Fountain City Grille

302 N. Main
DeSoto, Mo.
On the Web.

The Place:
This place is easily among our favorites. We've been there several times, never been disappointed. It has a lovely Main Street location and on the inside it is just the right size. Large enough, but still cozy and intimate. It has a black and white motif, throughout.  The walls are decorated with large framed photos, also black and white, of some of the old fountains in the Fountain City, DeSoto, Mo.
We were shown to a table near the front window, a four top. The menus looked new and different. Colorful, pretty, laminated pages easily navigated. We were asked about drinks by Josh, a charming and friendly young man. Tea, sweet tea and coke. Angel asked for two appetizers, the fish tacos (3) and the toasted ravioli, once again because St. Louis.
Lots of things looked good, heck, nearly everything did. Sandwiches, burgers, steaks, pastas and seafood. No salmon tonight though. Josh had apologized for being out of that. I threw down my napkin and threatened to leave.
The place was half or more full, families friends, all seeming to be enjoying themselves.
The tea was delivered, we asked for a few more minutes.
The Food:
I flip-flopped between three or four things as did everyone else. Finally we tabled our menus.
Me: A Trio of Minis. Three sliders based on the 'Fountain City Burger, and a side of fries.
Angel: Deep Sea Fish Sandwich and fries.
Adam: Three different chicken sliders, called Tre Pollos Locos.  Also a side of fries.
I wasn't really looking for a burger, the fish sandwich sounded heavy, so the sliders were a lighter alternative.

We ordered. Our appetizers arrived fairly soon after that. The tacos looked pretty good. I decided to try one. We'd been looking for a decent fish taco. The fish was breaded and fried dark. It was mixed into a bed of cabbage in slaw form, with a cilantro sauce. There were small tomato chunks as well. Angel mentioned not seeing cabbage in a fish taco before. I knew this was not necessarily a problem, since we both love slaw and have it at home fairly often. The tortilla was very soft, baby buttocks soft. It stretched and wrapped around the ingredients superbly.
I bit in and concentrated. Yeah, this was quite possibly the best fish taco I'd ever had. Granted I haven't had that many, but of all those we've tried, this had easily just shot to number one. The slaw was sweet and sour, like a good coleslaw, very fresh and the extra crunch was appreciated. Lettuce can get lost in a taco, hardly noticeable. This didn't hide behind the other ingredients, it harmonized with it, added perfectly wonderful new notes. Angel was equally impressed. Throughout the evening she repeated that she could have had those tacos, some fries and called it a night.

After a brief, but tasty few moments, the entrees arrived.
The sliders were encased in a roll that appeared a bit larger than needed. The beef, etc. didn't quite reach any of the edges. If I'd ordered a full size burger that wasn't as wide as the bun, I think I'd be a little irritated. I don't know the exact rules for sliders though. The fries were thick, but not crispy. They were well cooked, just a bit on the limp side. More of a home fry than a thin, crispy fry that you get from fast food places.
I squished my first slider and bit into it, getting mostly bun. It wasn't bad, but the thickness and mouthful of bread pretty much obscured the innards. I finally took the top off and set it aside, I finished two of the three sliders like that. Adam even said about his chicken sliders: "The buns were wrong."  The rolls/buns were quite good, fresh, tasty, but simply too much for a tablespoon of beef.

Angel loved her fish sandwich. It was the same fish that was in the taco. Breaded and fried a deep, crispy brown. As she was telling me
this I noticed her fries. She had drizzled it over the taters in a haphazard, lacy pattern, Jackson Pollock style. I'm a dipper myself. Pour a puddle off to one side then  treat each fry individually, never too much, never too little. It amazes me that we've stayed together so long with such chasm-like differences of core philosophy.
That's pretty much all I can say about the meal. the tastes were very good. However the taco nearly ruined that. The sliders were okay, but that fish taco had simply stolen the show.
When Chef Tremayne stopped by, which is just something he does, Angel mentioned to him that the tacos should be an entree rather than an appetizer. He let out a deep baritone laugh, as that is also just something he does. I like the man. I've met very few chefs as attentive, respectful  and proud of his work as Chef Tremayne.
Summary:
If you go there for nothing else, go for those fish tacos. Yes, they were that good. Not that the other options at Fountain City are bad, not at all. Yeah, the buns were too thick, that's easily fixed by not ordering sliders. The fries, well, not my favorite style, but they were fresh and fully cooked. I've had lots of different things at FCG,  steaks, pasta, burgers, etc. and can recommend it all. The chef is talented and meticulous, the wait staff is friendly and competent, Josh did a smashing job.
But definitely do try those fish tacos!