Holy Mole, Best Tortilla Soup in Town

El Chile Cafe y Cantina

Tortilla soups vary from eatery to eatery, but not by much: The thin broth, the chicken, the various veggies, and bits of tortilla – lordy, even a mediocre take on such soup can pwn other liquid hotties in a best-two-out-of-three-spoonfuls death match. But El Chile's version, as created by Executive Chef Alma Alcocer-Thomas, is something else entirely. Oh, the thick, opaque, spicy sauce of it, almost like a mole; oh, how it's crowded with long chunks of tender chicken and toothsome tortilla strips; oh, the verdant crown of avocado slices, the streaks of sour cream, the jaunty sprig of cilantro …. ¡O Madre de Dios! Yeah: We're impressed.