Mary Ann's Mexican homecooking - In search of mole

I stopped by Mary Ann's in search of mole and i found it. Mole in spanish means ssuce, but in emerican culture, mole can mean the (warm) spicy chocolate sauce that is poured over chicken. The name of the dish at Mary Ann's is chicken poblano ($ 12.95)and it is served with 2 tortillas which i filled with the chicken and then poured the sauce over them. This is what i ordered from my waiter Ariel.

I told the bartender: "I'm on the hunt for the inventor of the mole."
Wisegeek.com credits the mole to a sister Andrea of the Santa Rosa convent as a thank you to archbishop for convent at Puebla de Los Angeles (Mexico) and dates its invention at around the late 17 th century. Is this true?

I read that the region of Oaxaca specialiazes in (7 different kinds of) mole.

One version of mole called for tomatillos, chillis, mexican chocolate, cinnamon, while another ommited the cinnamon.

I am not sure what Mary Ann's calls for, but when i asked the bartender, he joked "I think it is a secret recipe."

Anyway, I am taken with the chocolate-chicken-tortilla combination.

I started with a (large) lime margarita (Happy hour 2 for 1) and tortilla chips with salsa (the starter you don't have to order - we like that.

I ended with flan; nice and light. Ariel seemed like he really wanted me to try the flan. "There's only one dessert:flan."

I asked the bartender when Mary Ann's opened. He said sometime in the 80's.

The menu includes many other dishes like: burritos, tacos, daily specials, specialty drinks.

Mary Ann's

east village : 86 2 nd avenue

In chelsea: 116 8 th avenue

In Tribeca: 107 west broadway





ended with flan.