Kevin's Place

Kevin's Place is located on Cherokee Street, just south of the Brewery.  This restaurant is a different breed.  It's a St Louis style pizza establishment, owned by Kevin.  Kevin cooks your pizza, he brings it out to you, and if you have it delivered (delivers to Soulard, Lafayette Square, Cherokee, and other places close by)- Kevin will even bring it himself.  How you wonder?  Well, we witnessed it.  We had called ahead, told Kevin we were coming in, and he said he was expecting us.  So, when we arrived, we went in and no one was there.  The radio was on, lights on, Kevin- not there.  We sat for five minutes and waited for him.  When he came, he told us that he had ran out to get ice because he knew we were coming.  Super nice guy, kind of different- but you can tell that he loves what he does, is very trustworthy, and is appreciative of the business- we think he needs more of it though!  The restaurant is very small, just around 5 tables, but very home-like, decorated nicely.  Here's the food (we split everything):

Appetizer- 1 pound of chicken wings- hot.  These we were not so impressed with.  You could tell they had been pre-fried, and then placed in the oven to warm (so one side of the wing was soggy, other side was nice and crispy).  Then instead of tossing the wings in the sauce, Kevin had sort of drizzled the sauce over it.  It was enough to enjoy, but I like wings saucy all over.  The sauce itself was very good though, spicy but not too spicy.  Similar to Imo's hot wings, but not all greasy.  It was a more pepper based sauce.  It cost 6.99, which was reasonable, but the wings are not the reason to go...

Deliciousness...

Pizza- We ordered an extra-large St Louis Style (provel cheese of course!)  You can also get mozzarella, but what's the point of that?  Toppings- pepperoni, sausage, and bacon, which Kevin declared "Grease Lovers" on the spot.  It was a good decision, and Kevin gave us two mediums for the same price instead.  The bacon added that different flavor, and it was a little salted just like Imo's.  Very good.  The pizza overall was fantastic.  Honestly, it was very similar to Imo's, with two differences:  1.  I have had mediocre pizza at Imo's, some cooks just don't put good effort into it at Imo's.  Kevin takes care in every pizza he makes.  2.  Thickness.  Kevin's crust is thicker, he puts more cheese, more sauce, and more toppings on it.  Sometimes it seems like Imo's is just a tad more than a cracker.  Kevin's Place gives you much more substance.  It does carry some grease on top, but grease is the spice of life sometimes.  It cost about 18.00 for these two pizzas. Between the three of us, we ate all the wings, one pizza, and half of the second one.

Overall, this place is great.  If you are in the area, craving some St Louis style pizza, go there!  Kevin is an interesting guy, the pizza is phenomenal, and the restaurant is very quaint.  Very similar to Imo's, just better.  If you have someone visiting from out of town who has never had St Louis style, take them there fore sure.  We give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Til we dine again,
Alex, Matt, and Tyler

Kevin's Place

Tower Tacos

Tower Tacos located in Benton Park is a Mexican Restaurant.  We went there on a Sunday night an hour before close, and wasn't busy at all.  Service was fine and ambience was average.  It's relatively small, just fitting about 6 tables or so.  No draft beers, only had common Mexican bottles and a few domestics.  They bring two salsas to the table, and one is a very spicy verde salsa.  It was the best verde salsa I've ever had, so you should definitely give it a try if you make it there.  Now for the meals:

Alex- four tacos (one chicken, one pork, one beef, one chorizo).  They were all very average, except for the CHORIZO.  Delicious.  It was the most tender chorizo sausage I've ever had.  I would go back just to have a couple chorizo tacos.  As far as the other meats, they were all pretty mediocre and kind of dry.  Although the al pastor (pork) came with pineapple, which was a great contrasting taste.  The price per taco was 1.49 so my bill was only about 6.

Matt- Steak Ranchero with rice and beans.  It had a nice spice to it, with a combination of hot sauce and peppers on top. It came with 3 small tortilla shells.  The steak was more like fajita meat, even though the menu makes it sound like a real steak. It cost 10.50, which seems like a lot but it filled me up. I typically do not eat a lot of Mexican food but it was one of the best Mexican meals that I have ever had. I would order it again.
Tyler- Burrito California.  See picture.  Absolutely ridiculous in size.  It legitmately could feed a family.  It's a monstrous tortilla stuffed with rice, beans, your choice of chicken or steak (Tyler got steak, which is what our server recommended), as well as lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo.  It really was just a bunch of stuff mixed together and packed in a not-so-tight space.  All the ingredients blended together to make a pretty bland burrito.  The upside was that it was topped with white cheese (queso, just like you get at any Mexican restaurant, very good).  The downside was that it was also topped with a sort of enchilada sauce.  The sauce tasted like tomato paste mixed with water, something out of a Chef Boyardee can.  Cost was 8.50, but if you split it with someone it is probably worth it.  It's interesting to say the least.



Burrito California



Overall, we give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.  Try the chorizo, and  you HAVE to try their verde salsa.

Til next time,

Alex, Matt, and Tyler

Wall Mural