Tasty, Unique Dishes In A Quaint Atmosphere At Mo Mole le Cantina Mexicana
Authentic Mexican STORY AND PHOTOS BY MELANIE KOPACZ
The Mexican cuisine is as diverse as the sauce behind the name at one of Wellington’s newest restaurants, Mole Cantina Mexicana on State Road 7. “It’s a melting pot,” owner Nick Cervera said.“Mole is a special sauce. It has got a chocolate base and is made with about 30 different ingredients. It’s used primarily for very special events. It’s got dried chillies, nuts, dried banana, spices and it comes in a paste form. It’s a very complicated sauce — an ancient sauce that originated in Puebla.” It’s that integration of ingredients that served as inspiration for Cervera and his wife Maria Elizalde, who is the chef and creator of the cantina’s cuisine. “We opened our first location back in 1991 in New York City, where I’m from. We were first dating. She’s Mexican, I’m Italian American. It was like a metaphor for New York — a melting pot of many different ingredients. It was a ‘mole’ of sorts,” Cervera recalled. Three New York locations later and now one in Florida, the duo brings with them a broad range of cuisine, much based on their travels throughout Mexico, as well as Elizalde’s native Mexico City. Her mother creates the blend for their unique mole sauce and ships it to the restaurant, where it’s then completed, homemade in-house. Their specialty Enchiladas De Mole Poblano is one of those dishes with the sweet, nutty, yet subtly spicy delicacy. It’s made with three shredded chicken enchiladas smothered in the artisanal homemade mole poblano sauce topped
(Clockwise from top left) Outdoor seating is available at a large outdoor patio; Enchiladas De Mole Poblano is a house specialty that comes with three shredded chicken enchiladas smothered in the signature mole poblano sauce; Ceviche De Camaron is a Mexico City-style shrimp ceviche with citrus, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and avocado; the kitchen’s open archway is crowned with authentic Mexican tiles; a pork chop layered in tomatillo sauce, sesame seeds and red onion; and handcrafted tequila cages house 125 varieties.
with melted cheese, sesame seeds and avocado slices. It’s hugely popular, as are a number of other authentic dishes. “We have different dishes from all different regions, like the Cochinita Pibil.
That is a dish from the Yucatan and the surrounding regions. We have carnitas, which is from Michoacán,” Cervera said. “Sometimes we do barbacoa, which is from Hidalgo. So, all the dishes come wellington the magazine | october 2020 63