Cuisine

Neighborhood

CUISINE: Mexican
NEIGHBORHOOD: Lower East Side

Photo: Nymag

205 Allen St. Near Houston St.

(p)-212-777-3200

Nothing says “party” like tableside guacamole.  The performance appeal has a few key elements: bravado, novelty, a bit of indulgence, and the final tasty result.  The Lower East Side’s Móle is a hole-in-the-wall that features the elusive art, where the waiters dutifully mash avocados for the sake of people who like margaritas. 

The restaurant is too small to compare to a cantina or any of the larger aggressive Mexican restaurants that dot the U.S., but it certainly captures the celebratory spirit that goes hand-in-hand with tacos and beer.  I wouldn’t venture to say the food is authentic, but the intimate restaurant is festive and cozy —as long as you are at home around the lewd ceramic figurines that pop up here and there.  CONT'D

The menu covers the necessary ground (sopas, ceviche, fajitas, tostadas) but also offers changing specials.  Recently, lamb tacos featured slow-cooked meat that pulled apart easily and sat on a bed of corn tortillas.  The dish was flanked by a mountain of guac, limes, salsa, and also, a minnie cup/bowl/ramekin — really it could have been a votive candleholder given the size — of soup.  On its own, the broth would have been far too salty to finish, but it was a nice accompaniment to the hearty, deeper flavor of the lamb.

Perhaps most enticing is Mole's happy-hour special: large, strong margaritas for five dollars.  If you arrive after seven, the two-dollar hike in price shouldn't be too much of a deterrent.  Mole recently opened up a second branch in the West Village.East side, West side, either way, it's a nice escape from this February weather.  

Posted in FOOD on February 12, 2010 8:44am by Rachel Hochhauser | 23 comments

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We are young (early 20's) and hungry (for knowledge! music! art! food!) friends living on (or in areas which border) Manhattan. We moved to the city seeking higher education, and an alternative to frat parties and gin buckets. We prefer a bottle of Chianti to a keg, lunches at City Bakery to a dining hall, Joe's to Starbucks, Frankie's Amatriciana to Batali's. Our uniting factor is our love for food. For detailed, personal information, keep reading.
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