North-American Food and Cooking

First Look: Gringo Offers Taco Options Like Al Pastor, Octopus and Grasshopper in the Central West End [Photos]

From the formidable forces behind the successful pizza empire that is St. Louis chain Pi Pizzeria comes a new concept called Gringo (398 North Euclid; 314-449-1212), which opened its doors in the Central West End last week with a full menu of tacos, margaritas and more. See also: - Pi Pizzeria Te ... More >>

Gut Check's Guide to Drinko Cinco de Mayo in St. Louis: 26 Food and Drink Specials

Whether you observe Drinko de Mayo, or its less quippy counterpart Cinco de Drinko, we all unite this Sunday, May 5, to drink fishbowl margaritas in the streets of St. Louis. It might not be a real national holiday in Mexico or America, but that doesn't halt our revelry, and in the spirit of al past ... More >>

Cinco de Cherokee: An Updated Guide to Restaurants on Cherokee Street

St. Louis' neighborhoods are gems in their own right: full of history, great people and, as far as Gut Check is concerned, fantastic food. Each week we'll take you into a specific neighborhood and point you in the direction of the best places to grab some bites. Cherokee Street is the epicenter of ... More >>

Broadway Oyster Bar Invites You to Suck It at Crawfish Fest This Weekend

The mighty mud bug is the star of this month's food festival at Broadway Oyster Bar (736 South Broadway; 314-621-8811), and chef Brad Hagen is pulling out all the stops (and all the crawfish) to make this a feast worthy of the Big Easy. Gut Check spoke with Broadway Oyster Bar's Mary Moramarco to ... More >>

Farmhaus Hosts Second Crawfish Boil This Sunday, March 24

Last spring Farmhaus (3257 Ivanhoe Avenue; 314-647-3800) threw its first crawfish boil, and this Sunday, March 24, it's spicing things up with another one. From Noon to 6 p.m. the restaurant will serve a selection of Cajun eats, including boiled crawfish, andouille sausage and several other menu op ... More >>

Ask a Mexican: Are burritos supposed to explode?

Vaya Con Dos: Two new Mexican-ish restaurants in less-than-likely locales

Slideshow: Photos of Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina

Review Preview: Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina and Arcelia's

After six years, this gig still manages to surprise me. This week might seem like a no-brainer. On the one hand, you have the return of a beloved St. Louis restaurant: Arcelia's (1928 South 12th Street; 314-241-1378). On the other hand, you have a chain Mexican restaurant in a shopping mall: Vida ... More >>

El Toro Mexican Restaurant Now Open in North Hampton

We learned just last week that a new Mexican restaurant was soon to open in the shopping center at the northeast corner of South Kingshway Boulevard and Chippewa Street: El Toro Mexican Restaurant (3710 South Kingshighway Boulevard; 314-772-2888). El Toro is now open. I ducked inside this morning t ... More >>

First Look: Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina Opens in the St. Louis Galleria

Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina (South Brentwood Boulevard & Clayton Road, Richmond Heights; 314-863-1150) opened its doors this week at the St. Louis Galleria. Gut Check spoke with head chef Chris Swinyard to get the low-down on everything from the restaurant's "traditional guacamole" to its margari ... More >>

The Treats of Laredo: Tex-Mex returns at last to the corner of Park & Mississippi

Slideshow: Laredo on Lafayette Square

South of the (St. Peters) Border: Craving Tex-Mex in a sleek contemporary setting? ¡Vamos a Chesterfield!

Review Preview: Fiesta! Modern Mexican Cuisine

This week I visit Fiesta! Modern Mexican Cuisine (185 Hilltown Village Center, Chesterfield; 636-536-0002). It's not your typical Mexican restaurant -- though maybe not for the reasons its name might lead you to believe.

New Mexican: La Cantina seeks to carve a unique niche in Webster Groves

Tidbits from J. Gumbo's, Land of Smile, Spaghetteria Mamma Mia

- The fast-casual chain J. Gumbo's will open its first St. Louis location this Wednesday, June 27, at 3949 Lindell Boulevard. As Gut Check reported when we first learned of J. Gumbo's arrival, the chain has locations in six other states. Its menu offers Creole and Cajun fare (gumbo, po' boys, jamb ... More >>

Mexican Metamorphosis: If you thought Half & Half's name refers to breakfast and lunch, you don't know the half of it

Tidbits from J. Gumbo's, Pumpernickels

- Looks like another fast-casual chain is setting up shop in St. Louis: A trusted operative tells Gut Check that J. Gumbo's will open in the Central West End. (We have an exact address, but we're working to confirm it.) J. Gumbo's, which as its name might suggest specializes in Creole and Cajun far ... More >>

Gut Check's Guide to Cinco de Mayo

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 5, is Cinco de Drinko Mayo. Though at best a regional holiday in Mexico, we here in the U.S. of A. can't get enough reveling on Sabado 5 de Mayo. Don't get us wrong, we at Gut Check also enjoy indulging in margaritas on the rocks and Mexican food, and thus have compiled a lis ... More >>

Wendy's Adds Poutine to Canadian Menus Nationwide, Argues It's Canada's National Dish

America has a tendency to ignore Canada, our neglected neighbors to the north, only paying enough attention to mock their accents. Canada, however, has a history as rich as our own -- minus a civil war, of course. They vote for an elected government, put their pants on one leg at a time and even dri ... More >>

The Ten Best Places to Grab Tacos in St. Louis

In this week's RFT cover story "One Nation, Under Tacos," writer Gustavo Arellano shares the evolution of Mexican food in the U.S., chartering its history from the American Southwest and the California coast to the Midwest and everywhere in between. With temperatures cresting 80 degrees in St. Louis ... More >>

Great Moments in Mexican-American Restaurant History: Casa Gallardo

One Nation, Under Tacos: How Mexican food conquered America

Ask a Mexican: Are there different kinds of Mexican food?

Fish Fry Frenzy: Week 4, St. Cecilia Parish

St. Cecilia Parish (906 Eichelberger Street, 314-351-1318) is the unofficial church for Mexican-American Catholics in St. Louis. Families come together for its fish fry events and cook up incredible, authentic Mexican cuisine. Its most famous dish is the Chile Relleno, or stuffed pepper, a giant pe ... More >>

Seven Heaven: Siete Luminarias burns bright — even amid the many Mexican marvels of Cherokee Street

Review Preview: Siete Luminarias

This week, I visit the new Mexican restaurant Siete Luminarias (2818 Cherokee Street; 314-932-1333). While the menu includes tacos and other taqueria staples, there are also some less familiar dishes. To the catalogue of essential sandwiches we must now add the pambazo. This is essentially the clas ... More >>

Devils in the Details: Diablitos Cantina aims to stand out in a very crowded culinary field

The Five Best Taquerias in St. Louis

Selecting Riverfront Times' Best of St. Louis 2011 was no picnic. Choosing the winner meant several worthy candidates would go unmentioned -- until now. In this Gut Check series, we are chewing our way through notable runners up in a number of categories. To see hundreds more winners and finalists a ... More >>

Riverbend Restaurant & Bar brings New Orleans' cuisine to St. Louis

Adobe Reds brings a taste of New Mexico to Midtown

Dear Chuy Arzola's: Please Don't Change Lunch.

Welcome to Lunch Bucket List, a recurring feature in which Gut Check checks out the many lunch specials available at restaurants around town. Know a lunch special we should check out? Drop us a line.Robin WheelerThe Austin from Chuy Arzola's​The Place: Chuy Arzola's (3701 Lindell Boulevard; 31 ... More >>

The Gumbo Shop and Its Family Recipes Passed On To New Owners

Ettie BernekingThe couple makes everything fresh to order. The giant pots of gumbo and jambalaya start cooking every day around 7 a.m. Even the oysters are flown in fresh every few days. ​After ten months of studying, practicing, tasting and refining, Holli and Jon Rercher have finally taken o ... More >>

# 88 Quesadilla Azteca from Tower Tacos

Liz MillerYou won't find Tower Tacos' Quesadilla Azteca on the menu at Applebee's.​The many restaurants that line Cherokee Street feature menus full of sizzling fajitas, deliciously cheap tacos and other Mexican standards. One dish, the quesadilla, tends to be passed over at these authentic es ... More >>

Green Tamale at Nachomama's

​Summer in Texas must be hotter, steamier, sunnier and all around more disgusting than around here. And yet Texans continue to consume vast quantities of sour cream and cheese and fried tortillas. Clearly they are people of greater fortitude than we Midwesterners. Because when Gut Check droppe ... More >>

Battle Limited-Time Tacos: Taco Bell Pacific Shrimp Tacos vs. Qdoba Mini Street Tacos

​Fast-food chains became America's sixth food group by mass-producing cheap, gut-filling, handheld eats with indulgent, uncomplicated flavors the public could depend on. It's dietary crack, and it works every time. Occasionally, though, fast-food and fast-casual chains mix it up by introduci ... More >>

Tacos al Pastor and Chicken Fingers, Together at Last: A Visit to El Porton Mexican Restaurant

Ian FroebTaqueria los Tarascos is now El Porton Mexican Restaurant.​When I visited El Porton Mexican Restaurant (4444 Woodson Rood, Woodson Terrace; 314-890-8668) in December of last year, it was still in the process of changing over from its previous existence as Taqueria los Tarascos. The new si ... More >>

Rosalita's Cantina takes a shot at spicing up the loft district

La Tejana lets its tacos do the talking

Taqueria Durango is further proof that the county's got it going on

Tacos de Kirkwood: Amigos Cantina brings the suburbs a little taste of Cherokee Street

Agave gives Mexican cuisine the white-tablecloth treatment.

It just might be able to find its niche in the Grove.

Hot or Not?

El Scorcho promises a chile reception.

Southtown Bound

Ian finds a trio of local gems that hit close to home.

Cherokee Pastoral

Ian hastens to tasty Cherokee Street but can only waddle back home.

My Ohm My

Solid eats, electric atmosphere

Ragin' Cajun

Looking for cold beer and down-home Cajun classics? Head to Graham's.

Don't Mess with Tejas

Steve Gontram's culinary compass points south-of-the-border

Hunka-hunka Burning Tex-Mex

Infierno is all about kitsch and late-night fun -- and the food is good, too

A Whole Lotta Soul

The Goody Pancake House serves up flawless fare

Picture of Lily's

A friendly family offers a sweet and charming introduction to Mexican home cooking