Tro Mo in the News

July 25th, 2007 edition of The Daily Sauce: Food and Wine. Visit Our Food and Wine Archive.

Tropical Brain Freeze


On the quiet eastern edge of the Kirkwood Farmers' Market sits a cramped little shack with two windows that is so popular during the summer that the Kirkwood police show up in riot gear and armored trucks just to maintain crowd control. OK, that last part isn't true, but on long summer days and nights, Tropical Moose Shaved Ice – or TroMO as Kirkwoodians call it – is the gathering spot for languishing teens, young parents on walks with their children, older adults with memories of simpler times and dogs. Think of it as the Ted Drewes of snow cone stands.

With exotic flavors like Monkey Snot (green apple), Volcano (any flavor with a packet of explosive Pop Rocks candy mixed in) and Motor Oil (blackberry so dark it turns your tongue and lips black), of course TroMo is popular with kids. As we sat on a nearby bench relaxing with our Tiger's Blood cone (cherry, raspberry and coconut) and getting lost in the sounds of the occasional passing train, we noticed the multicolored stained concrete under our feet, more evidence of TroMo's myriad flavors and popularity. We also noticed a very happy golden lab lapping up Canine Cooler like it was a pureed liver snow cone, which it was.

Sauce pick: Tropical Moose Shaved Ice
Where to get it: Kirkwood Farmers' Market, 150 E. Argonne Drive, Kirkwood or the new location at Sailboat Cove at Creve Coeur Lake
Price: $1 to $4
Info: Kirkwood: Open noon to 9 p.m. daily, through Labor Day; Creve Coeur: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily