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CAFE
[REVIEW]
A Labor of Love Padrino’s serves up delicious Mexican flavors from the former South Grand home of Mangia Written by
CHERYL BAEHR Padrino’s 3143 South Grand Boulevard, 314-282-0357. Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri. and Sat. 11-1 a.m.; Sun. 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
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hristina Robles knows how ridiculously large the burritos are at Padrino’s. Nearly the size of a standard loaf of ciabatta, these “burros,” as Robles and her cohorts call them, are so jaw-droppingly massive, they seem as insurmountable as an ascent up Mt. Everest. It’s not gratuitous, however; the burritos have to be so large to contain all of the fillings stuffed inside. Tender chicken, seasoned steak, plump shrimp, rice and refried beans — the contents of the Burro Campechano, are like a threemeat combination platter, with all the trimmings, wrapped up in a our tortilla. s if that wasn’t over the top enough, the entire burrito is covered in molten cheese dip that pools at the bottom of the plate, begging you to dip every bite into this rich concoction. If food is how restaurants show affection, a Padrino’s burrito is a long, tight bear hug from a doting Mexican grandma. This is exactly what Robles hoped to achieve with Padrino’s, the three-month-old restaurant she owns with her husband, Enrique, and their longtime friends Ciro Trapala and Rafa Rosas. Spanish for “godfather,” the name Padrino’s is supposed to evoke not simply a family relationship but the experience of being welcomed into a Mexican home kitchen, where stu ng you to the gills is the way you’re shown love — the sort of experience Enrique Robles, Trapala and Rosas had growing up in their own households in
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RIVERFRONT TIMES
Padrino’s is already making an impact with dishes such as pollo feliz, crispy tacos with chicken, fajitas, margaritas and birria tacos. | MABEL SUEN Mexico. Their desire to share that feeling with diners in their adopted hometown is the foundation of Padrino’s, which opened on South Grand in a portion of the former Mangia taliano this past September. fter moving to the United States many years ago, all three men separately found themselves in the restaurant industry: Enrique Robles in the front of the house, and Trapala and osas in the itchen. fter settling down in the St. Louis area, the three became friends, and they often talked nostalgically of their Mexican upbringing and the food associated with it. Christina Robles saw this passion for food and hospitality in her husband and his friends because she had it, too. Having worked in the restaurant industry for many years herself, she’d always dreamed of getting back into the business and fantasized with her husband about opening a place of their own one day. In 2019, Enrique Robles realized that dream when he opened the Southampton restaurant La Catrina, with business partners Jerry Reyes and Steve Resnic. However, this May, he decided he wanted to step out completely on his own and, after
DECEMBER 22-28, 2021
riverfronttimes.com
Tacos de pescado, or fish tacos topped with cabbage, pico de gallo and chipotle sauce. | MABEL SUEN partnering with Trapala and Rosas, he and Christina Robles set out on a new restaurant venture. That dream became even more of a reality once they found the former Mangia storefront. Thrilled to take over a portion of such a storied part of St. Louis restaurant history, the four got to work converting the space into a vibrant dining room. Mexican artwork hangs from the red and
yellow walls, wooden tables dot the shotgun dining room, and a bar — complete with three frozen drink machines — takes up half of the space. If the atmosphere makes the room feel lively, it turns positively festive once the food is added to the scene. Like the Burro Campechano, the Burro Vallarta is an equally massive culinary undertaking. Tender, whole jumbo shrimp,
