Yaqui's on Cherokee specializes in two things: wine and wood-fired pizza. The latter is owner Francis Rodriguez's own take on the Neapolitan pizza a supple, rich crust topped with an anchovy-based tomato sauce and cheese, then baked until crispy yet toothsome at a scorching 800 degrees. Pair one of these fourteen-inch wonders with one of the bar's thirty wines, and you have a recipe for a charming night on Cherokee Street. Yaqui's livens up a classic 120-year-old building, imbuing its brick walls with a casual yet cozy and classy ambiance.
Eccentric haven Venice Café provides a bright, colorful spot to take in live music and enjoy Caribbean fare - Rasta kabobs (available with jerk chicken, beef or veggie), Red Stripe Porker (pork tenderloin) and fried plantains are among the options. Venice Café's drinks include standard beer and liquor choices, and happy hour specials run Monday through Saturday.
"Food for people who love food" is the slogan at Qdoba Mexican Grill, a fast casual Tex-Mex eatery that was founded in Denver in 1995 and has since grown to include more than 600 restaurants in the U.S, including St. Louis. Lovers of chicken-and-bean-packed burritos and fresh-picked peppers, onions, corn and onion will appreciate the fact that the food is prepared in full view of the customers at this sit-down diner. As for the menu, the Qdoba Quesadilla is its mainstay and most popular item, both plain (three cheeses piled onto homemade tortillas) and with various meats (Strip steak on a quesadilla? Yes, at Qdoba) and roasted peppers. Also available is the Mexican Gumbo, a souped-up version of the diner's own tortilla soup with sour cream, cheese, and salsa and topped with tortilla strips and a choice of chicken, steak and pork. Qdoba is easy to find on Voice Places.