I was intrigued by this little restaurant that was dedicated to my two favorite foods of all time – chilies and chocolate.

So of-course I had to trek over to Park Slope to check out this charming joint, that has carved out a niche of its own. This tiny restaurant can only seat about 16 people at a time. Its very informal and the server was very friendly.

Their specialities are the three types of authentic Oaxacan Mole. Mole is basically is a complex Mexican chocolate sauce which is cooked with several different spices and ingredients.

There are several different kinds of mole but at Chiles and Chocolate, they specialize in just three. Since I could not choose between the three, our wonderful waiter  allowed me to sample them all. The Mole Negro, The Mole Coloradito and the Mole Amarillo. Each one was different with Mole Negro being the most complex and the Amarillo was the simplest and most bland.

Service can be a tad bit slow here and they seemed to run out of a number of offerings from their menu. We were keen to try the fried chapolin (grasshoppers) that comes with guacamole – but they didn’t have any available.

Chiles & Chocolate is a cute concept and a sweet little place. I found it a little pricey for the kind of digs it offers but the mole is good enough to warrant a visit.

Here is some of what we tried:

CHIPS AND SALSA

I really liked their salsa. It was very fresh and had a nice bite to it.

GUACAMOLE CHAPOLIN

Guacamole Chapolin is traditional Oaxacan guacamole which is garnished with fried grasshoppers. Unfortunately they did not have the grasshoppers that day. Their guacamole was very fresh though lacking in salt.

MOLE NEGRO

I tried the Mole Negro with mixed grilled vegetables which was really delicious. The sauce was really rich and had great depth. It was both sweet and bitter at the same time. It went really well with the grilled portobello mushroom and zucchini.

PLATO CACAHUATE Y CHOCOLATE

This dish consisted of duck breast rubbed with oaxacan spices & fire-grilled. It was served with a special peanut-chocolate-chipotle sauce with roasted potatoes & sauteed spinach. This was a really nice, mild dish. The duck was surprisingly tender ( I didn’t expect it from a place like this).

CHOCOLATE MAYORDOMO

This was a cup of hot chocolate made with a special Mexcian chocolate called Mayordomo. It was poured into a cup lined with a chili-chipotle sauce.

MY RATINGS FOR THIS MEAL

Food: ☆☆ 3/4

Service: ☆☆ 1/2

Ambiance: ☆ 1/2

Cost: $$

I recommend: Guacamole, Mole Negro, Mole Coloradito