Mercadito Restaurant Toasts to Mexican Independence Day

In case you're still hungover from Cinco de Mayo, it would behoove you to remember that there is another Mexican holiday to celebrate this year. Mexican Independence Day is Monday, September 16, and what it may lack in tequila-induced blackouts it more than makes up for in pomegranate-laced chile en nogada. The dish is synonymous with Mexican Independence Day in that its colors represent those of the Mexican flag, resplendent in red, green, and white, and it's an essential every year. There are a few places to get your nogada fix around town, but an exemplary version this year can be had at Mercadito, where chef Patricio Sandoval is doling out lustrous chiles as a holiday special through the weekend and the holiday, along with special tamales and cocktails.

 

Chile en nogada
(Chile en nogada. Photo: Mercadito Chicago)

Per tradition, Mercadito's chile en nogada features a poblano stuffed with ground pork, green apple, plantains, and raisins, topped with a walnut-cinnamon sauce and pomegranates. And righteousness. Not only are the colors perfectly apropos for the Mexican holiday, but Mexican pomegranates are only in season August and September, making them a seasonal specialty. Want more? Sandoval is doling out off-menu tamales made with chicken and mole sauce, as well as pork with pumpkin seed sauce. Wash it all down with the special La Patria cocktail, brimming with tequila blanco, applewood-smoked pineapple, fresh lime, morita syrup, and a Mexican-spiced rum.

Top