Mole Upper East Side
Guadalupe Elizalde y Nicolas Cervera have brought New York three of their restaurants, Mole, and now their newest outpost lies in the residential area of the Upper East Side. This is one of the larger versions of the restaurant and features a dinning room with high ceilings made out of recycled wood and black & white photos of Mexico created by Nick Cervera himself. Also, Chef Guadalupe Elizalda gets the restaurant’s Mole sauce shipped once a month from her mother in Mexico. Mole is a place which makes you feel like you’re at home, it’s not pretentious (as many restaurants are in that area) and the staff does do a good job of maintaining a welcoming atmosphere. There are two bars, one is a normal bar where cocktails are served and the other is a Guacamole bar where guests can view the chef prepare the fresh guacamole right in front of them. This was easily my favorite feature of the restaurant as it allows the patrons to view the guacamole being made in front of them while making the cooking time much faster than table side preparation.
The menu is split up into different portions like Guacamole, Fajitas, Burritos and Special Dishes. To start I had their famous Guacamole prepared at the guacamole bar. While I personally would have used different chips to pair with the guacamole, perhaps the tortilla chips used at Pulqueria, the guacamole was fresh, flavorful and had a bit of a spicy after taste to it. Up next was the Fish Tacos that were prepared almost in a salad form with tortillas on the bottom. I was half expecting these fish tacos to be overly greasy and heavy (simply because that is what I have received in the past when I order this dish) but these were very refreshing. The fried fish strips themselves were light and appeared to be quickly fried and the salad was a nice contrast with the salad. After I had the Shrimp Cevice which was almost like a shrimp cocktail in a spicy Mexican cocktail sauce. Next I had the Cochinita Pibil which featured shredded pork served with onions and black beans. The pork was moist and cooked well and was generously portioned.
Overall I enjoyed my visit at Mole. It’s a great place to go if you live in the area as it can be a great place to go grab one of their specialty tequila infused drinks with friends or a place to go for a family dinner. The prices aren’t expensive and the food is portioned perfectly for sharing. My suggestion would be to go for drinks and Mole’s excellent guacamole and an entree containing their mole (if you can have it. I can not since I am allergic to nuts).
Ambiance: 6
Food: 8
Service: 6
Overall: 7
Verdict: Oasis
