HOT SPOT
Taco Buddha Reopens
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After an office fire (caused by a laptop battery, no less) led to a three-month shutdown, the beloved Taco Buddha will reopen April 25. It will be “newer, better, and brighter,” according to owner Kurt Eller. Additions include a state-of-the-art fryer to produce Baja-style fish tacos and a new GM/chef to cook them.The accomplished Jeff Friesen (formerly of Juniper, Sugarfire Smoke House, and Farmhaus) has elevated the menu items, “and they were pretty good already,” says Eller. It’s hard to beat a couple of chorizo and egg breakfast tacos and a Bloody Mary on a weekend morning or afternoon, and look for Brothers Lazaroff, slated to perform outside on Sundays in May. 7405 Pershing, 314-502-9951.
INSIDER TIP
Crab Cakes at Oceano
Most everybody loves a Maryland-style crab cake, made with ample jumbo lump crabmeat and minimal filler, as found at Oceano Bistro in Clayton, where they’ve been a bestseller since the seafood restaurant opened in 2007. The current iteration is served with sherry butter, a touch of aioli, and a crown of peppery arugula, fennel, and roasted red pepper. On the lunch and dinner menu, an order of three mini-cakes is a reasonable $15. At happy hour (4–6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 2–4:30 p.m. Saturday), it’s virtually half-price ($8), along with a dozen other offerings. 44 N. Brentwood, 314-721-9400.
MICRORANT
Patios Closed in Patio Season
Restaurateurs will tell you that restaurant patios are a godsend because the space is rent-free and acts as a beacon. Since there’s no better “We’re Open” sign than an inviting patio, savvy operators open them as early as they can. So we’re amazed that during a legitimate spring this year, we drive across town and see most patios packed with people—and some not even open. They might as well be handing cash to their umbrella-table competitors.
Follow George on Twitter @stlmag_dining and feel free to send him Tidbits at [email protected]. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
