Ricardo's Italian Cafe, St. Louis

At Ricardo’s Italian Café, the combined culinary skills of the Adams family, which has run the restaurant since 1989, transport palates to the land of Europe's boot via hearty pizzas, pastas, and meats. Chef Mark Adams and his wife Michelle lead the crew and reward staffers with gold stars cut out of cheese as they whip up Italian classics such as chicken parmigiano and Sicilian-style pizzas. In the dining room, exposed-brick walls and painted murals of Italian cityscapes surround diners in an Old-World ambiance, amid which waiters fill glasses with dozens of domestic and imported wines.