Rick Bayless

My menu works well, I believe, because it unveils snapshots of personalities, histories, and emotions from a single place. There is a vivid Oaxacan melody that runs through the whole, starting with the brash and smoky chiles pasillos oaxaquenos, stuffed with shredded pork, nestled into tangy greens, and soothed with soft and saucy black beans. All the fire and tang resolve into the comfort of creamy, luxurious squash blossom soup, then the flavors begin to swell with the charcoaled shrimp, roasted vegetables, and tender little dumplings, all doused with the concentrated verdant herbiness of the classic Oaxaca green mole. Black mole captivates all the senses with its inky rich complexity over the savoriness of roast lamb and the sweetness of nut-crusted plantain torta, giving two backgrounds against which to enjoy it. Dessert, I feel, after this thrill of flavors, should bring you to a restful spot—but not one that is totally recognizable. The homey, comforting texture of the trifle is perfumed with orange and the almost-known tropical flavor of mamey. Springing from a pool of crimson prickly-pear sauce, the dessert combines both what we’re hoping for and where we’d like to be.