Hechos a mano (“made by hand”) only begins to describe the labor-intensive cooking honored here by Ron Kent and his Oaxacan-born wife, Zaida. Their mole negro calls for 23 ingredients—each sautéed, toasted, or roasted before being ground into a sauce that’s finished with cocoa beans imported from Tabasco. Masa is treated with equal care: It’s ground coarse for plump tamales wrapped in banana leaves, with a finer grind reserved for thin tortillas pressed into small memelas or giant tlayudas topped with black-bean purée, mild salsa, guacamole, queso fresco, and salted beef or chicken. The only fusion you’ll find is on the dessert menu, which sneaks in flourless bittersweet-chocolate cake alongside Oaxacan hot chocolate thick with ground almonds. Make reservations—the restaurant is crowded with fans from the six farmers’ markets where the Kents still do business. 2323 Birch St.(at Cambridge Ave.), 650-321-8003 $$ RW ★★
By Susan Bryan