AMONG DOZENS of restaurants that serve absorbing surveys of Oaxaca’s regional specialties, I am continually drawn back to Maria Ramos and David Padilla’s restaurant in Arlington Heights. Ramos comes from a family of barbacoa masters and she honors her heritage in two glorious Oaxacan variations: barbacoa roja, which is goat stained with guajillo chiles and served in its ruddy, head-clearing broth; and barbacoa blanco, a less saucy version of steamed lamb fragrant with oregano and cumin. Come with a group for weekend breakfast and try both of them along with an order of enmoladas dipped in Ramos’ mole negro; the sauce is nearly sentient in its intricate flavors and glossy, determined ooze across the plate. In a town more crowded than ever with excellent tlayudas, Gish Bac’s signature still stands out. It’s a circle of life layered with pureed black beans, shredded cabbage covering half-melted threads of Oaxacan string cheese, grilled steak and chicken, the chile-marinated pork called cecina, avocado, tomato rounds and slivers of nopales arranged like spokes radiating from a wheel’s center. Note: The restaurant is cash only.

• 4163 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 737-5050, gishbacla.com/directory/index.php/menu