La Calenda

It’s not uncommon for first-timers here to find themselves waiting at this front bar flanked by flat-screen TVs. The rowdy crowd, hustling bartenders, and a packed room may suggest that this is just another after-work spot, but how wrong an assumption that would be, largely as this Mexican gem arrives courtesy of famed Chef Thomas Keller.
Driving the stoves here is Chef de Cuisine Kaelin Ulrich Trilling, whose Oaxacan roots are on full display.
While his menu highlights such impeccably sourced items as stone-ground tortillas, yellowfin tuna aguachile, and tres leches cake, it is the mole negro—a complex blend of dried fruits, nuts and bittersweet chocolate—that is an absolute showstopper, accurately reflecting the chef's heritage.