Ixca Mexican Kitchen★

This eatery, whose name means “kitchen” in one of the country’s native languages, discards the tropes of Latin joints (sombreros, Tex-Mex fajitas). Instead, it pares the experience down to a tight list of authentic everyday south-of-the-border food served in a modern, casual dining room. The menu is a sampler of regional cuisine, mainly from the Yucatán, Oaxaca, and Guerrero, and the flavors are milder than you might expect. Favorites include slightly sweet corn tortillas drenched simply in refried beans, chicken-and-red-sauce tamales, and tres leches cake with peaches and chocolate. The standout entrée is the poblano mole over a bone-in chicken thigh and leg. Its complex sauce of chiles and chocolate is a family recipe, complete with a secret ingredient: animal crackers. Lunch and dinner daily.