In the past few years, North Stamford has seen a massive change in the restaurant scene. While new restaurants seem to open on a daily basis, some have managed to remain staples in the city for as long as we can remember. One of these spots, located right on High Ridge Road across the street from the High Ridge Shopping Center, is Ole Mole. This cozy restaurant has been providing Stamford with homemade, authentic, and absolutely mouthwatering Mexican cuisine for over 15 years, and we can’t seem to get enough. While we have visited and reviewed many of Stamford’s Mexican restaurants, none seemed to be more legitimate in their representation of Southern Mexican cuisine than Ole Mole. When you walk into the front doors, the restaurant greets you with a home kitchen ambiance, as if you were walking into someone’s house for a home-cooked meal. The walls are lined with eye-catching pop art, and the end of the dining room is purposely joined with the entrance of the kitchen so you have a better view of the incredible food being prepared. While we have tried most of the menu at Ole Mole (with everything we've tried being insanely delicious), there are definitely a few highlights that you cannot miss. We always start with the blue corn crusted calamari, which is one of the most interesting takes on this classic international dish that we have ever tried. The blue corn creates a fantastically crunchy and toothy exterior, which encapsulates the melt-in-your-mouth calamari on the interior. When dipped into the accompanying chipotle-lime aioli, it creates the perfect bite. The nopales salad (or ensalada de nopales) is another dish we can never miss. Nopales, or the cactus leaves from the prickly pear cactus, are both crispy and light in flavor, reminiscent of a grilled pear mixed with asparagus (but not as sweet). The nopales salad is marinated and served with fresh vegetables, and is as authentic of a dish that you can get at a Mexican restaurant. Out of the entire menu, the most special dish that you MUST try is the Mole Poblano. Ole Mole’s take on a traditional mole negro (an extremely difficult recipe to make, consisting of ingredients such as different types of chili, chocolate, almonds, whole spices, and much much more) is a dish that takes both expertise and a whole lot of time, making it the best thing that we have tried at the restaurant. The sauce itself is smoky, complex, and is a perfect middle ground between being spicy, bitter, and sweet. When served over tender chicken and rice, it is the quintessential Southern Mexican dish. Our other favorite dish to order at Ole Mole is the Chile Verde, which is a take on a classic chili and tomatillo stew. Much more bright and explicitly spicy in flavor than the mole negro, this pork stew hits every tastebud in your mouth. Besides these dishes, the tacos and homemade tamales at Ole Mole are also crowd pleasers, and must be tried at the table during your experience. Whether you are looking for a truly authentic Mexican meal in Stamford, or simply looking for a deeply satisfying dish that tastes like it was made by someone’s grandmother, Ole Mole is a must-try restaurant.
