Vive Sol, Mountain View, CA

Vive Sol is a cheerful, elegant Mexican restaurant on El Camino Real in Mountain View. (Palo Alto Sol, on California Avenue in Palo Alto, is the same menu and owners.) It's a lvovely place. Sit-down with table service and nice decor, lots of Mexican artifacts -- and on our recent trip, a lot of Dia de los Muertos stuff was still up. They serve regional dishes from teh Mexican state of Puebla. Hrz and I both had the Enchiladas Al Sol with cheese. Two enchiladas, one in creamy orange-colored guajillo sauce and one in dark, rich mole sauce, accompanied by refried black beans and tomato-kissed Mexican rice. With the cheese filling (also available with chicken or beef), it's an incredibly rich and delicious plateful. The mole is a bit sweeter than I'd prefer but otherwise its a perfect meal. My dad-in-lay had the Pollo Ranchero, chicken strips with a savory stew of peppers and onions; the Bistec Ranchero is also excellent. Mom-in-law had Pollo Negro, chunks of chicken in a tangy sauce of white wine and cream served on a bed of fresh raw spinach. Everything was delicious, as it always is.
The Palo Alto location is a bit more cramped but excellent in every other respect.