To call this little Kirkwood restaurant a taqueria would be all wrong. It’s really more of a fast-casual place that serves creative small bites inside tortillas. In fact, very few of its 25 tacos can be linked to traditional Mexican dishes. And that is what makes it so much fun. It’s located inside a former Middle Eastern restaurant that had a large outdoor tent. The new folks have taken that down and instead, diners enjoy their tacos al fresco, overlooking the north end of downtown Kirkwood. I hope they figure out a way to keep that large patio open in winter, since the interior space is not nearly as attractive. One nice touch: an open window counter with a couple of stools outside that makes it feel like a cantina.
As for what to order, three tacos ought to fill you, and even if you aren’t a vegetarian, start with the vegetarian options. The Southern Fried Tomatoes ($5) was love at first bite. Local green tomatoes come cornmeal battered, fried and dipped in Thai sweet chile sauce.
There’s some local goat cheese in there, slivered radish and cilantro. You have to pay close attention if you want to catch all that while you’re eating, since the tacos are maybe three, four bites, total in size. Or you can just savor the experience and not worry about figuring out what you’re eating.
Another veggie taco, Sicilian Kiss ($5), was a slice of fried eggplant served up with fresh mozzarella, basil, roasted tomato and fried garlic. It was great. A couple of fish tacos were ho-hum in comparison. Who You Call’n Shrimp ($5) had a couple of small, heavily breaded shrimp accompanied by avocado, slaw, chipotle cream and pepitas. It didn’t have tons of flavor, instead tasting mostly of fried crust. Lake of the Ozarks ($5) was cod with pretty much the same accompaniments, and it, too, had no distinctive flavor.
In the meat categories, I recommend Porky Pig ($5), a meaty serving of barbecued and shredded pork with slaw, radish straws and cilantro. The pork was supermoist with good flavor. A beef choice, From Our Seoul ($5), was billed as spicy and promised short rib meat. It came cold, not intentionally I hope, and while the slivers of beef had good texture—kind of crusty on the outside—it was overly dry. The kimchi added a nice fermented tang, but not enough to save the dish for me. In general, I much preferred the flour tortillas here; I found the corn ones too distinctively flavored, sometimes getting in the way of the filling flavors. You can ask for either.
All the sides we tasted were good—loved the Borracho Beans, black beans doused with beer and topped by a little cumin-flavored sour cream. You can’t beat them for $2. Same for the Roasted Street Corn Casserole, a generous serving of roasted corn (canned) with lime ‘crema’ that added some richness, and a touch of cayenne for spice.
amuse bouche
the scene | Lively neighborhood spot serving ‘creative tacos’
the chef/owner | Gerard LaRuffa
the prices | $3-$6 tacos
the favorites | Southern Fried Tomatoes, Sicilian Kiss, Porky Pig
chef chat » owner/chef gerard laruffa
culinary pedigree | Baltimore International Culinary College
favorite ingredient | Roasted garlic
favorite cookbook | The Joy of Cooking
favorite st. louis restaurant | Trattoria Marcella
most memorable dining experience | At Jake’s in Del Mar, California. It was my first date with my wife, my girlfriend at the time.
guilty pleasure | White cheddar cheese popcorn
