They were wrong on the first observation. My dining companions and I waited for 45 minutes on a recent weeknight at the venerable Mexican restaurant. (Had I known, I could have called ahead and made reservations for our party of six.)
What about the alleged declining food? Wrong again.
Chips and salsa were waiting as we settled into our seats at the back of the restaurant. The décor, brightly colored walls and loud oilcloth tablecloths, matched the rest of the eclectic restaurant but the menu was difficult to read in the poorly lit room. A round of great-tasting margaritas ($5.25-$6.25), Mexican beers ($3-$4.35) and appetizers smoothed things out instantly.
Red Iguana has seven moles on the menu. Amazingly, these complex sauces, which are extremely time consuming to make, are all prepared in-house, with a number of fresh ingredients including roasted chiles, pumpkin seeds, raisins, tomatoes, almonds, garlic, onions, spices and chocolate.
The choices include: pipian (pumpkin seed/medium-hot), negro (black/medium-hot), verde (green/medium), poblano (reddish-brown/medium), coloradito (reddish-orange/medium), amarillo (yellow/hot) and, my favorite, almendras (almonds/mild).
On the dinner menu, that luscious almond mole blankets juicy top sirloin tips sauteed with bacon, serranos, onions and tomatoes in the puntas de filete a la norteña ($13.40) while mole poblano tops refreshing enchiladas suizas ($7.90), flour tortillas filled with avocado slices and sour cream chicken. Our least favorite was the enmoladas ($7.95) - refried bean-filled corn tortilla triangles coated with mole negro - which was flat compared to the other mole dishes.
A five-mole sampler is not on the appetizer menu but the staff is glad to make it - gratis - for those unfamiliar with mole.
Portion sizes at Red Iguana are big, so some diners may skip appetizers, but that would be a mistake. The encurtidos ($5.95) are exceptional. Usually not one for serious heat, I could have had another of the egg batter-dipped and fried pickled jalapeños filled with shrimp and queso ranchero (sort of like crumbled goat cheese), topped with delicate red salsa española with guacamole on the side.
Besides the 79 menu items - the majority in the $10 range - there also are daily specials, including a well-crafted relleno-style poblano chile ($9.99) stuffed with ground beef, golden raisins and dried peaches covered in salsa española.
Cochinita pibil ($11.60), pork loin that gets an achiote-citrus rub and is then roasted and shredded, and chile verde ($9.95), tender cubed pork cooked in green chile and tomatillo sauce, were both successful dishes. I preferred the refried beans over the somewhat bland black beans that came with the chile verde.
For dessert, sopapillas ($2.95), copious, deep-fried and sweet, outshined tres leches cake ($3.45), fried ice cream ($3.95) and flan ($4.25).
Service was spectacular. Our server was affable, accommodating and knowledgeable. When posed with an obscure question, she promptly returned with the answer. My friends were wrong again. With food this great, I would have waited even longer to eat at Red Iguana.
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* LESLI J. NEILSON is a Tribune restaurant reviewer. E-mail her at lneilson@sltrib.com. To comment on this column, write livingeditor@sltrib.com.
Holy mole this place is good
Overall rating 
Food
Mood 
Service
Noise 3 bells
In a nutshell: This veteran gem of a restaurant continues to serve consistently good Mexican cuisine. Professional service. Great margaritas.
Where 736 W. North Temple, Salt Lake City; 801-322-1489
Hours Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Website www.rediguana.com
Children's menu Yes
Prices $
Liquor Full service
Corkage $4.50
Reservations For parties of 6 or more
Takeout Yes
Wheelchair access Yes
Outdoor dining No
On-site parking Yes
Credit cards All major
