainly was. The presentation was beautiful — sliced in two diagonally and leaning against herbed mashed potatoes, which had been piped into a single peak and topped with some sort of crispy, slivered something-or-other, carrots maybe. I couldn’t say for sure, and in that glorious moment, I didn’t think to ask. I was entranced. The steak was cooked perfectly, rare and drizzled with the aforementioned gorgonzola sauce. And like the salad dressing, it was complimentary, not overpowering. I hardly had to chew as each bite gently dissipated in my mouth, along with the mashed potatoes and the wonderfully grilled yellow squash and zucchini. I love vegetables, but in many other restaurants, they are overcooked and therefore, remain on my plate. (Please don’t tell my mom.) For dessert, I chose the flour-less chocolate cake. Dense? Sweet? Rich? Chocolatey? Yes, yes, yes, and yes! But again, balanced, delicious, and supremely satisfying.
Overall dining at Cappeletti’s is an enjoyable experience. If you are looking for a place where you can be comfortable, well-tended to, and enjoy some good food that is expertly prepared and served, look no further.
Cappeletti’s is located at 36 E. Tabernacle St., in the heart of downtown St. George.
They are open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and from 5-9:30 p.m. for dinner. Do yourself a very big favor and eat there soon.
Happy dining!
