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VI, your observation is quite precise, which is to say, Aaron Deacon and I agree with you.

I liked everything I had at SdM (well, maybe the chochinita pibil was a little dry), but the moles were "clean," as you say. Now, I don't know whether we've just been eating overly greasy mole so that's what we expect, or whether what they serve at Sol de Mexico is an extra-light version, but the mole we had did not have the...let's say "gravity" of others I've tasted. That said, the green mole was just superb, very light, but full of flavor, and almost best on a chip or other neutral platform that would allow its subtlety to rise to the surface. I'm not sure I'd say it was a complex sauce, but it was very good, and probably my favorite of the four moles we tasted (also had manchamanteles, rojo and negro).

Very impressed, also, with the range of chile used in various dishes.

Hammond

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

Hammond,

I'd disagree, specifically in reference to the manchamanteles. The spoonful of straight warm mole, from the small bowl brought to the table, was full, rich and complex with a range of interesting, layered flavor.

I'd agree there was little excess oil/grease, but, even as one who can appreciate a good quarter-inch of 'float' on a dish of nehari and the fatty luscious crunch of chicharrones, I found real depth running through SdM's offerings.

Enjoy,
Gary

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

Come to think of it, I did like that spoonful of manchamanteles that you encouraged me to try. I think, though, that this is a somewhat unrealistic way to savor sauce, which is meant to be put onto something else. It's a subtle mole, no doubt about it, and having it solo enables its elements to come forth. Its very delicacy, though, means that some of its more elusive flavors may be concealed when ladled over pork.

Please don't interpret my comments as any kind of slam -- I really liked this place and will enthusiastically return (soon) to try the mole amarillo (whenever Carlos is done cooking it).

And hey...how about that flan?

Hammond

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

Hammond,

I absolutely did not interpret your comments as any type of slam, having had the pleasure of your company at dinner I realize you enjoyed the meal.

Simply reemphasizing my appreciation of the manchamanteles.

Enjoy,
Gary

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

I liked this place quite a bit. Moles were very good, shrimps were good, I really liked the blind (unfilled) tamales...lots of sweet corn flavor, and the little sopes, though I didn't like them as much as those at Ixcapuzalco, which isn't exactly a fair comparison, but in some ways it is.

I always thought the best way to eat at Ixcapuzalco was to order a handful of items off the appetizer (botanas?) menu and skip the entrees. Not to say that I disliked the entrees, but the value proposition was hard for me to justify, since I really enjoyed all the starters and I could get 3 of them (all good sized) for the price of 1 entree (pretty small). The point is, Sol de Mexico kind of takes that concept and builds the whole restaurant around it at a pretty similar (though slightly inferior, I would say) quality level of Ixcapuzalco. Very impressive stuff, a great storefront find, and a great value.

Reading back through the thread, I agree with a lot of VI's assessments above.

One other point, a general complaint my wife has about LTH-style meals, and one that I'm surprised I don't hear more often, because I think it's a pretty good one. We ordered a lot of different dishes last night, I don't know how many, but way more than the 3-4 we probably would have split between the 2 of us. I like this because it lets you really sample the menu and make a broad judgment on the quality of work going on in the kitchen. But what you miss is the sense of what it would actually be like to go for a "normal" meal. That is, the way you perceive the place might be much different having a couple bites of 8-12 dishes, than more substantial portions of fewer. A dish often strikes you differently once you're a bit into it (you tire of the flavor, seems too salty, or you finally warm up to it) than on first or second bite.

So I'm keen to go back and try it this way as well.

Edit after reading Hammond and G Wiv posts above: I did agree on the "cleanliness" of the moles. It wasn't so much a lack of complexity but more a lack of earthiness or some such. Still quite good, just something, slightly something I might like differently. Kind of like wanting a martini with regular Bombay instead of Sapphire.

As for the flan, I also thought this quite good in its style, very dense, though I prefer a smoother more velvety flan, myself. But I didn't turn this down and would surely order it again.

I'm reminded of the creamy chipotle that seemed a little flat, but which could very well have seemed quite flavorful had we not had a dozen items before trying it (as I recall, Gary liked it even after all that other stuff).

Then again, who's normal?

David "Not me, I hope" Hammond

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

I also agree with the "too clean" comments, although I did enjoy my food there quite a bit and this is only a very minor criticism. I would add that the extensive use of white meat chicken in many of the dishes also contributes to the "too clean" effect. I also agree with the assessment of the flan. It seems to be cooked at a slightly too high temperature, resulting in some small bubbles and a certain "toughness" to the custard. Contrast that to the perfectly cooked, velvety flan served at Dorado. That's not to say that the flan at Sol de Mexico isn't very good. I'd rate it the second best flan in town and I'm going back again tonight to sample more of the menu.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Asirations to higher-end Mexican cuisine (achieved with many dishes) may lead to using less-interesting-tasting breast meat rather than darker meat, which would be my preference...and these are all simply preferences, of course, matters of taste, and small quibbles when compared to the overall deliciousness of most dishes.

I wonder if the density of the flan isn't by intention. This flan was definitely to my preference, though it was different than many others I've had around Chicago. I didn't find it tough or bubbly (though I am familiar with flan like this), but rather thick, and not a bit gelatinous (which, to me, is disagreeable).

David "Quibbler" Hammond

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

The flan was very much to my liking as well, however bubbles in a cooked custard is a sign of "less than perfect" technique...usually a too high cooking temperature, although I agree, this is a very minor quibble.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Bubbles can simply be a sign of an overcooked flan.

Bill/SFNM

Interesting comparision. It makes me think about my own feelings of Ixca, especially over time, and especially how I came to enjoy it in its latter years.

When I first visited Ixta, back in those hoary pre-Chowhound days, I liked it, but I found it just a bit too much for its price point. To be mathamatical, the added pleasure of their cooking did not equal the added price point minus the other hassles. Over time, however, that equation changed. For one thing, the prices did not seem out of line with the quality of the cooking. For another, and more important, Ixca grew into a very well run restaurant. I had a few multi-course $50+ tasting menus that exceeded at each course. And it was small things (too) that really stood out, like mashed potatoes or desserts. The wines were great as were the mixed drinks.

And what does that have to do with SdM? I guess not much more than nostalgia--I still have an unused Ixca Restaurant.com certificate, but what I mean is I just find the places different in asspirations and pleasures.

MikeG's LA jaunt included a trip to Loteria, and I told Carlos the other day that his place reminded me a lot of Loteria. There is some odd menu overlap like the meatballs and the pibil, and they share a similiar tortilla style; my wife though thought I insulted Carlos by the comparision. Maybe I did ( ), but I like Loteria and I liked SdM on my one visit. And to me, both are about little tastes scooped onto tortillas, without other benefits.

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Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.

The Local Beet's very big list of 2013 Farmer's Markets

I can walk there in 5 minutes. I'm going for lunch. Will report back.

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I'm not Angry, I'm hungry.

To me the pleasures of Ixcapuzalco and Sol de Mexico are much closer than their aspirations.

As for the unused certificate, Restaurant.com sent me a link letting me choose a replacement certificate from somewhere else. They did this when another restaurant closed as well, so you may want to contact them about this.

Had luch there today. Definately on the list to go back. We split some guacamole (real nice). Then I had 3 tacos. Mushroom (wonderful), chicken with mole (great) and pastor (I was getting pretty full but it was good).

With tip bill for 4 just over $50 bucks.

Real nice place. It's a keeper.

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I'm not Angry, I'm hungry.

Behold the Power of Annieb

Was at SdM tonight -- packed with folks like swinedining, geli, Mark the Pizza Maestro, Hot Doug, and various tables of others undoubtedly connected to LTH.

As we were leaving, Carlos told me that this was the busiest night they'd ever had.

Hammond

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

Is there anything unique I can add to this thread? Any interesting perspective not already covered? Probably not, but I can add to the chorus of cheers.

Petit pois and I enjoyed dinner at SdM last night and we were both enthusiastic about the place when we left. The botanas menu lends itself to an exciting and varied meal, even for just two people. We managed to taste 3 different moles and four different meats: pollo en mole verde, borrego en mole negro, puerco en manchamanteles, and a plate of albondigas con arroz--and a constant stream of fresh tortillas.

The moles were excellent as expected. The standout for me was the mole negro which had the perfect balance of bitterness, chile heat, and chocolate notes. I've had lamb in mole negro in three different places around town now (Fonda Del Mar, Topolobampo, and now SdM) and this was easily the most enjoyable and most interesting of the three. The choice of a cheaper, gamier cut of lamb (and the inclusion of bits of fat and bone) created a dish where the rich aggressive mole did not completely dominate. The lamb was a surprising partner in flavor to this dish and it had me licking the bowl.

We finished the entire meal with a small plate of a mildly sweet and refreshing arroz con leche.

Carlos is a terrific guy and he was telling me about many of the interesting plans he has for the menu.

They were not that busy on this Sat. night (I think it peaked around 4 tables full.) So, I hope more and more people will check out this gem and make it a regular habit as we plan to do.

Thanks, annieb. This is my favorite LTH find since Tacos del Pacifico.

Best,
Michael

I must demure, it is Carlos and his crew that are working in harmony to bring about his vision.

Dined again last night with friends, everything was excellent. Had the guacamole, nice garlicky bite. The cochinita pibil was all I hoped for. We liked the shrimps in mole verde as much as Ms. Wiv, just a wonderful elusive herbiness. The meatballs were delicious, and I am a meatball aficionado, make half a dozen types myself (with variations).

These showed off what I think is one of the strengths of Sol de Mexico. The meatballs came in a simple, tomato sauce with a bit of rice in it (the meatballs themselves had a little bit of rice in them). The sauce was terrific. The flavor of the poached chicken was excellent, you could taste the poaching broth. The calabacitas were the quintessence of zucchini and onion with wonderful, subtle seasoning--a simple dish but just excellent. It's like the meeting before the meeting--they're doing the background work right, and it shows. I want to try the potatoes, cooked not with chorizo (a combination I don't particularly like) but with tomatoes and serrano pepper.

Corundas were a hit with everyone, one diner pronounced them something she would gladly substitute for bread anyday. Likewise a taste of the manchamanteles sauce impressed the new diners and reminded Himself and I of how good it was.

The lengua is offered two ways, in salsa verde and in tomatillo salsa. We chose the latter, and it was great. Two of us had grown up in households that ate tongue, she, pickled tongue and I, fresh and pickled tongue. Neither spouse had grown up eating this organ meat, and Himself has never much shown an interest in it. Well he liked this, sure enough. Both those of us with long experience and those newer to it thought it excellent, and the tongue was not cooked to mushiness, which I have seen too much.

Finished with arroz con leche. I ate a lot of rice pudding in my one year in Brasil—there it is generally baked, or at least that was the version I was usually served. I quit ordering it years ago, because here I have always found it to be, basically, an overly sweet mush. There being no flan, and our dining companions being quite full (having eaten BBQ for lunch) we split one order four ways. It came garnished with galletas marias, a nice textural counterpoint, and was creamy, topped with very aromatic cinnamon which added a nice non-sweet note, and most importantly, was itself not too sweet. A nice end to the meal.

The menu had been rearranged since our first visit, and is now ordered more traditionally, with appetizers, salads, tacos (fillings expanded from about 6 to about 18), tortas and burritos, then tapas and 8-10 entrees. The offerings, however, did not seem to have changed much—the new taco fillings seem to have been pulled from the tapas menu, which is nice.

Finished the evening with music by the Occidental Brothers International Dance Band—for fans of African guitar, go see them, they’re a great local band. We look forward to more evenings as enjoyable, with Sol de Mexico in our lives.

We will gladly add our voices to the chorus of praise. We were at Sol de Mexico yesterday for lunch with Maria Kijac and another friend, and are convinced that this is a shoe-in for the next round of GNRs. We started with the sopecitos and the tamales de elote -- light sweet corn tamales with just a tad of sour cream, a definite hit. We wanted to order ceviche as well, but Carlos told us that he was out of marlin. For main courses, we had chicken in mole verde, cochinita pibil, tingas de pollo (shredded chicken with a touch of what I think was chipotle sauce), and tonge in green (tomatillo) sauce -- a bit too spicy for Maria, who ordered it. Otherwise, everyone was both pleased an impressed by what we had ordered. We finished with arroz con leche, rice pudding (they were out of flan); we found it perfect, precisely because it was not too sweet, though some people may not find it sweet enough for their tastes.

After careful consideration on three visits, I feel the mole verde is my favorite. It is so subtle, and I have actually come to appreciate it for its "clean" qualities. Friday night, Carlos mentioned that he is trying not to make his sauces too complicated: he doesn't want to cover up the "natural flavors" with extra spice or cheese or, I'd suppose, manteca. He is going for the simple power of quality ingredients, capably blended, and I see that in his mole verde. Oddly, I wasn't that crazy about it on the camarones; I do, however, find it marvelous just swabbed on some fresh tortillas.

In the works is a a guava-based mole -- and I'm assured that mole amarillo will be available very soon.

Hammond

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

We just returned from dinner at Sol de Mexico. We were the only ones there until Ed came in.

Carlos welcomed us, asked how we found out about the place, and lauded annieb for telling everyone.

He said he needed to call Dave, because he had the amarillo ready - and gladly brought out a mole trio for us to try with those gorgeous tortillas. I would agree with those that have said - the moles are refined - they are almost too smooth, especially when compared with Taqueria La Oaxaquena. But you know what, I don't care. They were SO GOOD.

I also ordered a calabazita y queso taco. It came with enough stuffing for 2 - 3 tacos. Lovely, buttery.

The conchinita pibil with habanero salsa was good, with little fried bits of pork. Carlos warned us about the habanero salso, it was very tangy, but not as spicy as he warned.

The lamb - good. The tamales de elotes - so so good. Like corn pudding tamales. With creamy poblano sauce.

We were too stuffed for flan.

The bill was $40 with two cokes before tip. Worth every penny.

Did anyone notice the menu covers from Chilpancingo. In most cases, I'd say it's tacky, here, I would say Carlos is doing a good job of honoring their memory and taking it to the next level. We are looking forward to returning with a crowd.

Geez, how did you recognize me?

We had queso fundido, the chicken in mole verde, cochonita pibil, and enchiladas in mole rojo. The rojo was our favorite, but I especially liked the salsa verde that came with the cochonita pibil.

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Ed Fisher
my chicago food photos

RIP LTH.

Well Carlos asked your name, and you said Ed. Maybe there was more than one.

Alone, I liked the Rojo best, but with the Chicken and Lamb, the negro was very good.

We had lunch there today, arriving about 1. We were the only customers the whole time, so Carlos had a fair amount of time for chatting. He plans to close for one day a week once he figures out which day is least busy. He mentioned that he has additional help lined up for the weekend in anticipation of an article by David Hammond.

We had the shrimp in green mole and the enchiladas in mole rojo. I don't have anything to add to the previous discussion on these. The horchata had a creamy fullness with stronger vanilla and cinnamon flavors than many versions and made a perfect beverage to go with the mole rojo. My wife's jamaica had good flavor and balance; they hadn't stinted on the hibiscus blossoms.

We noticed the Chilpancingo menu covers, too.

The air conditioning worked quite well to the point that the room was a little cool with two customers. We thought this was worth noting given the poor state of cooling in many Mexican restaurants.

i've eaten here twice now. friday night was very crowded,(including a large family group with triplet babies), but it appears to be a fluke, based on other people's reports. sunday night we were there from 8pm till closing and there was a party of 2 plus our party of 4. it was cold on friday and very hot and smelly on sunday. i worry that carlos will gear up for crowds (he quit his bartender job on friday), hiring more help and ordering supplies and either they wont come or, as often happens, there will be a brief flurry of business and then people will move on to the next new place. in a city this full of good restaurants it's easy for that to happen. i liked the food very much and really like carlos and his passion for authenticity and making his customers happy. i guess all we can do is spread the word and support him as we each see fit. justjoan

We tried to eat at Sol de Mexico last night--I say tried, because although we had a reservation at 8pm, the restaurant was completely full, and the poor beleaguered servers could barely meet our eyes as they told us "it will only be a short wait". Alas, after an hour, we ceased to believe them and went elsewhere. (To a tasty but hot un-airconditioned meal at Fonda del Mar).

I think they were overwhelmed by the reponse to the article in the Reader (I hold you personally responsible, David Hammond!) and they were apparently very short staffed. Only Carlos was in the kitchen, cooking and plating everything himself.

I would say, "Make sure you get a reservation" if you plan to go to Sol de Mexico, but that didn't work for us...so maybe I'll just leave it as "You might have to wait!" Frankly the food is well worth waiting for, and had it only been me I would have done so, but I had a group of rained-on, hungry people with rapidly warming beers who had already waited for an hour and just couldn't take it any more.

I will say that the food on the diners' plates looked as good as usual.

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Anthony Bourdain on Barack Obama: "He's from Chicago, so he knows what good food is."

Odd. We were there two nights ago at 8pm and there were only 3 tables taken. Practically empty.

Terrific meal. I chatted with Carlos about how he just changed the meat in the cochinita pibil to include mostly rib meat with a little from the pork leg. A really nice dish. Very tender meat with a pleasing mild sourness from the narranja agria.

Best,
Michael

thanks for the 2 reports. carlos has been anticipating david's review for a while, i cant believe he was so unprepared last night. i wonder if his kitchen staff just couldnt take anymore of this horrible heat. the timing of the great reader review along with the heat wave is seriously unfortunate (tho, obviously, unavoidable). i sure hope carlos can pull it all together. justjoan

As the two reports indicate, business has been very up and down: totally full or relatively empty (though EC, four tables ain't bad -- the first two times I went there was maybe two other tables, max).

When I went last Thursday night, Carlos had three (count 'em) chefs in the kitchen (Mama Bahena, Dona Lalita, and Carlos, plus a dishwasher and three or four servers -- that actually seems like a touch too many).

No doubt about it: running a restaurant is a tough business (though, justjoan, no need to hang the black crepe yet ).

Hammond

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

I think part of the issue last night was the table of ten or so who were ordering dessert when we arrived and still hadn't left an hour later. (We waited as long as we did because we were convinced they were leaving at any minute.) I'm not saying they should have left more quickly, just that in a place that small, there was a lot of real estate that wasn't available. There was also a kitchen help wanted sign in the window, so they are obviously under-staffed right now.

This experience has in no way diminished my appreciation of Sol de Mexico and Carlos' wonderful food, and even the other people who were with me are eager to return at a more opportune time.

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Anthony Bourdain on Barack Obama: "He's from Chicago, so he knows what good food is."

Table of ten, here, actually there were eleven of us. We were waiting on our last couple dishes, dessert, and bill, and left as soon as we could. Part of the issue last night, it seemed to me, was that the house filled up all at once--we arrived for our 6:30 reservation to a restaurant with two other tables (both two tops) filled. 45 minutes or so later the place was full, with people waiting.

I hope people have a little patience--given how up and down business has been, staffing must be difficult. Last night there was a second cook in the kitchen, what they really needed was a busboy to handle clearing dishes, water, and tortillas.

I was there with family who are in the restaurant business, and we were acutely aware that we were holding up seating, but we wanted our manchamanteles and our flan:-)