Palo Alto Sol

I lived on California Ave in Palo Alto for more than a year and thus walked past Palo Alto Sol countless times, but didn't actually eat there until last month.  Over the summer I started hearing much more about it, thanks to a) Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan's well-publicized patronage, and b) Andrew's raving about the mole after having dinner there with his lab.  Accordingly, we (not including Zuckerberg and Chan) planned a dinner excursion for my most recent weekend visit.

With the no-reservations policy in mind, we arrived around 5:30pm and chose one of the tables tucked into the corners near the entrance.  A big basket of chips and three kinds of salsa were quickly set down, we ordered margaritas, and then we chose the following entrees to share:

Mole enchiladas with beef, served with rice and black beans.  The mole was delicious (certainly our favorite part of the dinner): complex, velvety, a little smoky, and with the perfect amount of chocolate flavor.  The sprinkling of sesame seeds on top was a tasty enhancement.

Pollo Guajillo, i.e. chicken in a sauce of sour cream, Guajillo peppers, and herbs.  Very mild, and just a little bit tangy.  This dish came with the same rice and beans, plus flour and corn tortillas.  We made little tacos, which were particularly excellent when topped with dashes of salsa.

Dinner was reasonably priced (especially for Palo Alto), and portions are generous.  We finished almost everything but were definitely stuffed, and thus well-prepared for a rousing round of mini-golf.  I won this time, but I'm calling it luck ;-).