Mexico lives here!

Yep. You read that title correct. And, no..I'm not trying to be smart or witty.

Instead, I am about to divulge to you a small piece of heaven. (ok, that may be taking it too far--but it was a pretty cool experience.)

An attention grabbing title, eh?

A few weeks ago between the gorging of Thanksgiving and the cheer of Christmas, my friend Nicole and I ventured down to the Lemp District--the area known for Cherokee Street, Antique Row, and.... a dense population of Hispanics...resulting in an abundance of taquerias and tiendas.

Nicole, who has a background in Southwestern cuisine (green sauce, red sauce, or christmas, anybody?)--was extremely excited to test these grounds. What deliciousness we were sure to encounter!!

(I must admit that Mexican food is basically at the top of my "favorites" list--and this expedition was an answer for my heart's desire.)

We decided to eat at a restaurant (ehem, titled: Mexico lives here!!) with outdoor seating---tucked away through the back of a store.

Buy a pinata, find special ingredients for your newest
enchilada recipe, or try a candy you've never had.

We meandered up and down the aisles then came to the grocery/lunch counter section. Check out the massive amount of horchata they had!

Horchata is one of Red's favorite drink---an interesting combination of "rice milk", sugar, cinnamon, and spices.

Te horchata is on the left. I am unsure of what is
on the right.

We turned the corner and were warmly greeted and seated outside on the covered patio...walking out, we passed a single man with a table overflowing with food---the fajitas and the undeniable star.

Nicole and I eyed each other--each it seemed with the beginning of a choice already made...

We poured over our menus taking in all of the familiar and un-familiar choices laid before us. It seemed that neither of us could stop thinking about our neighbor's fajitas--their sweet sizzle singing  in our ears.

We decided our best option was to split some chicken and steak fajitas and to get a Gordita. Please attempt to not salivate on your computer:

Ah-mazing.

Here is a close up of the life-changing Gordita:

Its a thin corn cake sandwich filled with steak, guacamole,
 lettuce, cheese,  and pico de gallo. Yum.

My friends--we filled ourselves to the point of bursting--and I still took home enough fajitas to eat for lunch the next day.

The Gordita--again, was life-changing--and the fajitas were fresh, smoky, and delicious with out the deluging effect of "fajita seasoning".

Friends, if you desire a taste of Mexico--then Mexico lives here! is an excellent place to visit. You forget you are in St. Louis and are instead absorbed in an adventure.

An adventure that enlists you to take pictures with men painted on walls:

The faceless man.

Go ring in the New Year my friends!

Ps. I couldn't find any contact information for this restaurant.(A good sign!!) If you are interested in going, simply go to Cherokee Row, St. Louis--and drive down that road. It is on Cherokee.

Nom Nom Thursday: The Block

So every Tuesday is Red's and my date night. It's his day off from work so we are usually pretty relaxed when it comes to dinner time---hence the reason we now go out for dinner each Tuesday..

As I think I have mentioned before, Red and I love to eat...and not only that, but we love to try new foods and new places. We actually have a little notebook we write reviews of restaurants in...and well, have lists of places we want to try:

This week we got to check one such restaurant off our list: The Block in Webster Groves, MO...el suburb de St. Louis.

No it isn't a Mexican restaurant--don't be confused: el and de are used all the time in my English language. Get with it.

The Block actually marry's a few good ideas. It is a restaurant. bar, and butcher, all in one. You can try a local brew, eat delicious food, and then, if you like it, buy that cut of meat (among others) to take home with you. It's a novel idea actually.

Set in the lovely and quaint Webster Groves, The Block offers locally sourced food in a comforting and delicious style... Por ejemplo...

We started out with shrimp and grits for our appetizer. Not any ole' shrimp and grits, but crispy fried shrimp with herb cheddar grits and honey barbeque:

Yum. The only complaint was that there wasn't more.

For our entrees, Red got the pulled pork sandwich with fries and pickled veggies...and I got the pork chop (that was so tender and delicious it could have been steak) with potato and bacon hash and apple slaw.

Yes--I know it's glamorous and delicious looking. No worries, it tasted just as good.

It was a great evening. Red and I sat al fresco eating and talking while enjoying all the people going by taking advantage of the perfect night. I recommend The Block---good food with out being too froo froo...kid friendly...relatively well priced... Check out their menu here.

Besides, if you want to make a night of it...you can wander through the local record shops and boutiques. Who says no to that?

The Block

146 West Lockwood Ave

Webster Groves, MO 63119

Open for Dinner

314.918.7900

Nom Nom Thursday: Thai Food. Slurp.

Thai food warms my heart.

Ok, and it warms everything because it is so deliciously and complicatedly spicy. But that is the beauty of it. It isn't a spicy that hits you right away. No. It is a spicy that slowly builds so you can still taste all of the other flavors in your dish as you start to glisten--hmm...sweat a little..

I introduced Red to Thai food way back in our college years---down in Hattiesburg, MS at Jutamas... a little Thai place surrounded by car dealerships and across the street from a shut-down club. Jutamas managed to be completely different from its neighbors with its calming music, fragrant spices, and delicious meals....you totally forgot what was outside.

This place quickly became one of our go to spots for healthy flavorful meals. It was consistent, reasonably priced, Red could get full with one plate, and we loved it.

When we moved to St. Louis, we made it our mission to try as many Thai restaurants as possible with the goal of meeting or surpassing Jutamas high standards... We've been to: Thai Sawadee (Chesterfield), Addie's Thai House (Chesterfield, Thai Kitchen (St. Peters), Blue Elephant (Clayton), and Land of Smile (Olivette)... no doubt there are probably more...

But--we still haven't come to a concrete decision on which is our favorite. Red claims the Blue Elephant--but I have my reservations...I'm not sure my favorite...but I am sure of my new most favoritest dish:

Kao Sol. Described on the menu as: Chicken, Rice noodles, with a special curry sauce topped with crispy onions. What they neglect to tell you is that it also has bean sprouts, cilantro, red onions, and other veggies chopped up and soaked in that crazy curry sauce.

Here is a picture of my bowl half-way through---it was beautiful upon arrival I promise:

Red and I had decided to try new things this visit--we both typically get the same dishes every time. Red loves Pad See Yu ( Flat noodles, egg, broccoli, and carrots, in dark soy sauce)...and I usually get Pad Gra Prik (sauteed meet with basil, peppers, and onions with this spicy sweet sauce). Red's dish is especially good for those new to Thai food.

A special treat that accompanied our adventurous spirits at Thai Kitchen, was the gift of dessert:

Ok--what do you think it is?

It's interesting. That's what it is.

It is called something along the lines of: Split Bean Pudding.

First of all, I expected it to be cold. It's warm. And, the flavors were the strangest party in my mouth: popcorn meets cornbread meets sweet meets nuttiness....and the white stuff was kind of like sour cream but not...

Needless to say, it was a departure from my idea of dessert. But I'm glad I tried it--because now I know what popcorn, cornbread, nut, sweet, sour cream, alllll mixed together in a warm jelly form, tastes like.

On that note, I hope you are inspired to try Thai Food. It is a sweet way to satiate your craving for Asian food in a healthier fashion---who needs fried General Tso's chicken? (me, but only every once in a while...)

Go eat Thai food and be Happy.

Thai Kitchen

3899-B Veterans Memorial Pkwy

St. Peters, MO 63376

636.447.1883

(This restaurant is listed simply because it's dish is the one that changed my life.)

Nom Nom Thursday: Half & Half

Red and I have this thing.

It's called eating out.

Yeah, I know... it's a completely revolutionary idea that just changed your life.

Please don't tell me otherwise.

Eating out is our "thing"---our hobby---how we like to spend (all) our money. Right now, we are actually trying to cut back--and, well, eat at home more--which has been a wonderful challenge...the whole menu planning thing is a puzzle to be solved each Monday...

We try to plan out the week in terms of things we'd like to eat--and places we'd like to go; and then how those things fit with our schedule...

So in honor of our love of all things food--I've decided that each Thursday I will write about a restaurant in the St. Louis area that we have been to....or about a recipe that actually made it into our regular cycle of food... (you know, not about the ones that were "fine" but will never be made again...)

So join me as I explore St. Louis cuisinery (is that a word?) and as I attempt to broaden my repertoire a la my kitchen.

Picture from Half & Half website

The first restaurant I want to share with you is: Half & Half  located in downtown Clayton, MO. 

picture from tedwight.com

Specializing in breakfast and lunch--it is an adorable place with a legit menu. Red and I joined a friend here before a Ram's game for an awesome breakfast.

Red's Cornbread and Chorizo was especially awesome---as were the Blueberry Pancakes (be excited. You can choose to have these cooked in regular ole butter or bacon fat. We chose bacon fat. Do not judge us.)

Opened by the same people who opened The Good Pie (a brick oven pizza place in downtown Louis, I'll write about in the future), Half & Half offers locally sourced food, creatively put together. You can order an adventurous meal such as the Fried Chicken Livers or get the basic Half & Half, which includes toast, eggs, and incredibly good potatoes. Take a look at their menu here.

It was a hoppin place that beautiful Sunday morning--it felt like the perfect day to eat a slow meal and enjoy great conversation lingering over cappuccinos (made at their tour de force coffee bar..) ..too bad the game took precedent and we had to rush down to the stadium.

Another time, for sure.

Half & Half

8135 Maryland Ave

St. Louis, MO 63105

314.725.0719

Tues-Fri 7am-2:30pm

Sat-Sun 8am-2:30pm