Los Moles - the latest from Geno Bahena

It can't be a good thing for a restaurant when only two tables are occupied at 8:00 p.m. on a Saturday night. And given Geno Bahena's history, I would have expected a little more interest in this restaurant (hardly a mention on this board) which has been open for more than six months now. In any event, given the lack of crowds (which from what I've read on Opentable might be pretty common here), I would suggest you visit Los Moles if you have any interest in trying it at all.

As for the food, it was good although in based upon my one visit, I'd say it's not quite up to the level of of SdM, FdM or Mixtecto. Perhaps that has caused them to suffer compared to its competitors . . . but I certainly can't say for sure. I'm still shocked at how empty it was on a Saturday night.

Appetizers were a little less than inspiring. Guacamole was a little light in flavor and could have used some more salt, lime, cilantro, jalapeno and/or serrano. Marlin ceviche tostadas flavorful but nothing to brag about. Quesadillas with poblano and mushroom were hot, fresh and tasty enough, but again nothing special.

Mains were a better bet. Duck breast (cooked a perfect medium rare) served in a sauce of guajillo and ancho chiles was slightly spicy, sweet and earthy and was outstanding. Ostrich served in a Teloloapan red mole with mashed potatoes reminded me of the same dish at Sol de Mexico, but not quite as good. The ostrich was cooked perfectly, but I think the same mole was a little more earthy and complex at SdM . . . still, quite good and the mashed potatoes were very good.

House made corn tortillas were good to lap up the respective sauces, but were a little too thick for my liking.

Desserts proved to be the real highlight. Los Moles' version of the molten chocolate cake was excellent, even if this particular dessert has become a bit boring. Even better was the wonderful coconut pie (similar to the versions served at Frontera and Sol de Mexico with the bread crust) which was served with an outstanding, homemade strawberry ice cream.

As for drinks, a warning to margarita drinkers: While the house margarita is only $5.50, it is served in a smallish white wine glass and was a bit sweet for my liking. Service was good and very attentive, not too surprising when only one other table is occupied.

Overall, I'd certainly return to Los Moles to try more items (more moles in particular since they serve four moles), but I'm afraid it's not going to stick around much longer if the crowds don't pick up soon.

Los Moles
3140 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
Phone: 773.935.9620

Is Real Tenochtitlan still open? Geno seems to be unable to stick to any one venue for very long. This is his third place since his return from LA, if I'm not mistaken. I've tried them all, looks like I'll have to check this one out. Thanks for the tip.

trpt2345 wrote:Is Real Tenochtitlan still open?

Yes it is. http://www.realtenochtitlan.com/

We went to Los Moles on Friday night at 8:30 and the restaurant was almost completely empty.

The food wasn't bad, but wasn't great either. The whole meal had the sense of being mailed in, which doesn't seem like a good business strategy for a new restaurant that's empty on a Friday night.

We started with ceviche tostaditas and chips/guacamole (described as one of the "specials" for the night...how exciting!). The ceviche had a nice bit of heat to it, but the fish tasted less than fresh. It wasn't off, but it certainly wasn't as bright tasting as it should have been (that one was for riddlemay). Perhaps they're not turning over their fish supplies as often as they might like. Guacamole was ok, but nothing to write home about. We also had some salsa that had a nice smokey heat to it.

I had the lamb chops in mole negro. The lamb chops were good, cooked to the requested medium rare. They were so good, in fact, I would have like more than the 1.5 bites of meat that I got from each chop. The mole was fine, but I've had much better at Sol de Mexico. The wife had a taco plate, the highlight of which was the nice warm stack of tortillas that were provided for making the tacos. Fortunately there were some extras that I was able to round out my meal with.

For dessert we had a sticky coconut cake with strawberry ice cream and mango sauce. I thought the cake was really good, tasting like a better version of a traditional Passover macaroon.

So all in all, good not great. That's how I would describe both food and service. I really wanted Los Moles to be a closer-to-my-house version of Sol de Mexico, but that just wasn't in the cards. Maybe they'll get better with time, but if something doesn't change I don't think they'll be open long enough for us to find out.