My Ultimate Guide to Mole in L.A. for Los Angeles Magazine's Digest

Moles at the Mercado Benito Juarez in Oaxaca


Mole is easy to find in L.A., but often is misunderstood by fans of mole north of the border. Mole is the dish, that's it, everything else is there for eating mole: the rice, the vegetables the beans the tortillas and the proteins. No, we never braise the meat in mole, no mole is not a sauce and yes there should be more mole on the plate than anything else. I'm talking to you chef, who only took one lesson on mole zacatecano and then put a dot of mole on the plate; I'm talking to you Yelper, who complained about the chicken--who cares about the chicken, it's about the mole.

Oaxaca and Puebla are most famous for their moles, and no doubt Oaxaca has more moles that any other state, but that doesn't make them the best moles, or the most important. Moles are in practically every state, and while some states have only a few or one typical mole, states like Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, Guerrero, Michoacan and more have amazing moles. Zacatecas has a few including their sweet asado de boda, which is as good as any in Mexico. Oaxaca and Puebla are just very good at mole PR, and food tourism in general.

Elevate you mole knowledge with my Ultimate Guide to Mole in L.A., in this week's Los Angeles Magazine Disgest blog. Provecho!