One of the more interesting fish fry experiences I've had since I hit the Cod Trail a couple of years back came from a visit to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Ferguson. It's close to I-70 and the UMSL campus, and not nearly as crowded, at least on this visit, as some others I've hit. But it's the menu – and the entertainment – that really makes it stand out. The congregation includes many Hispanics and the fish fry happily reflects this.
Yes, there's the usual fried fish, as well as shrimp, and the side dishes of spaghetti and coleslaw, plus fried potato wedges in lieu of french fries. Hush puppies, as well, quite good ones, moist and with a little hit of black pepper. But there's Mexican food, too.
Fish tacos, to begin with, on two soft corn tortillas, shreds of lettuce and cheese and a splash of a hot sauce that's not remarkably hot. The fish are fried, but broken up before coming home to roost on the tortillas. Pico de gallo is available as a side, even on the regular dinners, and it's generously served, with a little more kick of heat to it than many restaurant versions. Chips and salsa are available, and so are chiles relleno. What caught my mouth's eye, though, were the potato tacos.
I first fell for potato tacos at the late hole in the wall Happy Taco on Delmar. They went against all my mother's warning about too much "starch", but it was enough of a curiosity that I investigated and promptly fell in love. They're standard breakfast fare in much of the American southwest, with or without eggs and/or chorizo or bacon. Here, potatoes are stuffed in flour tacos and deep-fried to crispness, then dressed like the fish tacos, lettuce, cheese and sauce, a fine combination of textures and tastes. Guacamole is on hand, too, a generous serving. It's commercial enough that it doesn't brown, even leftovers kept in my fridge until the next day, but there's no discernible mayonnaise. It's got good-sized chunks of tomato and onion in it, maybe a teeny bit of heat, all considerably better than some I've had in restaurants charging twice as much. The only miss of the evening was a piece of baked tilapia my pal hadn't noticed was the only piece left and clearly dried out.
Yes, beer, including Modelo. Even better, though, was live music, a keyboard and a percussionist doing Latin music, not just Mexican, guys who'd been at this a while, lovely sounds, and, intermittently, young dancers with two teacher-types, fun to watch, especially when a toddler got up to join them and was immediately given a couple of things to wave like the dancers.
Fun. Worthwhile. And as such places go, surprisingly uncrowded, at least on our visit, which was around 5.30 p.m.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
1115 S. Florissant Rd., Ferguson
314-522-9264
Fridays 4-8 p.m. through March 18