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<\/a>The word \u201cranas\u201d translates to frog, and the amphibian appears prolifically as Talavera d\u00e9cor throughout the elegant dining room and bar area.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of the recipes on the menu are my wife\u2019s,\u201d Acosta pointed out. \u201cShe has hands of love in the kitchen. Opening this restaurant was a dream come true,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Dulce is a self-taught cook with expertise in dishes from her urban homeland. For starters, you\u2019ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere on this side of the border mole sauces as sensational as hers.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a green version made with pureed pumpkin seeds; a creamy white rendition bursting with pulverized almonds and pistachio nuts; and a dark-brown admixture of 52 ingredients that includes chocolate, bananas and multiple varieties of chili peppers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmazing, incredible and yummy\u201d my dinner companion effused after his fork made the first round through Ranas\u2019 top-selling tri-color enchiladas, which are served with rice and silky vegetarian refried beans made with extra virgin olive oil.<\/p>\n
Each enchilada was separately bathed in the three mole sauces. Per our request, one of the enchiladas was stuffed with mild cheddar and the other two with queso fresco. I fully concurred with my friend\u2019s raves when trying them, concluding it was impossible to pick a favorite.<\/p>\n Unless visiting for breakfast or lunch, you\u2019re out of luck finding burritos and tacos on the late-day menu. In the face of so many dishes obscure to local Mexican restaurants, I would have skipped them anyhow.<\/p>\n Pambazos, for example, are super tasty sandwiches filled with a choice of meat. Served on large, puffy rolls similar to tortas, the bread is dunked into bright-red guajillo chili sauce and grilled before the sandwich is constructed.<\/p>\n I chose carnitas, layered also inside with cotija cheese, lettuce, sour cream and peppery green sauce. The pulled pork was flavored deeply with fresh orange and lemon juices, and the soaked roll offered a spicy tang in every bite. All combined, it was one of the most ravishing sandwiches I ever ate.<\/p>\n Equally complex was the \u201cchile Azteca,\u201d a roasted poblano chili stuffed with house-made mashed potatoes and grated cotija cheese. The pepper was crowned with non-acidic tomato sauce that completely loses it rosy color due to black huitlacoche mixed in.<\/p>\n Known also as corn smut, huitlacoche is a luscious, edible fungus that grows naturally on ears of corn. A delicacy in American kitchens, it\u2019s used commonly throughout Mexico to impart a bewitching truffle-like essence to food.<\/p>\n Zucchini blossoms show up in a number of dishes, such as in the \u201cying & yang, an appetizer of two modest-size quesadillas \u2014 one with a thin layer of the earthy tasting blossoms seasoned with epazote and the other with huitlacoche.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>