Margaritas and Mole at Mexico Lindo

Last Thursday about 10 of us from Folk Fest traveled to Mexico Lindo in the West End for some authentic Mexican - after learning that the chef and her husband had just moved here awhile back from Mexico, authenticity was promising.

We arrived to the restaurant and found our table set up for our larger group at the side of the room, which left the restaurant with 4 other tables for 2 that would fill up during the evening. We started off with drinks - while some people played it safe with Corona, I went for the Negro Modelo as did a few others, and some went for Margaritas, available in lime or another flavor that has escaped me, and can be either blended or served on ice.

Zed with a Lime Margarita

I had looked up the menu on the restaurant's blog prior to our visit, but there were options in restaurant that weren't posted, so like everyone else I poured over the menu for awhile. To accompany our search, we ordered some guacomole and salsa. Both were fantastic, but the salsa was better than any I've encountered before; it was sweet and rich with a slight spicy flavor, and many of us liked it enough to purchase a jar on our way out.

Entree orders didn't vary too much around the table: about four of us chose the enchiladas with chicken and mole, one ordered the same but with feta cheese instead of chicken, and another ordered chicken enchiladas with green salsa instead of the mole. Zed went for some soft tortillas topped with the in house made Chorizo, and other orders included the Chile Relleno, Flautas with lamb and the Chilaquiles Montados (corn chips topped with mole, AB beef and cheese).

Our mains came out surprisingly quick consdering the size of our group. The mole dominated the table with a perfume of cinammon and chocolate, but everything looked great, artfully presented on clean white plates or in shallow bowls. My chicken enchilades were great - they were lovely and tender, full of chicken and sitting in a pool of the mole that had an array of flavours including the cinammon, nuts and chocolate smelled earlier, as well as a slightly spicy ending. Zed enjoyed his chorizo and tortillas, and after a bite of the flavoful, rich and slightly spicy chorizo, I did too. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their various dishes, reporting that they had just the right amount of spice (except for one hot sauce addicted friend who ordered hot sauce and received a mixture of minced chile that she spooned copiously onto her Chilaquiles Montados... she was surprised when she took her next bite, "You never get real hot sauce in restaurants!"), while still offering plently of complex flavors.

Chicken Enchiladas with Mole

Four Tortillas with Mexican Chorizo

Enchiladas with Green Salsa

Chile Relleno

Dessert orders were placed quickly after our entrees. Zed and I decided to share the 3 Leches cake, a couple of the group went for the Flan Napolitano, and dessert rounded out with two friends both ordering Churros with Mexican hot chocolate, and one of them obviously craving more, adding deep fried ice cream to his order of churros.

3 Leches Cake

Our 3 Leches cake was moist and rich, soaked in the different milks then topped generously with a whipped cream mixture. The favourite at the table though, were the churro desserts - warm and topped with cinammon and sugar they were a lovely way to end the meal, and the hot chocolate ended the evening in a nice, comforting, "ready for bed" sort of way.

Churros with Mexican Hot Chocolate

We were all impressed with Mexico Lindo's offerings, and although we left with an assortment of their products for sale (enchiladas, salsas, corn chips, flour tortillas, etc.), we all agreed we would be back for more.

I can defitely see why it was on the list of the 25 Best Things to Eat in Edmonton from Avenue Magazine. That is one of the eats on the list I definitely agree with.

Mexico Lindo
16604 109 Avenue*
780.444.7151
Tues - Wed, Sun: 11am - 6pm; Thur - Sat: 11am - 9pm; closed Mondays

(*The location in the west end is the only one affiliated with the Borbolla family)