Is it possible that the most exciting frozen dessert in town can be found on Cherokee Street? There’s strong evidence at La Vallesana, and a selection of dishes leading up to that dessert also a reason to visit.
We were there on one of the many pleasant evenings recently, stopping at La Vallesana, in an old frozen custard stand at the corner of Cherokee and California streets. There’s outdoor seating, with servers, plus a busy take-out counter and a few stools and a shelf inside. The lovely weather took us to a table outside, with a view of the mural on the wall and a good location to watch the world stroll by.
We knew we were in for a good time with the first sips of our watermelon agua frescas, which had a few bits of melon pulp and were full of real melon flavor, not the artificial stuff that calls to mind cheap Halloween candy. Nice and cold, too.
The menu is bilingual, at least for most items, but it’s definitely not the drive-through sort of Mexican food. It was early in the week and late in the day, so they were out of some fillings, like chorizo sausage and beef cheek and carnitas. We ended up with tacos al carbon, of grilled and sliced beef, and tacos filled with lengua, which is tongue. For those who want meat and not fat, tongue is a good choice. There are no greasy bits, although it’s not a low-fat meat, another reason it’s so delicious.
A simple and basic presentation–two corn tortillas, a sprinkle of white onion and another of chopped cilantro, a wedge of lime. Two salsas are presented, a smoky red with medium heat and a hotter version that is a brilliant green. (No basket of complimentary chips, okay by us, but we know some folks may be surprised.) Both are silky smooth, and separate slightly on standing, which makes us suspect they’re at least partially homemade.
Tortas are Mexican sandwiches, usually done on large buns. These are fat boys, stuffed full with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and, in our case, spicy shrimp, good-sized shellfish in a mayonnaise-like pink sauce that had a mild-to-moderate kick. Messy to eat, but devilishly delicious. So was the quesadilla stuffed with pork al pastor, small chunks of pork in a ruddy sauce, along with a few pineapple tidbits. The pork stayed moist, the wheat flour tortilla was crisp here and there, the pineapple’s tartness bounced merrily around the pork, combining for an exceptionally fine dish. A small cup of guacamole and a few chips came along; the chips were merely okay, but the guacamole was chunky and fresh.
And then it was time for something sweet. La Vallesana makes its own paletas, a Mexican version of a popsicle. Flavor possibilities? Look at this list:
watermelon
cantaloupe
tamarind
spicy tamarind
strawberry
strawberry with milk
spicy pineapple
spicy mango
coconut
Our coconut and spicy pineapple pops were fascinating. The coconut included lots of chunks of fresh coconut, making the whole thing as much about texture as taste—which, by the by, was not excessively sweet. But it was the spicy pineapple that brought the wow factor. Peppery and salty, and marked with chunks of fresh pineapple, it was fabulous. Definitely worth a trip just for this.
In addition, there’s another location, a storefront across the street and a few doors west, La Vallesana 2, with an even wider selection of paletas, like lime and spicy tamarind. We tried cantaloupe, another true-to-life taste, and the downright fiery spicy mango, and some Mexican ice cream, a soft-textured quick trip to the tropics, with exotic flavors like pine nut and mamey, much like sweet potato. Totally delicious and very hard to resist.
2801 Cherokee
314-776-4223
Lunch and Dinner daily
Credit cards: MC, Visa
Wheelchair access: Poor
Smoking: No
Entrees: $3-$7
La Vallesana 2
2818 Cherokee
314-776-4223
I went to La Vallesana when I was out shooting Cherokee for Sauce. Not only did the food smell and look great, but the people working there were incredibly nice and cooperative. I just wish I had time to eat there that day!
Posted by: Jonathan | September 04, 2008 at 07:02 AM
la vallesana has the best mexican tacos in ST Louis
Posted by: gorge gaith | February 16, 2009 at 07:40 PM