Mexico City is known for its melting pot of diverse regions and cultures — creating an epicenter of culinary goods. Celebrating the power of regional interconnectedness through masa, a traditional dough made from ground corn, Chefs Erasmo Casiano and Rene Gonzalez Mendez have collaborated on Uptown’s newest Mexican restaurant, Xiquita.
As the name is a nod to native languages spoken throughout Mexico — pronounced chi-kee-ta — the chefs are building a new layer of Mexican culture in Denver’s restaurant scene. After months of preparation, the restaurant opened on August 2.
After looking for a new restaurant to try for lunch, Chef Casiano stumbled upon Chef Mendez’s previous eatery, Pato’s Tacos. With a clean and inviting interior, Casiano was further in awe when he tried Mendez’s frijole charros. It transported him back to his favorite fonda — a small, humble restaurant that serves incredible food — in Mexico City.
“I’m thinking in my head, first off, frijole charros is my dish. How dare you? Like it’s just one of my favorite dishes growing up. I love making it, I love the smell of it,” says Casiano. “And I just take one bite and I’m like, we are going to be friends.”
After Chef Mendez announced the closing of Pato’s Tacos, he wanted to launch his salsa macha brand, Pinche Salsa. Casiano offered to let Mendez use his kitchen at his previous restaurant, Lucina, to make the product — and they have been working together since. The duo started with making sure to pay respect to their heritage and cuisine, honoring the development of flavors as they cooked.
“A lot of these foods take a lot of TLC; time, love and care to make and create. And to think that French and Italian food are treated at such a high caliber, we think that Latin American food as a whole should be treated the same way,” Casiano says. “Being in this industry for the past 23 years, it wasn’t really until the past three years that I felt drawn to my own culture.”
Sourcing indigenous ingredients from Mexico to make their masa, used in multiple dishes, the chefs pay homage to the three sisters of agriculture — corn, squash and beans. For example, try the Caldito de Chilpachole ($22), a seafood soup made from crab consommé, lime and chochoyote — a small masa dumpling — originating from Chef Mendez’s hometown of Veracruz.
The chefs include their culinary heritage in Hoja Santa ($16), an ancient leaf-griddling technique that gives the dish an anise and peppery aroma. This dish is made from relleno con quesillo — pepper stuffed with cheese — mushrooms in salsa macha, salsa morita and a tostada.
“Some things that they do in Oaxaca, for example, is they just crack an egg over [hoja santa],” says Casiano. “Right over the comal onto the leaf, and then just lightly fold it over and serve that with a fresh pressed tortilla. It’s one of those things where it’s just like ultimate beauty and simplicity, where you’re just letting the ingredients speak for themselves with that respect.”
Pair one of these authentic dishes with a drink of choice that incorporates aguas frescas ($2-$5), such as mezcals, raicillas, sotols, bacanoras and tequilas (MKT). Putting a spin on traditional Mexican recipes, enjoy cocktails like the Margarita de Tomatillo ($15) that blends notes of tomatillos and citrus, and La Kuii Daiquiri ($16) with flavors of melon, coconut and lime.
End your dining experience at Xiquita with one of their desserts honoring masa, like the Nicuatole de Mango ($13) and Tezcalate ($14). The nicuatole de mango is a mango maiz pudding that matches the spice of chamoy with the sweetness of passionfruit pavlova.
“Back in the day, the indigenous people would thicken their water with masa. So think about hot chocolate that’s nice and creamy with no dairy in it. So we do that. Obviously, we love ice cream, so we decided to make it into an ice cream,” says Casiano of the Tezcalate.
Showcasing the juxtaposition of life and death — a key component to Mexican culture — local architect Kevin Nguyen and interior decorator Lori Pratt transport guests to Mexico City. Foliage-covered cinder blocks, stone-like floors and warm lighting represent Mexico’s overgrown pyramids and found items. View the tortilla press and molino through the open window to see the nixtamalization process for creating the masa.
After trying Chef Mendez’s caldito de chilpachole for the first time, Chef Casiano felt it was hitting all the right notes. “I haven’t tasted this in a long time, but I feel like it takes me right back,” says Casiano. “There’s something here that we need to re-explore, and then in some non-preachy way, teach our potential guests a new way to dine, even though it’s been done for centuries.”
Xiquita is located at 500 E 19th Ave, Denver. It is open Tuesday – Friday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
All photos courtesy of BON Communications.