La Tropicana Supermarket

La Tropicana is a nondescript Mexican/Cuban market just northwest of the intersection of Kingshighway and Chippewa in South City. If you are traveling south on Kingshighway, turn right on Chippewa and there is a fork. Stay to the right on the fork and it is a block or two down on the right. In addition to being a functioning grocer, albeit small, there are quite a few tables, a fairly extensive menu, and a cold case with all kinds of goodies. We did not eat in; we will very soon. We did grab some fresh guacamole, black beans, and ensalada de nopales. All were very good. The latter was a bit spicy, but quite tasty. Worth the trip. Next time I go, I am going to have to grab a bottle of Flor de Cana (nicaraguan rum, a real treat!)....

Mi Ranchito [887 Kingsland Ave., University City, MO]

Mi Ranchito is in the top drawer of Tex-Mex/Mexican restaurants in Saint Louis. We have been on multiple occasions and it fails to disappoint. The first real test of any such restaurant are chips and salsa. The chips are just right; the salsa is chunky and tasty. Ambrose loves the guacamole and I have never had anything there that I did not quite like. Their mexican cheesesteak is tasty with chile con queso that is pleasantly spicy and untouched by velveeta (critical). The fajita is tasty and, unlike many local restaurants, has quality inputs. We have now been four or five times and are always pleased. The bar is a fantastic place to watch a Champions League game on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons (with a nice selection of Mexican beers and, my wife claims, good margaritas). If there is anything to complain about, the division between the smoking and nonsmoking sections does little to contain the rather powerful smell in the evening.

El Maguey [Watson Road at Des Peres]

El Maguey was acceptable to pretty good. This was our first Saint Louis mexican food experience since the trip to Texas and this creates a wee bit of bias in the assessment. Between the three of us, some guacamole, chorizo y huevos, a quesadilla, and a fajita plate arrived. The portions were large and the staples were quite good. The guacamole was a bit artificial, but tasty nonetheless. The rice was excellent; the refried beans were also very good. The chorizo y huevos were out of balance in favor of the chorizo. The fajita plate was tasty but the steak was excessively fatty. The chips and salsa were quite good and both were fresh. Flour tortillas leave a bit to be desired. In the end, El Maguey is good for Saint Louis; it would not last months in Austin. Next stop, a whirlwind tour of Cherokee street! This time, I promise to remember the names......

Ruiz's Mexican Restaurant [901 N US 67, Florissant]

Ruiz was just a bit above average. We have only been once and it was shortly after our arrival from Texas. I have had far worse, [insert the name of every Mexican food restaurant that we tried in the Boston area with the exception of one place that I cannot remember the name of in Union Square, Somerville]. The guacamole Ruiz was quite good; the rest was nothing special. Rio was not thrilled, Ambrose complained; neither of these is a good sign. I was so desperate that I would have been happy with virtually anything that improved on Taco Bell. On this account, Ruiz did not disappoint. The one thing that was quite memorable was that they have good flour tortillas. This is an important thing to me; now that I have found Harina para Tortillas, it matters quite a bit less because I can make my own.

This review is admittedly a bit lame, but it has been a few months since I was back there. If I find myself in Florissant again, I might go back, but I would not make a special trip.

El Indio [Manchester Rd. in Rock Hill]

I am not sure what I think about El Indio. The first time was nice. The food was tasty and the service was excellent. The guacamole was excellent and the rest was way above the bar. The next time was not so good. Part of it was my fault, I was in the mood for nachos with fajita and they were not at all good.

Lily's Mexican Restaurant [4601 S. Kingshighway near Devonshire/Landsdowne]

I like Lily's; my favorite so far. The food is tasty and authentic in a host of ways. The chile con queso was unique; very much like a queso flameado with roasted peppers. Mmmmmm..... I had the carne asada plate which was tasty; the sopes (can you believe it, sopes on a menu in Saint Louis???) were very good also. The gent making Margaritas in the blender was priceless (Mexican beers are also available); the organization of the restaurant is interesting. Walk in, stand in line to order, serve yourself sodas and salsas, chips are given to you after ordering, take a seat and wait for your food to arrive. The salsas were very good! The guacamole was tasty. Another high point was recognizing that they make abondigas on Thursdays and pozole on Saturdays. That has been marked on the calendar....