When I was in Salt Lake City, I did wonderful things. I got to perform:
I look like a hippie muppet.
I experienced the Mormon Tabernacle Choir LIVE!
The sounds that high school chorus teachers DREAM OF.
And I had some of the best Mexican cuisine this side of…well…Mexico.
The name says it all….except they don’t serve iguana.
I accompanied my friend Haley to Red Iguana after reading nothing but raves about their mole (pronounced mole-ay, or molé) sauce. A mole is a generic name for various sauces used in Mexican cooking which often contain dozens of ingredients from chili peppers to bananas.
Chips and salsa–my healthy appetite kryptonite (I also rap on the side).
I started off my meal with a well-balanced margarita (no salt). The freshly made chips and smoky salsa were delicious, though tortilla chips are my downfall when it comes to dining in a Mexican establishment; if you bet I can’t have just one, you win.
Boozy goodness.
At Red Iguana, they do various different types of mole, but I got the insider info that one can ask to try all of them to help them decide. How could I not?! I got a plate full of seven different mole sauces. They all had incredible depth of flavor after cooking for hours, and they ranged from spicy to sweet (and look at those beautiful colors!).
The colors, Duke. THE COLORS!
I settled on the chicken enchiladas that were drenched in the mole negro. The chicken was shredded and stuffed into two soft tortillas. The enchiladas were then covered in the mole negro which had a deep richness to it. It was made with chilis, raisins, Mexican chocolate and bananas, in addition to a plethora of other ingredients. I could have licked the plate clean…
…I may have licked the plate clean.
A plate of Mexican Magic.
I washed that down with a horchata; horchata is a rice milk beverage (though different latin countries have different base ingredients) usually spiced with cinnamon and vanilla. This was one of the best horchatas I have ever had; sweet, with just enough spice, and a pleasant richness.
Morechata, please.
I know it sounds strange to tell you that some of the best Mexican I’ve ever had is from Utah, but if you find yourself the city that is Salt Lake, get thee to the Red Iguana.
Always crowded, always delicious.
totallyfat 