Randolfi's has closed. I can talk to you about the commonalities and differences of Cambodian, Thai, and Vietnamese food for hours on end, but I'd be hard-pressed to tell you what the difference is between garganelli and farfalle pasta.

I didn't grow up on Italian food. Our Jewish household was a pork-free zone during my youth (it's now filled with pork), which cut out all the delicious sausages and meatballs my friends were eating. Add to that a diabetic father who claims to avoid carbs and you're not eating much pasta.

Occasionally we would go to cheap American Italian restaurants St. Louisans pride themselves on, but even then my brain knew it wasn't worth my time. I know some are going to vehemently and rabidly disagree with, but I think most of the ‘famous’ Italian food on The Hill is outdated rubbish.

It’s American Italian food, not unlike American Chinese food. Watch any travel show where they go eat in Italy and tell me how many times you see them get an enormous plate of red or white sauce, noodles, and hunk of meat.

My love and understanding of Italian food has grown at breakneck speeds over the last 5 or so years. Part of which came from watching Anthony Bourdain's Italian travels or from eating Japanese-Italian food in Singapore, but most from the wave of new, modern Italian restaurants St. Louis has. Places like Acero, I Fratellini, Katie’s Pizza, and Pastaria.

Like chef-owner Mike Randolph's Publico does with Latin American food, Randolfi’s aim is to take the familiar Italian food and elevate it through technique and innovation, giving St. Louis a new taste of what modern Italian cooking can be.