Date Night: Katie's Pizza and Pasta Osteria

I've been a fan of Katie's Pizza in Clayton for a long time, so Katie's Pizza and Pasta in Rock Hill has been on my "Restaurants to Visit" list ever since it opened. Though the two are not technically a chain (one is owned by the actual Katie and one is owned by her father, our server was quick to inform us), anyone who loves the original Katie's is sure to love the new spot. 

I wouldn't say that Katie's specializes in cocktails, but the Sgroppino (made with Prosecco, vodka, Gusto Lemon Sorbet and mint) was very refreshing on a hot summer evening. 

The original Katie's does not serve burrata, so I made sure to order some, served with seasonal figs and prosciutto. As you can see in the picture above, the prosciutto accompanying the burrata was ample, but the amount of figs seemed a little skimpy. The burrata itself was a revelation. I've never had burrata before, so I have nothing to compare it to, but based on what Katie's is serving I would definitely seek it out again.

The fried artichoke salad with pistachios, goat cheese, asparagus, and balsamic vinaigrette is available at the original Katie's and is perhaps my favorite salad ever. The version at the new Katie's is basically identical to the original, so I still loved it. If it ain't broke....

The second cocktail I tried was the Demure: strawberry vodka, muddled fresh strawberries, balsamic, lemon and lime soda. It was a bit sweet paired with my main course, so I would order this either with the appetizer or as dessert in the future.

One thing the original Katie's does not have that the new one does is pasta! It's right there in the name. I love anything from Salume Beddu, so I had to order the straw and hay tagliatelle with Salume Beddu diavolini sausage, butter roasted tomatoes, and whipped ricotta. This is a very rich dish; you can really taste the butter the tomatoes are roasted in and the whipped ricotta is kind of mind blowing. I would definitely eat it again. My husband had the black spaghetti and said it was the best pasta he'd ever had. I tried a bite and had to agree that it was pretty fantastic.

We were too full to try any of the pizzas this time around, but the pizza at the original Katie's is among my favorites in St. Louis, so I definitely intend to remedy this omission in the future, though it will be very difficult to pass up a chance to eat Katie's pasta again.

In addition to fantastic food, Katie's Pizza and Pasta had perhaps the fastest service I have ever seen at a restaurant. We had our cocktails and burrata on the table before we ordered our main course. The whole meal took less than an hour, which is pretty amazing considering the amount of food we had. I do recommend getting reservations if you are going on the weekend. The place was packed, and for good reason.