You know your kids have become foodies when they start telling you where you should go out to eat – and their selection has nothing to do with golden arches or cardboard crowns.
All four of us were tooling around in the car one afternoon, with Kathy and I mulling over dining possibilities, when Duncan hollered out, “I want mango!” Well, that sure made things easier.
Mango (the Peruvian restaurant) is another of St. Louis’ strip mall secrets, tucked into the Mackenzie Point Plaza on Watson Road. We’d driven past it countless times over the years, always a little intrigued, since mango (the fruit) is one of our family favorites. But until Duncan’s outburst, it seemed fated to be one of those places you always wonder about but never check out.
Boy, were we glad he piped up, because we found what just might be our new favorite restaurant. Our first visit was a lunch trip, which was something of a novelty for the boys. The humble strip mall storefront belied a far more intimate interior. Wrought iron formed an elegant partition between the dining and bar areas, and an additional iron “gate” cordoned off an extended dining section. Peppy Latin music added some additional atmosphere and launched the boys into an impromptu game of “find the speakers.”
There was no official kids’ menu, but Brendan wasted no time finding a cold sandwich of tomatoes, avocados and boiled egg, with a house salad on the side. Duncan, ever worried that he’ll miss out on something that Brendan gets, ordered the exact same thing. Then they pounced on the bowl of cancha and chifles – crunchy fried corn and plantain chips – like cats on cream.
Unfortunately, that snacking was probably Duncan’s downfall. When his food came, he picked sporadically at his sandwich and salad, and claimed he was full. Brendan’s sandwich, on the other hand, was gone in a heartbeat, and he tucked into his salad, a beautiful mix of greens topped with sliced mango, roasted red peppers and a citrus dressing. “Boy, that mango sure is good,” he said between mouthfuls.
Kathy and I were equally impressed with our meals. She had the saltado de calamares – squid with onions and tomatoes in a white-wine sauce. After a moment’s hesitation – “I had to dare myself to actually put them in my mouth,” she admitted – she knocked ’em back, tentacles and all. Not as daring as she, I tried the pollo a la parrilla, a fantastic grilled chicken sandwich served with aji amarillo mayo and a helping of fried sweet potato. Topped off with a cold Pilsen Callao (one of Peru’s leading beers) it made an excellent and hearty lunch.
Excited by the dinner menu, we were already planning our second visit on the way home from the first. As we took our seats, our waiter offered some off-the-menu allowances for the boys – chicken strips, hot dogs or a kids’ portion of tallarin huancaina, sort of a Peruvian answer to fettuccine Alfredo. We said we’d order from Mango’s tapas menu instead. Brendan decided he wanted to try the fried yuca, and we cajoled Duncan into trying the chicharron de pescado, small fish nuggets with an aji amarillo sauce. To sweeten the deal, I ordered the boys an Inca Kola, the Peruvian national soda. It’s not a cola, but a bright yellow soft drink similar to cream soda. As expected, they loved it.
I had my eyes set on aji de gallina, a saucy chicken dish, and Kathy intended to order a steak of some kind, but we were both captivated by the specials of the day. For me, it was broiled mahi-mahi topped with bay scallops and a mango-passion fruit sauce. Kathy still got her steak, a beautiful 8-ounce slab served with a rosemary and sun-dried tomato reduction. We decided to order cocktails as well. She had a glass of sangria like none other we’ve tried; a dose of cinnamon gave it a mulled flavor that complemented her steak perfectly. I tried the Pisco Sour, a lime and brandy drink that similarly accented my fish.
Across the table, the boys were tearing it up. Brendan was dipping the fish nuggets into a small cup of huancaina sauce, then popping them in his mouth, then following that with a fluffy piece of yuca. Duncan, while a bit slow to catch on, finally found his appetite, which he’d left temporarily in the bowl of plantain chips. Bites of this and that were passed around the table, until suddenly we noticed we’d eaten every morsel. Reluctant to call an end to the conviviality, we ordered a slice of Mango’s homemade torta de chocolate, a light but fudgy cake. It vanished in a matter of seconds under a four-spoon onslaught and a lot of laughter.
Mango’s menu is wonderfully broad, with many vegetarian dishes and a good mix of seafood, chicken and beef. The staff is friendly and very eager to talk about the cuisine, and every dish we tried showed a real dedication to quality back in the kitchen. We all thoroughly enjoyed our visits, and are looking forward to digging deeper into the menu. Two big and two little forks way, way up.
This article appears in Sep 1-30, 2008.