Mushrooms. Walnuts. Mashed potatoes. Can this really be Mexican food? Welcome to Mesa Mercado, which opened in 2016 in Carmichael’s Milagro Centre. This market-to-table concept eatery by Ernesto Delgado—whose other restaurants include downtown’s Tequila Museo Mayahuel and Sal’s Tacos in West Sacramento—celebrates Mexico’s historic cuisine with dishes that showcase authentic fare seldom seen north of the border, such as the chile en nogada, a roasted poblano chile stuffed with raisin-studded ground beef and pork, and blanketed with walnut crema and raspberry sauce, which serves as a colorful homage to the Mexican flag; a vegan mole negro redolent of sultry, roasty nuttiness, bright acidity and mild heat; and a pozole rojo, a pork and hominy soup with red chiles. Toast Mexico with the house margarita, finished with chile on the rim, or the Pepino Picante, a margarita with muddled cucumber and mezcal. A sign above the open kitchen reads: “A religious food experience.” Amen.