Finally Made It To Guelaguetza (+pics)

[SauceSupreme]

I'm one of those bad LA foodies that never made it to Guelaguetza until tonight. (I blame that primarily on my youth and the accompanying lack of monetary units.)

That being said, what a revelation! I'd ordered mole before at other Mexican sit-down restaurants but never has it been so deep, earthy and smoky. Even the chips and salsa, dressed in the mole rojo, blew away any other memories I've had. This is certainly a new high watermark in terms of such flavor.

I started with the clayuda con mole. Again, having never been to this place before, I didn't realize how huuuge the thing would be. It's certainly too large for me, a lone diner (even if it's the only thing being eaten). The tortilla was so thin and crisp that it had almost a naan-like consistency. In fact, that's probably the best comparison, only with a much more thin, crisp texture. It was topped with the mole negro as well as more of the panella.

For my main, I figured that since I had already tasted the mole rojo in the chips and the negro in the app, I'd go for something traditional. Chicken sounded way too pedestrian for me, and while I was tempted to order the caldo de res, I ended up getting the barbacoa roja de chivo.

What came out was very reminiscent of the Filipino soup known as nilaga. Very similar in flavor meatwise, only a different animal. The someone gamey flavor of kid actually complemented the colorado soup.

Overall, a great experience and I can't wait to go back when there's live music (I went to the Olympic location for its better parking) and try out the rest of the menu.

Blog post: http://www.taste-buzz.com/node/57

[Dommy]

Great report! Thanks! I always akin the Clayuda with a big Mazoh cracker. It's has that dryish crumbly texture... :)

--Dommy!