Boston Mexi-can!

I've found it, I've finally found it!  Decent Mexican food in Boston!

I never thought it would happen.  Boston is great at a lot of things but for some reason, Mexican fare is not one of them.  So you can imagine my surprise when on a whim I suggested trying out a Mexican food place and it was actually good!

Sol Azteca (www.solaztecarestaurants.com) is comfortably nestled in between the St. Mary's T stop area (on the Green - C line) and that stretch of Beacon Street that leads to Kenmore Square.  If it weren't for their giant fluorescent sign out front, you might even miss it.  When you walk into this smallish place, you immediately feel as if you left the city and somehow ended up in Mexico.  (Although to me, it reminded me so much of this one place I ate at in Spain, that I forgot that I was in Boston and caught myself a couple of times almost saying "Gracias" to our waitress.  Not a huge faux pas because she was actually of Spanish decent.  Bust still.)  Huge rustic chairs invite you to sit comfortably at brightly colored tile-topped tables.  Suddenly fresh chips and salsa appear and you are being asked if you'd like a drink.  Eying the drink menu you feel psyched that a nice margarita will only set you back $6, (unless you choose a fancier tequila, but even then, it's only $8.)  Not in the mood for a margarita, you request the sangria.

After your drink order has been given, you start to explore the dinner menu.  You spot interesting items like "cactus" on the menu.  The drinks arrive and your waitress is standing before you, pen and paper in hand, ready to jot down your request - its crunch time.  You've been flirting with the idea of selecting one of their flavorful chicken dishes when suddenly it hits you.  You know exactly what you want.  How can you pass up pulled chicken enchiladas with a homemade mole sauce?  When's the last time you had mole sauce? (which by the way is crazy hard to make because it involves a rather lengthy list of ingredients and then needs to sit for hours upon end, slowly simmering until just right.)

You get caught up in conversation, sipping on a flavorful sangria (is that cinnamon in there?  Yum!) and it appears.  Three over stuffed corn tortilla enchiladas served piping hot, smothered in a perfect deep red mole sauce and accompanied by fluffy clouds of rice (you remembered that you didn't like refried beans or the cabbage that was supposed to come along side).  When you take your first bite, you know it's love.  Tender shreds of chicken and melted cheese dance with richly spicy mole sauce.  And the rice!  Oh the rice.  How did they get it so fluffy and moist?  And flavorful!  You detect that it was made with some sort of chicken stock, but then what did they do to it to keep it from drying out and clumping?

You victoriously finish your plate and consider how rude it really would be if you licked your plate.  Deciding the it's best if you don't, after all, you WILL be returning here.  You hand the waitress your clean plate, and in exchange she hands you the bill.  You realize that after all you ate and drank, your tab is surprisingly low.  Happily, you pay and resolve to not forget about this cute little spot.  You'll be back soon.

And then you go home and take a nap, fully enjoying the joys that only a food coma can bring.