The Red Iguana - reality lives up to my memory

There is a place in Salt Lake City, that makes amazing mole.  I was told of the Red Iguana when I was there for law school and loved it.  It is a too big restaurant in a too-small building in a less than savory part of town.  It's always busy and noisy and I loved it.  After moving to Vegas, I went a few years without going there, but in my memory, I remember loving it.  Well, I got back to SLC late one Thursday night and decided to give it a try.  I was, however, fearful that my memory was exaggerated or otherwise mistaken.  Thankfully, my fears were unfounded.
Did I mention this was late on a Thursday night?  I got there around 8:00 pm and there was a line.  A big line.  I had to wait about 20-25 minutes outside.  It was ok, I had a coat and a phone.  It's ok to wait, because it builds suspense and drama (at least that's what I told myself.  Since I wasn't paying, I started with the queso dip.  Here, to me, is an indicator of a good restaurant.  The queso was spicy.  To me, that tells me that this restaurant knows what it likes and doesn't care if some people can't enjoy some menu items.  The queso was way too spicy for my wife.  It was probably too spicy for about half of the population.  But the Red Iguana knows its good, so they sell it and I loved it.

So, then I had to pick an entree.  It had been over six years, so I shouldn't have expected to remember the whole menu, but this dish caught my eye and I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it before.  I can't remember the name, it was Spanish for points of meat or something.  It is grilled sirloin tips, grilled with BACON and vegetables over an almond mole.  I am getting hungry and a little antsy just writing about it.  It was so good.  I mean, it had bacon!  Think back to how many times you have had bacon in Mexican food.  This was a rare and delicious treat.  It was also spicy, I think there were jalepenos grilled in there as well.

Even though I was stuffed, I thought I had better try dessert.  I ordered their coconut chocolate flan and got it to go.  In my mind, I would go to my hotel room, sit in the hot tub and watch Sports Center while eating dessert.  Unfortunately, I didn't look at the dessert before I got to the hotel and had eaten too much at the restaurant.  As a result, the whipped cream had fallen by the time I got to dessert.  It was good though.

Some places are hype-ey.  They are popular for no good reason, yet people line up for the food.  Some are simply good.  I can't explain the vibe, but there is a confident and happy vibe at the Red Iguana.  It is as good as the lines make it out to be.  I can't wait to get back there.