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• El Sol De Tala Mexican Restaurante Y Cantina

Polo en Mole, $11.95 from El Sol De Tala. (Michelle Pemberton/The Indianapolis Star)

Tala Combo, $10.95 from El Sol De Tala. (Michelle Pemberton/The Indianapolis Star)

Carne Con Chiley Papas, $10.95 from El Sol De Tala. (Michelle Pemberton/The Indianapolis Star)

For far too long, I would gaze at the closed doors of El Sol de Tala during my drives Downtown and wonder if it would ever reopen. Fortunately for fans of Indy's longtime Mexican-food favorite, the feuding between previous owners has ended and the restaurant got back to business this spring.

I was eager to see how the new El Sol compared to the prebattle version. So, on a recent rainy night, my husband and I met up with fellow Eastsiders (and relatives) Mark and Annette for a test drive of the menu.

The somewhat cavernous main dining room maintains much the same upbeat mood as before. The streamers and other colorful accents that once draped from the high, pitched wood-beam ceiling are gone, but bright furnishings -- and piped-in mariachi music -- keep the atmosphere cheery.

We were seated at an oddly high table. None of us is particularly short, but we all joked about feeling a sudden need for a booster seat. Our server brought us chips and spicy, but watery, salsa while we reviewed the menu.

We ordered the chile con queso appetizer ($6.95), adding savory, crumbly chorizo ($1.50) to the dominant, gooey Chihuahua cheese base. The four of us easily made short work of the tasty combination.

For my entree, I was eager to return to my favorite pollo en mole ($11.95). Happily, this dish is better than ever. El Sol makes its own mole poblano, a complex sauce involving ingredients, from chiles and nuts to chocolate and a variety of spices. The result is a rich, thick, sauce, equal parts sweet and spicy. The two accompanying grilled chicken breasts almost seemed secondary, as the mole poblano is the star on this plate.

My husband went for the carne con chile y papas ($10.95), El Sol's version of meat and potatoes. Thin slices of grilled steak were mixed with diced potatoes and roasted tomato/chile de arbol sauce. Traditionally spiced with pumpkin and sesame seeds as well as chiles, the sauce is another example of El Sol's commitment to traditional Mexican recipes.

Annette enjoyed her poc chuc ($12.95), thinly sliced marinated pork loin accented with lemon, lime and two Yucatan specialties: recado (a blend of spices often including cumin, Mexican oregano, cinnamon, garlic and black pepper) and xnipec (Yucatan's version of pico de gallo).

Mark also selected pork for his Tala combination platter ($10.95), with the juicy, flavorful meat filling both a burrito and a taco. A cheese and onion enchilada, plus rice and black beans rounded out the plate. The black beans, crushed and molded into a cake shape, won praise for texture and taste.

El Sol, we're glad to have you back.

Taste Test

Appetizer:

Chili con queso with chorizo (above), $8.45.

Entrees:

Pollo en mole (at left), $11.95.

Carne con chile y papas, $10.95.

Poc chuc, $12.95.

Tala combination, $10.95.

El Sol de Tala

Where: 2444 E. Washington St., (317) 636-1250.

Atmosphere: Casual.

Parking: Lot.

Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Sunday.

Details: V/MC/DIS/AMEX; no smoking; full bar; children's menu. no reservations, wheelchair accessible.

- By Julie Cope Saetre / Indy.com correspondent