Kie-Gol-Lanee an Uptown restaurant standout with tamales, Oaxacan cuisine

Nestled in the heart of Uptown’s Little Vietnam neighborhood sits the traditional Oaxacan restaurant that recently made the prestigious Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list that recognizes “high-quality food at a reasonable price.”

“Five years ago we started making and selling tamales for Thanksgiving, Christmas — the holidays,” co-owner Sandra Sotz said of the restaurant’s humble roots. “We started making them at home and we would deliver them [to friends and coworkers]. People told us they wanted the flavors of Oaxaca.”

Sotz and her husband Reynel Mendoza opened Kie-Gol-Lanee two years later in 2016 with Mendoza’s sister Maria “Chayo” Mendoza and her husband Leonard “Leo” Ramos.

Leonard Ramos and wife Maria Mendoza, Reynel Mendoza and wife Sandra Sotz are all co-owners of Kie-Gol-Lanee. — Leonard Ramos and wife Maria Mendoza, Reynel Mendoza and wife Sandra Sotz are all co-owners of Kie-Gol-Lanee.

All but Sotz are natives of Santa Maria Quiegolani, a small village in Oaxaca, Mexico. Kie-Gol-Lanee means “old stone” in the ancient dialect of Zapotec.

“[Oaxaca] is beautiful. In the morning when you wake up you can see the mist on top of the mountains,” said Maria Mendoza, who learned to make a variety of mole — verde, negro, rojo and amarillo — from her mother.

“The tradition was the girl would have to learn to make food… the boy goes to work on the farm or ranch.”

Quesadilla made with homemade blue corn tortilla at Kie-Gol-Lanee. — Huitlacoche (corn smut or Mexican truffle) quesadilla made with homemade blue corn tortilla stuffed with truffle, chihuahua cheese, beans, and cilantro at Kie-Gol-Lanee.

Maria Mendoza’s popular sweet, salty and spicy red mole takes seven hours to cook and has over 36 ingredients including garlic, spices, nuts, dried fruit, chiles and chocolate. Hoja santa [Mexican pepperleaf], avocado leaves and pre-packaged animal crackers are also included in the toasting, roasting, cooking and blending of the recipe.

When I told Maria Mendoza that she may be revealing too many secret ingredients, she laughed, explaining that her red mole recipe would be impossible to recreate given that her technique has been perfected over years.

At Kie-Gol-Lanee, 5004 N. Sheridan Rd., Oaxacan style tamales are wrapped in toasted plantain leaves. Inside the flat rectangular packets are a base layer — a thin spread of velvety smooth cornmeal — masa, oil and salt — and then a filling of protein or vegetable and mole.

Chicken, mushroom, and pork tamales served at Kie-Gol-Lanee.

Four varieties of tamales are offered on Tuesdays during the day — red mole with shredded chicken, green mole with chunks of pork, mushrooms in a spicy tomato sauce with cilantro and the more familiar version wrapped in corn husk — rajas or poblano peppers and cheese with tomatoes and jalapeños. The tamales are offered at a special discounted rate of $3 on Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Kie-Gol-Lanee is open for dinner beginning at 5 p.m. everyday and also for brunch on weekends.

Reynel Mendoza also recommends the tlayuda, a Mexican-style pizza, that can be eaten with your hands.

Quesadilla, chapulines , and tlayuda, similar to a Mexican-style pizza, served at Kie-Gol-Lanee. — Quesadilla de huitlacoche, chapulines , and chorizo tlayuda, similar to a Mexican-style pizza, served at Kie-Gol-Lanee. Also featured is a house made horchata.

The tlayuda, a 10-inch cracker-thin tortilla, is smeared with a blended black bean sauce, shredded cabbage, Oaxacan stringy cheese, tomato, onion, sliced avocado and a choice of protein. Try the option of adding cecina — thinly sliced, ribbon-like dried spiced beef — a Oaxacan favorite.

The appetizer of chapulines or crispy fried grasshoppers are imported from Oaxaca and flavored with onion, cilantro, tomatoes, chile de arbol and lime.

Chapulines, at Kie-Gol-Lanee, are crispy fried grasshoppers flavored with onion, cilantro, tomatoes, chile de arbol, and lime. — Chapulines, at Kie-Gol-Lanee, are crispy fried grasshoppers imported from Oaxaca, flavored with onion, cilantro, tomatoes, chile de arbol, and lime.

Another unique offering are menu items featuring huitlacoche — commonly known as corn smut, fungus or Mexican truffle. The delicacy is featured in a cheese quesadilla with a homemade tortilla or in a grilled skirt steak entree incorporated in a huitlacoche mole.

Other Oaxacan favorites include the roasted Cornish hen in a dark mole, a barbecue lamb shank, cod baked in plantain leaf in pumpkin seed sauce and a traditional rabbit stew in yellow mole.

Cornish hen in a dark mole served at Kie-Gol-Lanee.

Drinks, including aguas frescas, are made fresh in-house. There’s also a rich and dark Mexican hot chocolate and a creamy sweet hot corn-based drink called atole de elote.

Tamales, at Kie-Gol-Lanee, served with Mexican hot chocolate, and a hot corn drink called atole de elote. — Tamales, at Kie-Gol-Lanee, are traditionally served with Mexican hot chocolate or a hot corn-based drink called atole de elote.

The sister-in-laws work to set up kitchen prep and make the labor-intensive tamales in the morning and the brother-in-laws cook in the evenings.

“Its not easy, but we try to keep like…” Sotz trails off.

“Calm,” said Maria Mendoza said, completing Sotz’s thoughts.

“We feel so happy when we see this place so full and especially when we received the [Bib Gourmand],” Sotz said. “We feel so happy and we proud of ourselves [over] what we have done because we never thought this is going to be so big for us.”