Holy moly—this is the place to get mole!
The place? Cultura comida y bebida to be proper. Culture Food & Drink to be translated.
The mole? Smoked pork cheek in a mole sauce that combines traditional ingredients of chocolate and spices with emphasis on the spices and less on the chocolate. It’s served with saffron tortillas—hot, crispy, and yet just-right fluffy. This outstanding dish deserves its signature dish designation. Ron ordered it and I’m so glad he did.
I chose the summer chile relleno stuffed with summer corn, zucchini, red bell pepper, goat cheese, Monterey jack cheese and herbs and arugula set on top of heirloom tomato salsa. Besides having a pleasant, subtle flavor, the salsa is surprisingly light and airy, which makes it…unexpected. It’s a nice complement to the relleno.
That said, with all the “oh, mans!” echoing from Ron’s side the of the table, I swiped some of his saffron tortillas and dipped them into that mole sauce and well, it’s my choice for our next visit. The best mole I’ve enjoyed to date. And those saffron tortillas?
Seriously scrumptious. You can’t even make these in your dreams.
Pork cheek mole with saffron tortillas and pickled vegetables
Cultura gets a lot of things right.
For starters—starters! Like tasty chips with two kinds of salsas and guacamole. These stand out from the typical salsas offered in so many restaurants. And they are good portions, too, which is warranted because these are part of the appetizer offerings and thus not served complimentary.
And if you’re feeling adventurous, you could try the chapulines with chili and lime. That’s…um…grasshoppers. I can’t report on that dish, but if you try them, drop a comment and let us know how they are. ♥
Cultura offers special drinks, too. I wanted a cocktail without the alcohol and wow(!) did they deliver!
Spirit free and special, this drink won me over.
Our server Alexander recommended the Desempate, which means ‘tie-breaker’. It’s a delicious concoction of coconut water, cherry, orgeat, lime, mint, and seltzer. Sooooooo very good—I had a couple. I’m happy to report that this ‘mocktail’ is priced at $9, more reasonable than most mocktails, and rightly so, given there’s no alcohol.
Nice way to kickoff, Cultura.
In any case, it’s nearly impossible to find a non-alcoholic cocktail but get this, the reason this one is called Desempate is that the owner was in a cocktail competition and he and another person tied for first place. To break the tie and find the winner, they were told to fix any drink they wanted. Cultura’s guy made the Desempate—taking a huge chance in making a non-alcoholic drink in a cocktail challenge—and he won! Thus, the Desempate was born. And now, it is seriously one of my favorite cocktails. Ron even loved it and he never likes cocktails.
Cultura dining room
Cheers and a big shout out to our server Alexander for guiding us to the Desempate and beyond. We very much appreciate his outstanding service during our dinner. His recommendations were spot-on and accurate, and the time he took to share the details and stories surrounding the fare made our dinner special.
Did I mention they have the best mole?
Seriously.
But, they are known also for their mezcal offerings and the restaurant features one of California’s largest curated collection of traditional mezcal. They even have an entire room devoted to enjoying mezcal.
Cultura offers not only delectable Oaxacan cuisine, but the ambiance has a contemporary and casual elegance. That coupled with a unique menu made for one heckuva 35th-anniversary celebration.
To complete our meal, Alexander served Mexican hot chocolate in clay cups sculpted with a face.
Authentic. Original. A perfect ending to a perfect meal.
- Address: Dolores St. b/w 5th & 6th, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA
- Phone: (831) 250-7005
- Hours: Dinner served nightly from 5:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. with a late-night menu available until midnight. Brunch: Sat. & Sun. from 10:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
- Website
- Noteworthy because: Unique menu; elegant, but casual-enough for jeans and shorts; a contemporary and earthy vibe; great bar scene
- Good for: vegetarian-friendly; vegan options; romantic and luxurious while still down-to-earth.
- Food that stood out: Mole, saffron tortillas, Desempate drink