A Legend, Reborn

With its latest location, Amighetti’s returns to the Hill

Written by RYAN KRULL

One hundred and seven years after Amighetti’s first opened on Daggett Avenue on the Hill, a brand new location of the iconic Italian sandwich shop has opened at Southwest and Macklind, less than a mile away from that original spot.

The interior at 5390 Southwest Avenue is bright and modern looking but contains plenty of hints of both the space’s and the restaurant’s history. One wall is adorned with an L. Amighetti Bakery’s sign painted onto the brick, which itself dates back to around the turn of the century. The floors are original, too.

Also on the “classic” side of the ledger is the Amighetti Special at the heart of the menu. The roast beef, salami and ham sandwich with special sauce is made the same as it was back in the 1960s when Marge Amighetti invented it.

Current Amighettis’ owner Anthony Favazza credits Marge with turning Amighetti’s into what it is today by convincing her husband, Louis Amighetti, who inherited the original bakery, to start selling sandwiches, the recipes for which Marge crafted herself.

“She told her husband that she wanted to name the sandwich the Amighetti Special,” Favazza says. “He said, ‘No, no, no. You can’t name it that. Nobody can pronounce it.’ And she said, ‘Don’t you worry. They’re gonna know how to pronounce it.’”

Favazza adds, “It would be an understatement to say the business took off like a rocket.”

Throughout the past half-century, there have been as many as 10 Amighetti’s locations throughout the region under various owners and franchising arrangements. One on the Hill changed its name to Colino’s amid a legal dispute that involved disagreements over whether or not stems should be removed from pepperoncini before being put on sandwiches. (Pepperoncini-gate received significant media coverage, with PostDispatch columnist Bill McClellan weighing in at the time, saying that the stems got to go.)

One of the most fascinating chapters of Amighetti’s history took place in 1987 when Anheuser-Busch bought the restaurant’s name with the hope of having Amighetti’s all across the country operating as upscale Italian versions of the recently launched St. Louis Bread Company. AB opened the inaugural location downtown, near where Busch Stadium stood at the time.

However, the brewery had to sell the sandwich shop the following year. The reason? Favazza says the sandwiches were just too good.

“Amighetti’s opens downtown,” he

[ON TOPIC]

Smash and Grab

Diego’s Cantina drags wannabe thieves on Instagram in a video set to the music of the Notorious B.I.G.

Written by RYAN KRULL

AUniversity City Mexican restaurant is making the best of a bad situation.

In the early hours last Tuesday morning, two individuals in dark clothes smashed the front door of Diego’s Cantina (630 North and South Road, University City) and stormed in to rob the place. They failed to get away with much cash, but Diego’s took the unfortunate situa- says. “From the day they opened, they were packed. All day long. Every day. Every other restaurant downtown saw their sales take a dive.” tion and turned it into a pretty fun video set to the music of the Notorious B.I.G.

Quickly, nearby eateries grew frustrated that they were faithfully selling Budweiser beer while losing money to the Anheuser-Busch-owned sandwich shop. Some of the restaurants started selling non-Anheuser-Busch beers. When a major hotel chain threatened to join the restaurants in their boycott, the brewery got out of the Amighetti’s game.

The restaurant posted the security footage of the two intruders to Instagram, adding captions that mock the would-be thieves as they fail to find any money, which if their beeline to the register is any indication, is what they came for.

“Nope — We don’t keep $ in our drawer,” the video’s text reads as one of the thieves paws around in the till but comes up empty-handed.

“Dude, there’s nothing,” the text reads as the thief continues to search in vain for cash.

Near the end of the short video, Diego’s highlights the two dollar bills lying on the ground that the intruders overlooked in their haste to flee the scene.

The video ends by cracking a joke about its own front door, now with a piece of plywood.

“Now open with a new rustic look,” the video says.

Commenters on the post have praised Diego’s positive attitude in response to the burglary.

Favazza’s family has long been active on the Hill. His father and grandparents founded Favazza’s on the Hill in 1978. He grew up in the family business but went his own way after high school, earning a law degree, working as a corporate lawyer in New York and starting several businesses.

In 2014, he went into a business meeting where he thought he was going to be pitched on the idea of buying a technology startup, but instead, the person he met with knew about his background and asked if he was interested in “buying an iconic Hill restaurant.”

When he found out that it was Amighetti’s for sale, Favazza says he almost fell out of his chair. Having grown up on the Hill, he had great respect for its century-long legacy. “In my mind, that was the best.”

There were many kinks to be worked out before the deal could be finalized as well as a pandemic to be gotten through.

But now Favazza operates the Amighetti’s in Rock Hill and the brand new one on the Hill, a neighborhood whose history he clearly reveres but who he isn’t at all beholden to.

In addition to the Amighetti Special and numerous other classic Italian sandwiches, the menu boasts a wild salmon meatball sandwich and a Tuscan kale salad.

It comes with chickpeas and turkey, extra-virgin olive oil. It is the perfect mix of old and new at a restaurant that’s been a Hill mainstay for 100 years. n

CHERYL BAEHR’S OYSTER PICKS

Granted, there is no better oystereating background track than the sound of crashing waves. Though the lapping waters of the Mississippi can’t quite cut it, there is still hope when you get a hankering for chilled bivalves on the halfshell. Even this far inland, these establishments come through to the point where you can almost feel the sand on your toes.

Wright’s Tavern

There’s nothing the magicians at Wright’s Tavern can’t do, so it’s no surprise that they nail the oyster. Though the selection changes, you are always guaranteed a shockingly fresh oyster, served with classic mignonette sauce and Old Bay dusted crackers that transport you to the Cape.

Yellowbelly

Yellowbelly may be known for cocktail master Tim Wiggins’ fantastic libations, but its oysters should be a close second. In keeping with the restaurant’s Pacific Rim vibe, these pearlescent beauties are amped up with either kimchi water and pickled daikon or pineapple tepache.

Peacemaker Lobster & Crab

St. Louis’ essential spot for fresh seafood, Peacemaker Lobster & Crab boasts an impressive raw bar stocked with a variety of fresh oysters and traditional accoutrements that are even more delicious when paired with one of the bar’s adult slushies.

Olive + Oak

Olive + Oak almost always has a selection of oysters from both coasts, allowing you to compare and contrast the nuanced differences between the regions. Bonus points: They come roasted, fried or Rockefeller style in addition to served on the half shell.

Herbie’s

Freshly shucked, the oysters at Herbie’s are wonderful enough on their own but are made even more magnificent when amped up with a mouthwatering black-pepper mignonette.