Over at Ixcateco, he's crafting a simple, 10-item menu that includes a version of his grandmother's black mole with chicken. He says it's easy for him to taste when a restaurant's taken a shortcut and used a pre-made mole base instead of cooking mole from scratch, something his abuela would frown upon. His mole takes about 20 hours, including seven hours on the stove actively stirring to ensure proper emulsification. There's also his ceviche which adds the acidity of lemon juice. Most places only use lime juice, which is bitter, and then they add sugar to cut that bitterness. In a kitchen experiment, Ramirez used lemon which adds that sweetness and eliminates the need for sugar. He also avoids using butter in his cooking, all he'll cook all meats, like a carne asado, on a wood-fire grill.