Los Moles Quick Bite

Posted by Bridget at 7:00 am

Jul 022009

The shrimp at Los Moles looks great.

Los Moles is a good place to dine on a dime. In addition to a variety of affordable a la carte items, Lakeview’s newest addition to the mole scene offers a $40 five-course prix-fixe menu daily that’s an absolute steal. You’ll taste what’s best on the monthly menu when you let the chef take the wheel.

Los Moles is currently a BYOB, which also helps to keep a few more dollars in your pocket, although an impressive bar lines one wall of the oblong dining space, so bringing your own liquor may not be an option for long.

After I had a full-sized appetizer, salad, meat entrée, seafood entrée, and dessert, I waddled out of Los Moles completely satisfied with my meal and feeling like I’d gotten much more than my money’s worth. My dining companion had the prix-fixe menu too, and since we were served different dishes throughout, we made our way through a total of ten different menu items in one sitting!

Overall, the food is good at Los Moles, but some dishes are certainly better than others. The standouts for me included a dark chili flavored soup called Sopa Azteca, and the seafood special topped with green mole sauce. I also liked the white mole sauce I sampled. It’s a creamy blend of almonds, pine nuts, yellow peppers, white chocolate, golden raisins and white pepper that’s not overly sweet, and I haven’t found it anywhere else. It’s definitely worth a taste.

However, I’d steer clear of the shrimp with mole sauce. I’ve had it twice now, and it looks better than it tastes. Both times it was over cooked and served with too much sauce. Everything else I’ve tried on the menu falls somewhere in between the extremes, turning in a solid, if not spectacular performance.

The dining area is dimly lit, but still manages to have a friendly vibe, and the staff is attentive, but the service is a little slow. Still, this new kid on the block is worth a try. Los Moles is just getting on its feet, but from what I’ve seen so far, it’s a good bet for the price.

Los Moles
3140 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 935-9620
Get directions

Been to Los Moles? What did you think? Drop us a line via Twitter: @chicagobites.

Taqueria La Oaxaquena

Posted by Bridget at 8:00 pm

Jul 072008

The red snapper looked good, but it wasn't.

Tammy and I had a hankering for Mexican food last week, so we joined friends for dinner at Taqueria La Oaxaquena.

Heavy plastic covers the bright fabric tablecloths there and the chairs have seen better days, but overall the space is pleasant. The dining room is bigger than many local restaurants and that makes for easier access, which I like. The staff (most of whom are native Spanish speakers) was attentive, and our waitress knew the menu well. Unfortunately, the food wasn’t very good.

Taqueria La Oaxaquena is supposedly known for its mole sauce, and Tammy’s Enchiladas Oaxaquenas en Mole were the best thing on the table. That dish overshadowed the other entrees, a trio of homemade salsas, and my favorite standby –- the guacamole. Still, that’s not saying much. There are certainly better places in town for mole. Mixtexo Grill comes readily to mind — the food there is roughly the same price and three-times the quality.

The other entree worth mentioning is the Huachinango Con Mariscos – an entire red snapper, complete with head and tail fins. A striking dish that drew “ooos” and “ahhs” from diners at neighboring tables, it too fell woefully short on taste. It was bland, overcooked, and disappointing like the rest of the meal. I was especially disappointed because I’d read rave reviews of this place on the Web. Were we eating at the wrong restaurant? Perhaps this is a recent fall from grace? I wonder.

Taqueria La Oaxaquena did exceed expectations when it was time for dessert. The tres leches cake was one of the best I’ve tried this summer. And I would know since I’ve recently had tres leches at Mixteco Grill and Cafe Selmarie.

I’d go back to La Oaxaquena only if I happened to be in the neighborhood. I wouldn’t make a point of it.

Taqueria La Oaxaquena
3382 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 545-8585
Get directions

	Bridget’s Taqueria La Oaxaquena Ratings	Tammy’s Taqueria La Oaxaquena Ratings
Food Quality	2	2
Value	2	2
Service	3	2
Ambiance	2	3
Overall	3	4

Average price per person: $25

We had two orders of guacamole.

Online buzz about Taqueria La Oaxaquena:
Metromix
Yelp

Mixteco Grill
Chicago Bites Podcast #109

Posted by Tammy at 5:00 pm

Jun 162008

Mixteco Grill's pork chop in an excellent Oaxaca mole sauce.

We hit the newly opened Mixteco Grill this week on a quest for mole sauce. It’s a hot and crowded little hole-in-the-wall spot, but does the mole sauce make up for all that? Pass the chips and turn up the volume! That’s all I can say.

( 10.9 M)

Show Notes:
00:00 – 01:01 Talking about mole sauce
01:02 – 02:55 Reservation woes
02:56 – 05:07 Appetizers & BYOB
05:08 – 07:50 Mole is the centerpiece
07:51 – 09:11 Excellent dessert recommendation
09:12 – 11:35 Ratings and sign-off

Mixteco Grill
1601 W Montrose Avenue
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 868-1601