I always love it when I find a cool restaurant, especially when they've just opened... it usually means I can introduce it to my groups before it becomes well-known!

Some of you may be familiar with Sugo's, a great little Italian restaurant in Frontenac. I stumbled upon Sugo's and immediately set out to have a dinner there, but unfortunately, it's sufficiently popular that they simply weren't able to accommodate a large group. Well, then fortune smiled upon us! Michael Del Pietro, the owner of Sugo's (as well as a couple other restaurants in the area) opened Babbo's, located right in the middle of the Chesterfield Valley. (Right in front of the Galaxy Theater, in fact.)

Babbo's is almost a twin of Sugo's... same casually rustic decor, same great menu, and most importantly... same awesome food at astoundingly low prices! If you're in the mood for exotic, fancy Italian food, this is not the restaurant for you. No Gamberoni Limoncello or Carciofi alla Lia here! Instead, Babbo's does delicious, "old-school" Italian dishes, and does them better than anyone else! Feel like spaghetti and meatballs? You won't find any better. Lasagna? Theirs won "best of St Louis" last year; I tried it, not being a huge lasagna fan... and wow, it is to die for! Other traditional pasta preparations, such as pomodoro and Bolognese, as well as delicious creations such as funghi (mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, truffles, and parmesan), tutto mare (shrimp, crab, and clams), and of course, alfredo, round out the pasta.

And then there's the pizza! They might have the best pizza around, and at prices that will blow your mind. From the most traditional (margheritta, with just olive oil, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil) to more creative ones (chicken, caramelized onions, garlic, and rosemary), all are simply sublime, and available in either thin or thick crust. None of the choices strike your fancy? No problem, create your own with up to four toppings (out of eleven choices) for the same price!

Not in the mood for pasta or pizza? Babbo's offers an ever-changing set of daily specials. One choice is always the risotto, then there are typically chicken, veal, and seafood specials as well! Add that to the appetizers and salads, and you've got something to please no matter what you're in the mood for. I've had at least one of their chicken, fish, and veal specials, and every one of them was simply superb.

Best of all? The prices! Almost every pasta and pizza is about $9 or $10, with the daily specials running up to $14. That's it! The biggest steal might be the thick-crust pizza, which for $10 will fill two starving people or three normally hungry ones! Most of you know my appetite, and I've never been able to even eat half of one of them!

Here's their website: Babbi's Spaghetteria.

Additional Information:
- The entire restaurant is non-smoking.
- They are happy to give us separate checks.
- They will not be adding a tip automatically, so we'll want to be generous.
- This is a joint event with my dining out meetups; it's going to be huge!

Since we are going to be nearly filling the restaurant, let's spread out our arrival a bit. You may arrive anytime after 6:30, and as we we fill tables, they will go ahead and take orders. This will help us not bury the kitchen.

Hope to see lots of my No Kidding foodie friends at Babbo's on the 12th!

(Please, only RSVP with ONE group. I will remove duplicate RSVPs when I see them.)