MISSION TACO JOINT

LUPE LOVES THIS PLACE!!!

Wait, that wasn't enough:

LUPE LOVES LOVES LOVES this place!!!

Okay, technically, she has only been there once, tonight, for a quick to-go of three of their tacos, but ALREADY they have completely seduced her.  She is pretty much making a list of peeps to take there for food and drinks and fabulous people watching, plus more live music, hopefully!

GREAT staff! Friendly, nice, and fast!!!  (And diverse!! And plenty of eye candy for all genders and orientations, although Lupe knows she is very naughty to mention it.)

GREAT decor!!! Nice mural in the back room, very warm and "beach" feel! Almost made Lupe forget she wasn't on the West Coast!

GREAT food!!!! Lupe had three tacos: duck, tofu and carne asada!!! Now she just wants to eat every single thing on the menu!

Now, this is not straight up Angeleno Taqueria.  You still gotta head over to Cherokee for that.  But no Mexicano would be unhappy here. 

In fact, no person from anywhere could be unhappy in this place. (Unless they had some sort of unhappy disorder that prevented them from enjoying great food in a great atmosphere.)

The tofu was excellent, with an avocado slice and Lupe added a salsa that was dark and tasted like roasted tomatoes were in it.  NO VEGANS WILL SUFFER AT MISSION TACO.  In fact, the tofu is so good carnivores will be tempted... and sated!!!!

The carne asada was delicious!!  Lupe wishes she had ordered more than one.  There was some sort of cheese and a deep green lettuce.  She will be going back tomorrow to get another one and maybe some crab taquitos.  She tried a hot red salsa with the carne.  It was very good, but Lupe preferred the other one she got.  (She promises to investigate the salsas as thoroughly as a sommelier would a wine list on her next visit.)

The duck was very good, however she felt it would have been better with some frijoles y arroz.  Duck fat likes to soak into starch, in Lupe's opinion.  But Lupe only "likes" duck.  She thinks if you love duck you will love these.  For one thing, who can resist the crunchy, melt in your mouth bits of grilled duck fat?

They have a full bar, and it was PACKED.  Diverse crowd, but mostly 20's-30's and mostly white, and a lot of students.  But it is only their fifth night.  This place is so attractive that Lupe is certain it will soon be a hot spot for everyone in the Loop.  Lupe doesn't think anyone of any culture or age would feel uncomfortable at Mission Taco Joint.

Live music tonight was One Take  (with a rocking hot chica singer and fiddler).

OH- and seriously, they need could charge A LOT more for the tacos! Each taco was about $3.  Wonderful!

And the to-go containers are not just eco-friendly, they are compost-able! 

Lupe's only complaint is that they are only open til 1 AM.  She hopes they will get that later liquore licence soon and be open til 3 AM. Lupe is on a Mission: to eat at this place again as often as possible!

C U in the Loop!!! AT MISSION TACO JOINT!!!!

TWO YUMS UP!!!!



EDIT: Mission offers a dish called "Street corn".  Kind of funny if you have ever bought "Elotes" (ee-LOW-tahs, from "ears" Lupe thinks) from a street vendor.  It's corn on the cob with butter, mayo, lemon juice, salt and hot sauce.  You can get queso too, usually a ground up kind of Mexican parmesan.  No Mexican restaurant in St Louis run by Mexicans would ever take her suggestion to sell it, since that would be like offering hot dogs at a steak house.

So Lupe is hoping that they will also begin offering her other favourite street food (no, not bacon and jalepeno wrapped hot dogs and sausages) Las Frutas.  Usually a blend of oranges, cucumbers, mango, jicama, cantelope, watermelon, and sometimes pineapple and sometimes coconut, with a squeeze of lemon or lime and salt and chili pepper sprinkled on it.  (Most of the Latino neighbourhoods have this, not just Mexican.)

Again, no restaurants here will sell it because it is just so common.  You can get a 2 lb bag of it on almost every corner in L.A. for about $5 and watch the vendor chop it up to your specifications (Lupe doesn't usually like the coconut, and always needs more chili pepper than they want to give her.)  You can also buy Mangos on a stick with the lemon juice, salt and chili pepper. 

Lupe is still waiting to see if a common herb "espoto" (? not sure about the spelling) shows up in any Mission dishes.  And more cilantro.  But this restaurant continues to be a delight!

(If you are in "Hell A" best Mexican street food is in Boyle Heights-- and best Mexican Taqueria too, Carnitas Michoacan.  Also you can go down Soto and look at some of the famous murals.  Soto and Caeser Chavez is a kind of Chicano/Mexicano Delmar Loop and full of heritage and culture.)

VERNON'S BBQ AND CATERING

This a great place, just a few blocks from the Loop, at the corner of Vernon and Kingsland,  in the building that was previously the Weekend Outlet for Good Works.

Lupe loves Good Works furniture, but she loves good food even more!  Vernon's has made a nice dining area, very spacious and spare.  Very kid-friendly and always so nice and clean.  The staff is very efficient and friendly, and always willing to go that extra step to make sure you are totally satisfied.

Lupe has eaten there three times, and has had the smoked tofu each time. It is unbelievably delicious with the peanut sauce. (No bun for Lupe, though. White bread and tofu don't mix, although that has nothing to do with Vernon's :o)

She has also had the Burnt End Beans, the Horseradish potato salad, the corn bread, and the coleslaw. Lupe's companions have had the beef brisket and the ribs.  Everything is delicious and well-made, and the cornbread is dense and sweet, a full meal in and of itself.

Lupe is not a BBQ connoisseur, so she does not know of what style this is.  However, she finds that the base seems to be a sweet/tangy with added spice (as opposed to what Lupe considers the other main kind of BBQ, which is vinegar/spice with added sweet).  Lupe doesn't know if that helps or hurts, but that is her only description other than YUM!!!!

They have five homemade sauces- Lupe has tried all but the very hot one.   She likes the Peach the best for the meat, and the Peanut one ALOT  because it compliments the tofu so well.

The pick two is so generous that two people can share!  Get the pints of the sides though, especially the cole slaw! Otherwise you will eat it all up too fast and be sad there is no more.

So delicious!

Lupe is drooling now, so she has to sign off and make a Vernon's run!

See you in the Loop!

http://vernonsbbq.com/

Riverfront Times article on Vernon's BBQ

AL TARBOUSH NEW DELI COUNTER AND PRODUCTS

Lupe's post about Al-Tarboush is the most popular post on this blog! Even more hits than about the parking meters!

Well, believe it or not they have gotten even better! Lots of new products, including some cool Egyptian papryi drawings of Pharoahs and Isis and that sort of thing.  Also, a new deli counter and some great new pre-made snack foods including a feta dip with spices and herbs and olive oil that is so good it should be illegal!

YUM!

Also, they will now deliver for orders over $20!!!

See you in the Loop! At Al-Tarboush!

NOODLES & COMPANY

Lupe needs to retract some of her earlier statements about the "hideous fast food chains" in the Loop.

True, Lupe prefers the indies, but she does eat her fair share of Subway, Panera, and Noodles and Company. Especially Noodles And Company.

They might be corporate but this particular Noodles And Company understands just how special and "u"-nique the Delmar Loop is! Many of the employees are from the neighbourhood, which is nice for Lupe. They also have a community bulletin board in the restaurant and they give a 10% discount to Loop employees and business owners.

Their food is very good for a fast food place, and very diverse. They also offer extensive vegetarian options, which is a big plus in this area. Basically, the menu is divided into Asian, Mediterranean and American.

The entrees and salads are either regular or small, and you can completely customize your order. They have chicken (either parmesan crusted or regular), beef (braised or sauteed), sauteed shrimp, meatballs, or tofu. You can also add extra vegetables or cheese for an additonal charge.

Lupe doesn't order from the Asian portion of the menu very often simply because she eats so much of Mr. Pat's Thai food. They do have a great Chinese Chop Salad, though. Very fresh crispy vegetables, consistently, and a good dressing. The Japanese pan noodles with tofu is also very good.

She really enjoys the Mediterranean portion the most, however. The Med salad is great with plain chicken, as is the Pasta Fresca, Pasta Cavatappi, and the Tuscan Whole Grain Linguine.

In the winter, Mushroom stroganoff is great, as are the Buttered Noodles. Lupe doesn't eat alot of meatballs, but she has heard that the Spaghetti and Meatballs are awesome. She sees alot of people eating them everyday, too, winter and summer.

Noodles & Company also has a great drink selection, including beer and wine, and organic milk! Way to go with the organic!

They also have Rice Krispies treats for $1.50!! Lupe is trying to get bikini friendly so she has been ignoring them, sitting on the counter, staring at her, whenever she comes into get a salad. The rice krispie treats are VERY hard to resist!!!!

They have a great Israeli style cucumber and tomato salad, although it is much smaller than the portion would be at an Israeli fish fry place. (Not that there appear to be any Israeli restaurants in St. Louis. But as you regular readers know, Lupe has been living in LA for many years, and often becomes nostalgic.)

If you are in a hurry, or if your budget is $8-$10 for your meal, than Noodles & Company is the place for you. Also if you have a large group. They have a great deal on their Square Bowls, for $16-$22 you can feed at least 4 people, and it comes with salad, too. And they have plenty of seating for large groups.

www.noodles.com
6310 Delmar
314.721.1819

See you in The LOOP!!!

LOOP CLOSINGS

Lupe is very sad to report some Loop closings.

EDIT: And Game Crazy! Just noticed the sign this morning. All sales final. This is the only Game Crazy in Missouri!

Layal Hookah Lounge has been closed for a couple of weeks now. Lupe didn't notice at first because of all the scaffolding and construction going on in front of the bar. There is no information available, and Lupe could not find the facebook fan page alluded to on the "closed" note in the window.

Restaurants Miss Saigon and Modai in the East Loop are both closed, as well. ( Both links are to the RFT.)

Lupe is sad to see these businesses close, and wishes the owners and staff well in their new endevours!

SEE YOU IN THE LOOP!!!