Utah Stories: For over four decades, Red Iguana has been serving killer Mexican food. From the humble beginnings at our 18-seat original location, Red Iguana is still family-owned, serving an array of Mexican dishes, ranging from Oaxacan-style moles to Carnitas a la Michoacán, and is nationally recognized as one of Utah’s best restaurants. Read the whole article here on Utah Stories.
Mole is the Mexican national dish for holidays and feasts. But how and when was mole first created? Among the common folklore of its creation includes a tale from the early colonial period. According to the legend, upon hearing that the archbishop was going to visit the Convent of Santa Rosa in Puebla, the nuns were in a panic because they were poor and had nothing to prepare. They prayed about the situation and brought together the little bits of what they had to make a sauce. This included peppers, spices, day-old bread, nuts, and a little chocolate. They served the sauce on top of some turkey and the Archbishop loved it!
Red Iguana is famous for our moles (pronounced moh-lays) and we have at least 8 different types that are available regularly — Mole Negro, Amarillo, Poblano, Verde, Coloradito, Red Pipian, Mango, and Almendras. If you’d like to sample each mole currently available, ask your waiter for a mole sampler (seen below).
During his visit to the Red Iguana, Diner’s, Drive-ins, and Dives host, Guy Fieri exclaimed, “Holy Moley!” while helping owner Lucy Cardenas add ingredients to a giant vat of mole.
