Cheesy It Ain't

Espino's joins the upper echelon of Mexican restaurants in St. Louis

Comments (0) By Michael Renner Wednesday, Jul 21 2004

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Espino's smartly offers only Spanish wines, including a Vega Sindoa rosé. There are five whites and six reds, all available by the glass ($6 to $8) and bottles ranging from $24 to $32. Tequila is prominently featured, with over twenty selections and flights of three glasses ranging from $9.50 to $12.

It rarely happens, but we did get a glass of oxidized red wine (smells and tastes like sherry when exposed to the air too long). But when I suggested that our server open a new bottle and compare the two, he quickly replaced the errant glass with a fresh pour. Of course, there's a full range of beers and margaritas, including Dos Equis Amber on draft and a luscious mango 'rita.

Jennifer Silverberg

A reason to smile: Chef and owner Artemio Espino has a good thing going at his innovative Mexican eatery.

Location Info

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Espinos Mexican Bar and Grill

17409 Chesterfield Airport Road
Chesterfield, MO 63005

Category: Restaurant > Mexican

Region: Chesterfield

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Details

Ensalada ceviche de mariscos $8.25
Pollo con mole $10.25
Carne asada $13.95
Pescado al mojo de ajo $24.95
Pescado a la Veracruzana $22.95

636-519-0044. Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Thu.; 11 a.m.-midnight Fri.; 5 p.m.-midnight Sat.; noon-8 p.m. Sun.

17409 Chesterfield Airport Road

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On the sweet side, the tres leches cake had all the glory of the authentic dense, moist butter cake that's soaked in three types of milk and topped with a smooth layer of whipped cream. Unfortunately, the cake suffered from overexposure in the refrigerator, imparting that annoying stale taste. In addition to sopapillas, flan and s'mores (yes, s'mores, and they looked good), Espino makes a few special desserts. One night it was something called an "apple gift bag": a large soft tortilla stuffed with slices of fresh apple, spices and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, then bunched like a pouch and deep-fried. The result is like tasty apple pie à la mode enclosed in its own handy bag.

As the Chesterfield Valley continues to grow, more restaurants will sprout. While Espino's doesn't claim to be authentic, it does seek to strike that harmonic balance between Mexican, Spanish and Southwestern styles.