Flaco's Cocina

Flaco's Tacos was a St. Louis restaurant that had great fish burritos. However, Flaco's closed down a number of years ago. It clearly inspired somebody -- and they have now opened up a tribute restaurant that we'll be going to on Monday. This is our first tribute restaurant, which is very exciting if you want it to be! Who knows what a tribute restaurant even is?

Flaco's Cocina
8400 Delmar Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63124

Land Of Smile

NOTE: Since the time change is on Sunday, we're back to our fall/winter schedule of 7:00 rather than 7:30.

Wear your grins as we go to this is a very new Thai restaurant on the STL food scene and they're excellent. I've been twice and sampled several different dishes, all of them excellent. They use white pepper prodigiously, which works perfectly in their dishes. This may be one of the most authentic Thai restaurants in St. Louis and you should order your dishes appropriately spicy.

Land of Smile
9641 Olive Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63132
(314)989-9878

Now it's time for a spicy food fact! What's the difference between black pepper and white pepper?

Both are made from berries - or peppercorns - of the pepper plant (piper nigrum). Black pepper is made from berries picked when they are still green; they are cooked in water to break down cell walls and then dried in until they turn black. White pepper is made from berries that ripen fully on the vine before they are picked; they are soaked and scrubbed to remove the flesh of the fruit before being dried. The taste of white pepper is more subtle and smooth - it's just the seed and is missing flavor compounds contained in the outer fruit layer left on black peppercorns.