Lost Tables: Brazie's Ristorante

Brazie's Ristorante

Blase Michael Mazzola was born in St. Louis on August 1, 1962. He had two brothers and two sisters – Anthony, Rosa and Gina were older and Mario was younger. His father worked in the wholesale fruit and vegetable business, and was known as "Tony Tomatoes."


Blase Mazzola with his father	Rosa, Gina & Blase Mazzola with their mother

Blase Mazzola graduated from Saint Mary's High School in 1980. Sometime during his adolescent years, his given name changed from Blase to Brazie, also his maternal grandfather's name.

Blase is in America; Brazie is the Italian for Blase. I believe I was in 8th grade when they changed my name over to Brazie; my family, then friends.

Brazie Mazzola developed a passion for food at an early age; he began cooking when he was 14 years old.

All my life I have been surrounded by good food. My mother cooked pasta every night, sometimes from my grandmother's recipe. And when the weather was nice, my father barbecued steaks, ribs or chicken.

Mazzola's talent as a chef was soon recognized beyond his mother's kitchen. He cooked at dining spots throughout the St. Louis area, including Del Pietro's, LoRusso's, Dominic's, the Belle Angeline and his brother Tony's restaurant, Mungo's, in Belleville. And then, on April 29, 1993, Brazie Mazzola opened a restaurant of his own.

Brazie’s Ristorante was located at 3453 Hampton. The storefront space in Hampton Plaza had previously housed two restaurants, LoRusso's and then Bella Pasta.

Brazie’s Ristorante, 3453 Hampton Avenue (yellow arrow)

Brazie’s was a joint venture between Mazzola and his wife, Marsha. The two had met when he was kitchen manager at Del Pietro's and she was waiting tables.

We went out on a date and wound up married. And if it wasn't for my wife, I don't think I'd be where I am now.

When Brazie's opened, the restaurant seated twenty-eight and had a kitchen slightly larger than a closet. But after little more than two years, the restaurant had expanded into the storefront next door, with double the space and a new kitchen.


St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Apr 20, 1994 (click image to enlarge)	St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Sep 20, 1995 (click image to enlarge)

The enlarged restaurant was divided into two rooms, with well-spaced tables, covered with white-linen clothes under glass. A jazzy wine-colored motif featured contemporary murals on the walls, with the west wall in one room open to the kitchen.

My regular customers like to talk to me. We keep the kitchen clean, and I want people to see what we're doing. I like them hearing me yell once in a while, but I don't yell too much.

But Brazie's wasn't about the decor; it was about the cuisine. What came to the table was freshly prepared and imaginatively designed. Everything was made from scratch. There were no freezers in the kitchen and no microwaves. Sauces were made in small batches a couple of times a week from recipes passed down from Mazzola's Sicilian grandmother. He used almost no salt in any of his cooking, relying instead on the careful addition of herbs and other seasonings.

Reviews were uniformly glowing, as demonstrated by excerpts from a January 18, 1996 playful piece by St. Louis Post-Dispatch food critic Francesca, the Diva of Dining.

"Let's eat Italian," the boyfriend declared a few weeks ago. "And please, no frou-frou joints. I want good, Italian food and lots of it."
And so began the boyfriend's and my love fest with Brazie's Ristorante. In the last month or so, we've eaten there three times, and have yet to sample a dud dish or, for that matter, a bad-tasting anything.
Dinner entrees are so ample that you could forgo a first course and still find yourself asking for a doggie bag at the end of the meal. However, the boyfriend and I, being the hungry heifers we are, tried several appetizers each time we visited and moaned with delight through them all.
It was the sauteed artichokes that caused me to lose all semblance of civility. The lemon-white wine sauce that the artichokes were served in oozed with seasoned breadcrumbs, garlic and olive oil; the sauce tasted so wonderful that I uncontrollably began lapping it up with bread, and then, worried about the calories, used a spoon to finish it off. Not particularly classy, but totally unavoidable given the good taste.
What's so refreshing about Brazie's is that chef Brazie Mazzola knows how to prepare sauces that enhance the flavor of the meat or seafood but aren't overbearing. It's a rare skill, and one Mazzola has mastered.

Several of Mazzola's specialties were named for his sisters and brothers – the Tenderloin Tony Sandwich, Shrimp Gina Maria, Tenderloin Mario, and Cavatelli ala Rosa. His two sisters and his brother, Mario, worked at the restaurant.

Tony, Rosa, Mario, Gina and Brazie Mazzola

The Shrimp Gina Maria was a popular appetizer. Large shrimp were served on tender artichoke bottoms atop a bed of spinach, all covered with a creamy white wine sauce.

Shrimp Gina Maria

Another favorite appetizer was the Shrimp Sambuca. Large shrimp were served in a delicious light cream sauce, with a hint of the licorice-flavored liqueur.

Shrimp Sambuca

A popular main course was Mazzola's Shrimp Brazie. Jumbo shrimp were rolled in seasoned flour, flash fried and served in a creamy white wine caper sauce.

Shrimp Brazie

Another popular entree was the pepper steak. An 8 ounce filet of beef tenderloin was charbroiled to taste and topped with a white wine Dijon sauce, with a touch of fresh garlic, cracked black pepper and roasted red bell peppers.

Pepper Steak

Even Brazie's house salad was special, along with the house dressing. A generous serving of iceberg, romaine, scallions, asiago, provel and prosciutto was tossed with a sweet, tangy dressing which Mazzola's brother Tony had created in 1983 for his restaurant in Belleville.

Brazie's House Salad

The dessert menu boasted Brazie's version of cassata cake. The house-made dessert had a layer of yellow sponge cake topped with a layer of chocolate sponge cake and buttercream. It was all topped with a warm chocolate sauce which hardened as it cooled.

Brazie's Cassata Cake

In the second half of 2003, Mazolla opened Brazie's Imports & Deli on Manchester Road at Holloway. He offered pastas, sauces, wines, fresh bread from the Hill, specialty meats and cheeses, cannolis, salads and sandwiches. But the venture was short lived.

It lasted about a year. Had two partners and they ruined it by not giving customer service. I was just the name and money guy. It should of been a big hit. The first six months, I was there a lot. I had to get back to the restaurant. They told me they had it; well no they didn't.

Brazie's Imports & Deli, 15015 Manchester Road

By the end of 2007, Brazie's had become a neighborhood institution. Word of mouth had driven business and there was a steady stream of regular customers. However, Mazzola believed the storefront look of the Hampton Plaza strip mall didn't help his business. So he decided to stop renting and buy his own building.

An opportunity arose when a fire destroyed the Midwest Music building on Watson Road at Arsenal. Mazzola gutted and rehabbed the structure, and moved Brazie's from Hampton Avenue to 3073 Watson Road in the Clifton Heights neighborhood on May 22, 2008.

Brazie’s Ristorante, 3073 Watson Road

The new restaurant was much larger, with two dining rooms and a small bar. Seating was expanded to 145 customers, including the bar area. There was also a small outside patio. The decor featured greens, golds and other bold colors. Glass over white-linen cloths again topped the tables.


Brazie's Watson Road Dining Room	Brazie Mazzola

Brazie's menu stayed much the same and reviews remained positive.

Brazie’s is definitely a gem among many on The Hill. The food is authentic and well prepared, and prices are more than fair.
Ladue News, Jul 3, 2008
The new Brazie’s, like the old, isn’t blazing any trails from a culinary standpoint. But it delivers on what it promises, and the sincere enthusiasm from Brazie Mazzola and his staff for finally getting into the new place add a tangible warmth to the dining experience.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jul 31, 2008


Brazie's Menu (click image to enlarge)

On April 17, 2019, the following appeared on Brazie's Facebook page.

So how do we say this? We’re saying it with a lot of emotion, but most of all gratitude to all of you who have supported us for almost 26 years. As of Saturday, Brazie’s will be closing their doors for the last time. So many to thank, but most of all you, our customers, who became our family. You filled our seats for many years, and in doing so, have brought much happiness to our Dream Team. We hope we in return have given to you. The ride has been a thrill of a life time; thank you for the memories. Here’s to the best damn DREAM TEAM any restaurant could have. We had each other’s backs always. We were fresh, friendly and we were Brazie’s. Brazie himself would like to thank all of you, we will keep everyone in our hearts, and here’s to dining "OFF THE HILL."

Brazie Mazzola had fallen ill and could no longer run the restaurant he loved. But Mazzola could still cook, and as 2021 came to an end, he was doing just that.

Brazie Mazzola - Facebook, Dec 14, 2021