La Morada

Because of the owners' involvement and activism surrounding immigration/politics - plus some of the articles that I had read about La Morada's authentic Oaxacan cuisine - this restaurant had been bookmarked in my queue for quite some time. In searching for the perfect location for my Mexican Meetup group's December outing, this was the first venue that came to mind. Conveniently located about a five minute walk from the 6 train, La Morada offers its customers a full service meal served in a clean, relatively spacious, and bright environment. And, while I didn't find the service to be overly friendly or hospitable, it was cordial enough and very well paced. As a (somewhat pricey) addition to the delightful squeeze bottle trio filled with salsa rojo, salsa verde, and crema, I ordered a $10 cup of the unique vegan white mole to sample (using crispy tortilla chips as my vessel). Undeniably voluptuous and creamy, I preferred the thick, warm sauce blended with the other salsas versus enjoying it on its own. While the albondigas (meatballs) lunch special rendered drier beef than I had hoped, the balls were served within a shallow pool of delicious salsa that I sopped up using the accompanying homemade corn tortillas. For me, the unequivocal star of the show was the chile relleno platter, which was accompanied by homemade corn tortillas (for burrito-making purposes!). Do not miss this stick-to-your-ribs vegetarian entree (cheese-stuffed green chile that is breaded and fried and smothered with a chunky red salsa) that is plated with creamy black beans and saffron rice.