We’re driving through Salt Lake City just before rush hour trying to get our asses to Montana when we come across a great radio station. The DJ is wise — she follows Doc Watson’s classic “Shady Grove” with Zepplin’s orgasmic “Whole Lotta Love.” We hear the call letters, KRCL, call information, and dial in to register our approval. PL tells her he loves her show and asks if she’s ever heard of a band called I See Hawks in L.A. She says yes and infact loves their album “Grapevine.” We say, “That’s us!”
The conversation heats up. Next thing we know PL is transcribing directions to the studio. We’re going to play live on her drive time show. The directions are solid. We only have to call her back and turn around once. We pile out of the Bomb Squad Mobile, dazed and blinded by the many miles we’ve traveled. A young man with dark glasses and long sideburns looks at us and knows we need help. “Are you musicians?” he ask. yes. yes we are. He guides us to the loading entrance. They buzz us in. Teri is at the console. We set up. Minutes later we’re playing live on the radio program we were just rocking out to at 70 bsmph(bomb squad miles per hour). It’s odd, surreal, and right. We play ‘Airplane”, “Hawks”, “Humboldt”, and “Mystery” and chat between tunes Thanks Terri and Gianni and everyone at KRCL for a very cool afternoon! Not only was the station great but they direct us to The Red Iguana café, the very same café PL ate at 15 years ago with his Salt Lake city Bone Daddies tour Mormon girlfriend. Mexican cuisine? In Salt Lake City?, you ask. Well let I SEE HAWKS IN L.A. tell you, this is Mexican food to rival, L.A., San Antonio, Santa Fe, and any other Mexican food stronghold you can think of. The Red Iguana got us started with fine margaritas, made with Cazadores tequila, for only a few cents more than the regular tequila you’d just put in a Paul Marshall. Three on ice, two of them with salt, and I’ll have one blended without salt, thank you very much. Simple, elegant margaritas that taste clean and great. We’re on our way. Now here comes a heaping bowl of fresh, crisp tortilla chips, and if their homemade salsa wasn’t enough, we get a plate with five (count ’em) different kinds of mole, to sample with the chips. There’s a dark brown, familiar, chocolatey mole. There’s one a shade lighter with more heat. There’s a delicious green one. And our helpful waitress describes each one and its ingredients in loving detail, which unfortunately, I can’t quite follow, but PL is clearly committing each recipe to memory.
Shall we describe our waitress in loving detail? An Aztec goddess, dark of skin and eye, mysterious of smile, and ready to distract us completely from our ultimate goal. Filled with the sexual power of an ancient bruja she makes love in complete silence. Orgasms pass over her like deep imperceptible waves. Her moment of climax is marked only by eyes pressed tightly closed and a breathless shudder. She almost succeeds in casting her spell, but we haven’t dined all day; the evening is coming on, and our priority is FOOD.Our main course arrives. PM has enchiladas containing perfectly cooked shredded chicken, full of flavor and tender beyond belief. There’s avocado in there, another of their amazing mole sauces covering the melt in your mouth tortilla exterior and a small dollop of crema mexicana on top. The flavors are rich and surprising, and ultimately, right.
PL does the three fish tacos loaded with delicious fish, and all additional ingredients on the side, salsa, lettuce and guacamole. PL claimed the fish would stand alone, but he put it all together, and dipped it into the aforementioned mole sampler, an artist’s palette of five color mole on a plate.SN and RW had the Poblano platter: enchiladas with chicken and sour cream, beef tostada, and beef taco, huge pile of guacamole. Every bite was a revelation of flavor and texture, a little different from any quality Mexican fare we’re familiar with, and yet, unmistakably Mexican in character and construction. Oh, and by the way, massive amounts, reasonable prices. How do I type four stars on this computer?