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Luciano’s Trattoria
Luciano’s Trattoria
172 Carondelet Plaza in Clayton
(314) 863-9969
Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (lunch) & 5-11 p.m. (dinner); Sat., 5-11 p.m.; Sun., 5-9 p.m.
Open since 2002
Marc Del Pietro grew up in the restaurant business. His parents, Mary Rose and Michael Del Pietro, Sr., opened their doors in south St. Louis in 1976 and Del Pietro’s has become a south St. Louis institution. Marc was seven years old when Del Pietro’s opened and learned the business with his siblings. Marc went to culinary school and worked at the famous Le Cirque restaurant in New York and then traveled overseas to Monaco to work in a hotel. He came back to St. Louis to help his parents and in 1994 opened Portabella in Clayton. Other restaurants in the family’s management include Kilkenny’s Irish Pub, also in Clayton, and Sugos Spaghetteria in Frontenac Plaza. Luciano’s Trattoria opened seven years ago in The Plaza in Clayton, near The Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The restaurant serves contemporary Italian cuisine and is known for its simple preparation of foods and fresh, seasonal ingredients.
Q: What menu item are you best known for?
We’re probably best known for our fresh fish dishes, such as mahi mahi, grouper and halibut, and our pasta of course!
Q: What’s the ‘key ingredient’ in your restaurant’s success?
I think it’s our ongoing commitment to quality, plus we serve a diverse clientele. A lot of people might think that because we’re close to The Ritz-Carlton Hotel that we just get business travelers and that we’re a coat-and-tie place. Sure, we get that business, and the Clayton lunch crowd, but we can also be the neighborhood diner for families with kids who live nearby.
Q: When you’re at home, what kind of food do you like to prepare?
Being in the restaurant business, I work long hours, but when I’m home I like to prepare simple pasta dishes for my wife and kids.
Q: What’s the best part of being in the restaurant business?
The best part is simply making people happy. I just get blown away when I get a first-date couple or an anniversary couple who end up having a fantastic time. I think it’s great that they’ll always remember their dinner here.
Q: What do you like about being in Clayton?
Even though we’ve been here for nearly seven years, a lot of people still don’t know we’re here. But now we have all the new shops and condos opening across the circle from us at The Crescent. We’re all good friends, work together and we’re making this area more of a destination. We’re lucky to get the hotel traffic, but we’re also near a large residential area and we can serve them as well. We’re close to the MetroLink station, which is good for bringing in customers and workers. In fact, I live four blocks away and I love being able to walk to work. Since I live so close, even though I work a lot, it’s convenient for my family to come and visit.
Q: What kind of plans do you have for your restaurant’s future?
We might bring back the lunch buffet in the spring, that was popular before when we had it, but tastes change. The good thing about the buffet was that the business crowd could come in, grab a plate, and eat a quick lunch. And we’re always trying to keep our menu fresh with new dishes, while also keeping the “old reliable” dishes that some people like. You know how it is, some diners like to try something new; others just want to come in and get their “favorite” every time or to recommend it to a guest.
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