Lack of Desire at Roberto's

, located in the Mullanphy Gardens shopping center, serves a variety of dishes that are suitable for vegetarians--as well as carnivores.

My meal started with a side salad, which was included in the price of my entrée. I ordered it with Italian dressing and provel cheese, and the vegetables in it included iceberg lettuce, radishes, carrots and red cabbage.

The veggies and cheese were fresh, and the dressing was just the right amount. The salad wasn't drowned in dressing, as it sometimes can be.

Next came my entrée, pasta con broccoli ($9.29), which was served with two large slices of garlic bread. The quantity of the bread did not make up for the quality.

It lacked any garlic flavor and was extremely greasy. The napkin in the bottom of the bread basket collected a pool of grease.

The broccoli and pasta in my entrée were cooked well, but the alfredo sauce left a lot to be desired. It was watery and bland, not at all like the rich, creamy alfredo sauce I would expect in the typical pasta con broccoli dish. The added pepper in the sauce did not help compensate for the lack of flavor.

My guest was in the mood for a meatball sandwich ($5.59, obviously not vegetarian), so that's what she ordered. Unfortunately, that's not exactly what she received.

Instead of the traditional-shaped meatballs on the sandwich, it was essentially meat sauce between two large slices of Italian bread, almost like an Italian Sloppy Joe.

For dessert, I tried a slice of the Turtle Cheesecake ($2.79), which was a good sweet treat to make up for the bland meal.

When it comes to the Italian restaurants in Florissant, Roberto's pales in comparison to the rest.