Malinche Mexican Culinary Experience — Restaurant in Ellisville

Holy moly!!!!! Stephanie and Angel were very sweet. The FOOD is very tasty. Some dishes were straight forward and some were more complex flavor combinations. ie the bone marrow taco. The meal started off with an amuse bouche of sorts with a taste of their tortilla filled with a sweet potato filling drizzled with a verde salsa and ancho oil. It was just alright, i enjoyed the tortilla and the verde but the filling lacked luster and personality. My friend didn't really like it or understand why we started off with a free item that wasn't out of this world. From there we allowed the server to pick everything for us and our only request was shrimp something. I'm glad that was a request of my friend because we ordered the shrimp dishes twice it was so good. The shrimp tasted of the ocean, clean and fresh. They were covered in an incredible crema served along rice with roasted poblano peppers. Wow. Next we were brought the Chimichanga. I really like it. My friend did not. That's why I'm including both perspectives. I enjoy the time and effort it takes to make moist slow roasted chicken flavorful and tasty inside anything fried, so I really love that crunch on the outside and really flavorful chicken inside. also the little packet of beans were really tasty, My friend thought it was bland and could have been spicy or included a sauce option to doctor it up. Next we were hoping for a taco or two and we were served one taco to share which was weird since were shared everything. As a server I would have asked the chef for an extra tortilla so we could have built two separate tacos at the table. Either way we cut it in half and wow was the steak extremely tender and the bone marrow was fatty as expected. The bone marrow is totally for show, its not needed. The taco was awesome as a good steak taco. The combination was great but rather overwhelming for lunch. My opinion of the menu and restaurant will come into play here. This place is not designed for sharing. The shrimp had four per plate, so we ended up ordering two because they were so good but with a group of 4 or 6 the portions need to fit west county eaters. The shrimp should be 6 per order, the taco should be one piece of bone marrow and two tacos (bone marrow only for dinner), the tamale could include a bigger tamale and more side items for sharing. Two for lunch our bill was $70. Back to the food the tamale was our second to last dish because my friend saw the chips and salsa option and it was exactly what he wanted I couldn't get a picture before he annihilated it. The tamale SUCKED. The fresh cheese they made was good but we only got a 1/4 tsp worth. The filling was black beans with very little flavor, I had to ask what was inside I kind of knew what was going on but the flavors were muted and by the size, again not for sharing. One thing about the black bean filling and the other beans served with the chimi, the texture was really on point and smooth no grit at all. The longanisa sausage was bad. I've made longanisa for breakfast many times and this sausage did not have much sweetness and the grind of the meat was course. The casing did not snap and my friend had one bite and that was enough. The chips and pork rinds with three dipping options was very refreshing and great spin on a classic dish. The pork grinds were crunchy and had a nice spicy dust on top. The three dipping options were a queso with chorizo 9/10 guacamole 7/10 and a salsa 6/10. I had to look up the second two options because the pork grinds covered in queso and chorizo is pretty mindblowing. Overall the food was very tasty and a change to our standard west county option El Toluco Tacqueria. We dined for lunch the dining room was dark and again I will say this menu is not for sharing and is not for west county diners. I would recommend the menu be dumbed down to key highlighted points of each dish to make ordering unfamiliar items less intimidating and each dish cost more for more food. Its good but could be better. One bite everyone knows...

It took several weeks of attempts before I was able to get a table in this restaurant. It definitely did not deserve the hype. I am actually shocked at the number of five star reviews this restaurant gets. I’m sure I look like that one reviewer that is never pleased. Please note all of my other reviews. I tend to be very generous with the stars. This restaurant is very unique and I want to leave a very detailed review to anyone considering because it is expensive. The menu is very limited and every single item on the menu had to be explained by the waitress. Every item on the menu is considered to be a “small plate“ which is about the size of a small appetizer, but priced the same as an entrée at some restaurants. The waitress advised that it is appropriate for each person to get three or four plates. Had we listened to her advice we would have had twice as much food as we needed. We got four dishes total for two people, and it was more than enough food. While the menu items are unique, I felt very limited in my choices. No vegetarian options unless you order off the menu. The ceviche was unique and spicy. The Mole, which the waitress described as their signature dish, was the worst mole I have ever tried. I generally love mole. Our waitress was extremely high energy, but totally inappropriate in her timing. She kept trying to clear plates while we were eating. She would ask us how we were doing every few minutes constantly interrupting our conversation. I assume she is used to being busier. The potato flauta was delicious, but too expensive for one French fry sized fried tortilla. We attempted to come here several times on weekends, but found that a reservation is both necessary and difficult to get. However, we were able to walk in at 6 o’clock on a weekday and found the restaurant to be empty. The storefront makes it look creepy and uninviting. Once inside, however, the ambiance is kitschy and appealing. The margaritas were delicious but extremely watered down and overpriced. Overall, we felt this meal was entirely too expensive and the waitress definitely negatively impacted our experience. I gave three stars because some of the food was good but the restaurant concept just didn’t work for us. The small expensive plates and confusing menu did not make for a fun night out as I believe it was intended. Overall, if asked for a recommendation, I would take time to explain this restaurant in detail. You have to know what you’re getting into and be prepared for an unreasonably expensive night out for Mexican food. (Which is usually much...

My Del Trompo, or “El Farolito” taco on a flat bed made by a soft but durable mysteriously green tortilla is an unmatchable experience. The meat is achiote-roasted pork al pastor with chopped onion, cilantro, a bit of chihuahua cheese, lime juice, and salsa. There are delicate litttle rolls of cucumber seasoned with tajin off to the side on my plate, the perfect refreshing crunch in between bites. Even the slice of lime for my taco is charred, a sophisticated touch to bring the art, that is my plate, up a notch. I feel like Remi in Ratatouille when he eats a strawberry with cheese as I devour my taco. Tacos al pastor are my favorite food of all time and I’ve never had them better than at Malinche. That being said, I always pick the pineapple off of my tacos. Pineapple is to many a vital ingredient to tacos al pastor, thus, my actions are possibly a de-classified cardinal sin in Mexico, but a necessary deed for my tastes. Malinche has my picky eater stamp of approval! To close off the night, my mini churros are warm and light-weight, painted in a delicate webbing of cajeta (sweet caramelized goat milk) and chocolate syrup. The sugary shell vessel encasing these beautiful little gifts from God is flawlessly not too soft and not too hard. My parents’ mini key lime pies are layered with galleta María. My mom says this dessert is something all Mexican moms make when they don’t know what else to make. Maybe that part of the code in the “Mexican mom genome” just didn’t make its way to her. Anyways, at the end of the day, Malinche has been an unparalleled Mexican culinary experience for the greater St. Louis area. Dining at Malinche is distinctive in regards to the restaurant’s recognition and execution of the marriage of Spanish and Indigenous flavours that most embody Mexico. Every dish on the menu is authentically Mexican. What could be a more suitable reference than La Malinche? A mother to the new nation of Mexico. The family dining experience at Malinche is definitely one- of-a-kind in the St. Louis area, but in my humble opinion, also in the Midwest as a whole. In terms of authenticity of food, ambiance, and the staff/community, it is truly a privilege to...