Milagro Modern Mexican; Webster Groves, MO

Silly Grimace; It's Never Too Hot for Mexican Food!

This tale begins more than a month ago with a random phone call from my mother. She wanted to take Jason and me to lunch over Labor Day weekend. Now you must understand the nature of my mom (or the Grimace as we lovingly refer to her) ... she does not like to spend money on food. In fact, she really doesn't like to spend money on much of anything other than gambling in the hopes that she will win more money to further spend on gambling. There is, however, one way to get her to loosen up in regard to her food budget but it's a method that must be used sparingly and has to be most cunningly deployed.

It's called a coupon.

And she can no more resist using one than she can ignore the siren song of slot machine bells and whistles. So once I mentioned that Jason and I were really keen to try Milagro Modern Mexican and that we had a $10 gift certificate, she was more than halfway persuaded to give up the Red Lobster option she had originally suggested.

The only problem?

The weather.

A late season heatwave had once again blanketed Stinktown with triple-digit heat and oppressive humidity; in Grimace's words, "It's too hot for Mexican food; let's have pasta instead."

"It's too hot for Mexican but it's not too hot for pasta? Are you crazy?"

"I just thought if we met at the Pasta House we could go to the one near where you guys live and you wouldn't have to drive so far to meet us."

The light bulb went on. Grimace thought she was being subtle but I knew exactly what angle she was playing.

"Jay and I don't mind driving down to Webster Groves; you and Jon always drive out here and it's a long way to come. Save your gas for your next drive to Harrah's."

"Weeeeeell, I was hoping to stop at Harrah's on our way back from your local Pasta House."

"We can eat at Pasta House any old time; in fact, everyone in this stinky city has been dining there since the beginning of time. Let's try something new. We have that $10 gift certificate, remember? You will save money that you can use on your Sunday casino visit. And if you hate the food Jason and I will pick up the whole tab and you won't be out any money at all, leaving you with even more gambling money."

And so the deal was sealed.

Jason and I arrived at Milagro about thirty minutes before my parents in order to grab a quick drink and snack in the bar. Once we had a chance to study the menu and learn that they were out of house-infused habanero tequila, ensuring that Jason would once again not be able to order an uber-spicy margarita, we both settled on Milagro's top shelf margarita. This drink was made with Grand Marnier, limonada, and the guest's choice of one of four top shelf Reposado Tequilas. Jason chose Riazul and I chose Tres Generaciories.

The verdict: four thumbs up! These drinks were really well made with the perfect balance of sweet and sour and did they ever pack a smooth punch. We would belly up to the bar and suck these babies down any day of the week, they were just that good.

Top Shelf Margaritas


For snacking we ordered the Tuna Ceviche, which our bartender Andrew assured us was one of his favorite appetizer items listed on the menu. Jay and I love us some tuna and we were not disappointed - it was marinated in lime juice and served with avocado, micro cilantro, mango, and jicama with a wee package of blue corn tostaditas on the side. It was a simply wonderful mix of flavors that we both really enjoyed; Jon liked it a lot too - he was fortunate enough to arrive in time to sample some before Jay and I licked the plate clean!

Tuna Ceviche


We closed out our bar tab and requested a table in the dining room - Grimace doesn't like sitting at the bar because it's too hard to talk. The restaurant was busy but not overly crowded and we were seated right away. After placing our drink orders a complimentary bowl of salsa and warm tortilla chips arrived for our further snacking pleasure. I really liked this salsa, which was big on flavor without shriveling my taste buds with spice. It was thick and chunky with squares of fresh tomato and a lovely peppered smokiness - some of the best salsa I've eaten outside of the homemade stuff that Jay churns out.

Salsa and Chips


Our second round of drinks included a Bloody Maria for Jay, which was so spicy it practically burned a layer from the back of my throat when I sampled it, and a Diamond Margarita for me. The Diamond was the drink special of the day and was similar to the house margarita I ordered earlier only this included a mix of blanco, reposado, and anejo tequilas - once again this was a very tasty drink choice and quite powerful. I needed a nap later in the afternoon to fully recover!

Bloody Maria & Diamond Margarita


Grimace gave us the go-ahead to order an appetizer even though she didn't want anything. After much discussion we decided on the Shrimp Diablo Tostaditas - crisp corn tostaditas, re-fried black beans, shrimp, pickled cabbage, micro cilantro, and spicy chile de arbol salsa. This was pretty good - the shrimp were well cooked and the salsa lent the dish a nice kick without being overpowering. My only quibble is that the salsa soaked through the tostaditas and made them soggy, eliminating a much needed crunch from the dish. I think it would be better served with the salsa on the side, so that texture would be preserved and then the crunch could shine right through.

Shrimp Diablo


Jason doubled down on the appetizers and also ordered a cup of Statesmen Chili - it was made with prime steak, black beans, and five types of chiles topped with cilantro and tortilla chips. He said this was one of the best items he tried all day - the flavor was great and there were big chunks of steak with lots of beans while the mix of chiles provided good heat and flavor. Something tells me that he's going to be re-creating this dish at home during the winter months!

Statesmen Chili


Our lunch entrees arrived shortly thereafter - Grimace ordered the Pork Enchiladas Verdes, which included roasted pork, Mexican cheese, charred tomatillo sauce, and hibiscus pickled onion. She usually orders chicken, so it was good to see her try something new and she really seemed to like her choice.

Pork Enchiladas


Jason selected the Chori Heuvo Torta - a sandwich that included housemade Chorizo sausage, fried egg, pickled jalapeno, queso fresco, and roasted tomatillo salsa. It was served with sweet potato fries and jicama slaw and was the other "best" item that the hubba ordered during our visit. He said it was another great mix of flavors and spice and was like eating brunch between two slices of ciabatta bread.

Chori Heuvo


Jon and I both ordered the Chicken and Chorizo Quesadilla - grilled chicken, chorizo sausage, chile poblano, and melted jack cheese served with chile de arbol salsa, Mexican crema, and guacamole. We both agreed that this was quite tasty and had good flavor; we also both agreed that it was too greasy. Someone in the kitchen should have done a better job of draining the sausage before making the quesadilla. I know from experience that chorizo throws off a whole lot of orange grease while it cooks and it needs to be well drained. Unfortunately, because it wasn't, both of our quesadillas were soaked through with residual sausage grease before we could finish eating. We still enjoyed our selection, but the execution could have been, and should have been, better.

Chicken and Chorizo Quesadilla


Overall, we thought Milagro Modern Mexican was a terrific place. They offer wonderful Mexican food with layers of interesting flavors that isn't the usual Tex-Mex chain junk that we see in Stinktown. Jay and I definitely have added them to our short-list and suggest you give them a try if you haven't already. It will be our pleasure to pay them a repeat visit some day!