Compliments of Take Root Hospitality
Taqueria Morita will open this spring, serving tacos, salsas and more.
The Cortex Innovation District will soon have a spot for tacos, fresh-made salsa and other Mexican-inspired fare courtesy of the minds behind Vicia (4260 Forest Park Avenue, 314-553-9239). Taqueria Morita, a new outdoor restaurant, will open at Vicia's new outdoor dining space this spring, bringing with it a new opportunity for the Vicia team to expand its offerings to the casual diner.
"We have this beautiful platform and didn't know exactly what it would be for, but we know we wanted to do something casual in the Spring, Fall and Summer and we wanted space to grow," says Vicia co-owner Tara Gallina. "Vicia is part of the wonderful fine-dining culture in St. Louis.; people come to see us for a million different reasons, but a lot of them are special occasions. We wanted to do something that would allow people to reach us more regularly."
According to Gallina, who owns Vicia and Winslow's Table with her husband, Michael Gallina, the idea for a concept like Taqueria Morita began in the Summer of 2020, when the pandemic made outdoor dining a must for in-person restaurant experiences. The pair, together with their culinary director, Aaron Martinez, tried out a lot of different ideas on Vicia's front lawn and quickly realized how much their guests loved the space. The three started talking about making the outdoor experience permanent and sketched out plans with SPACE Architecture + Design to create an open-air dining platform called Vicia Gardenside.
Around the time they were talking about the new outdoor space, Martinez was tossing around ideas about a concept of his own. The Gallinas were in full support of his vision, and when his original plans fell through, they invited him to become a partner in their restaurant group, Take Root Hospitality, as well as to take the lead on Vicia Gardenside's food offerings. His idea, Taqueria Morita, builds upon the success he and the Vicia team had when they would run taco-inspired pop-ups on the restaurant's front lawn during those early days of the pandemic. As Gallina explains, it made perfect sense to anchor their new venue around an already proven concept.
"We were doing these amazing tacos that summer, and we wanted to take that and turn it into more," Gallina says. "It just seemed like the perfect fit for that space — something people can enjoy a little or a lot of."
Though Martinez and the Gallinas are still finalizing the menu for Taqueria Morita, guests can expect a selection of tacos, both meat and vegetable based, and a selection of salsas that she notes are Martinez's specialty. She describes the dishes as bold in flavor and that, in addition to many vegetarian and vegan options, guests will be able to feast on raw fish and large-format platters that contain a family-sized protein with accompanying tortillas, sides and salsas.
Though Taqueria Morita will be a major force in Vicia's outdoor dining experience, Gallina teases that there is more to come. She does not want call the forthcoming concept a pop-up, but the three are open to the space being used for other ideas as well.
"Who knows if it will change in the future, but we are excited to even view the space as a culinary incubator," Gallina says. "We're open to how it can evolve and grow."
We are always hungry for tips and feedback. Email the author at [email protected].
