At long last love . . . Love in the form of an NYC Mexican restaurant. Since moving back to the city from Los Angeles I have been frustrated to find true happiness with Mexican food in New York. I strongly prefer New York to LA . . . except for the Mexican restaurants. My frustration ended last Wednesday when I discovered gastronomic bliss in a restaurant named La Morada in the South Bronx.

Mole Blanco with Chilie Relleno with Pine Nuts and Almonds. The word mole, "molli"originated from the Nahuati language (Aztec) of Central mexico, meaning sauce or mixture. There are several of moles, the flavors ranging from; sweet, nutty, chocolate, slightly bitter, at times spicy. It takes a good deal of time to make a classic mole as it is slowly roasted. I have found few restaurants in the city that capture the true flavor of mole dishes. La Morada is the exception. They do the best moles of any restaurant in New York.

Head chef and owner Natalia Mendez with her son Marco. The daughter Caroline is also involved with the cooking. Natalia's story is inspiring, as in 1992, at the age of twenty, she and her husband, native of the state of Oaxaca crossed the Sonoran Desert and arrived in New York not knowing anyone. Marco is a recent graduate of Kenyon College, and is an artist well. They both are very kind and warm, and will go at length to explain the their cooking in-depth. 

The first mole dish was so fantastic that I had to have another. At La Morada they serve five types of mole dishes and sometimes a sixth. My luck was with me today, as the "sixth" type mole was available, named Mole Oaxaqueno. This mole dish includes seven different varieties of dry peppers was very spicy and absolutely delicious. The mole sauce is smothered thick on top of two juicy substantial legs of chicken.

La Morada with Royal purple walls is average sized, seating about twenty-five. A couple of Marco's paintings decorate the walls. There is a small library in back, where you can take out books, a television overhead broadcast news and soap operas from Mexico. La Morada is a comfortable, very inviting place. Besides the best moles in town, they also serve delicious burittos, fish tacos, quesadillas, and tamales. 

The walk from the subway station (Brooks Avenue) is eight minutes and takes you by some impressive mural paintings, such as this one.

Mixtec vocabulary lesson (this is the indigenous language of Oaxaca where the Mendez family is from.)  "How are you?" (Ndesa kuro)  "What's your name?"  (Ndesa naniro)

Interesting fact about Mexic - The Chilhen Iza Pyramid has made it into the new list of Seven Wonders of the World.

Address - 308 Willis Avenue (Bronx)  (718) 292 - 0235