Enjoying an evening at J. Devoti’s Trattoria on the Hill. The restaurant (formerly Five) was repurposed and opened in May with a focus on vegetable sides and shareable plates.
Cheers for the Devoti family for transforming Five Restaurant into an upscale farm-to-table Italian trattoria and grocery. There’s plenty of traditional places serving pasta and pizza on The Hill. But J. Devoti’s Trattoria & Grocery has found a culinary niche for its locally sourced menu ingredients and vegetable friendly fare. Though the atmosphere is unpretentious, still Devoti’s is not your typical red and white checkered table-clothed, noodle noshing trattoria.
Dapper dining on The Hill. (Our sparkling water came with an environmentally friendly metal straw.)
For Five Restaurant fans the ownership and kitchen remain the same. (Yes, Five’s favorite burger is still on the menu.) But the interior now pops with designer painted walls, featuring architectural scenes of St. Louis, San Francisco, and New York, all places in which owner-chef Anthony Devoti has lived and worked.
Robin peruses the menu. Items change daily to reflect what’s in season and available locally.
Robin and I dined as a mother-daughter twosome recently. I immediately noticed that servers were meticulous about the table settings. Throughout the meal they removed and rearranged the table to keep the space pleasing to the eye. Esthetics matter.
We split a few items on the menu, starting with the Caesar Salad, which the kitchen happily divided like it was no big deal. I can’t say that of too many places, where the procedure appears to be cumbersome. We also divided the pizza and pasta dishes shown below.
This complimentary Turnip-Cannellini Bean Hummus atop a cracker was a perfect palate warm up.
Maccheroni alla Chitarra with tarragon pesto, oyster mushrooms, parmigiano-reggiano and white wine.
Benne’s Farm braised pork, fresh mozzarella, house cheese blend, tomato sauce, onion, herbs and chili flakes compose the pizza.
I’ve never served an ice cone this way (well, not on purpose), but it does make the simple dessert take on an artistic flair.
A view from the street showing the space for large groups and shelves of grocery and baked items.
The service was splendid and the dishes well prepared and promptly delivered. If there was one fault, it would be in the nearness of the tables-for-two, that run along the outside wall. I felt like I was in three conversation: ours and those on each side of us. But other tables in the room were nicely spaced.
If you’re looking to have a private party for about 20, there’s ample space just off the bar. The area doubles as a small gourmet grocery, featuring fine oils, cheese, wines, house-made pasta, charcuterie, pickles, bread, jam and macarons.
Owner-chef Anthony Devoti’s immigrant great-grandfather, Joseph, (3rd from left) is show with his delivery truck and employees in this old photo hanging in the grocery.
J. Devoti’s Trattoria & Grocery. 5100 at the Corner of Daggett and Hereford on The Hill. Open: Wed-Thu 5p-9p; Fri-Sat 5-10p; Closed: Sun-Tue. Bar Open: Wed-Thu 4p-9p; Fri-Sat 4p-10p. Executive Chef: Anthony Devoti; Sou Chef: Mark Mulitsch.
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