Chicatana located at 3917 14th St NW — **Chicatana** located at 3917 14th St NW

by Cassandra Hetherington

Ants are not the only item on the menu at Chicatana but they are by far the most unusual.

Opened mid-April, Chicatana (located at 3917 14th St NW) has joined a block bursting with more casual Mexican restaurants such as Anejo and DC Corazon. Created by a Dream Team of extremely experienced restaurant workers with a shared vision, Chicatana is sure to become a standout in the city.

With Mexican-inspired murals, painted by artist Jah One, and colorful hanging lights, the cozy interior of Chicatana can almost make one forget they are still in the District. Other than ants, what sets Chicatana apart is their trompo and upscale contemporary Mexican cuisine.

Emily Vasquez, majority share owner and General Manager in this five person partnership, works alongside Marcelino Zamudio (Chef), Junior Poveda (Assistant Manager), Hector Flora (Bartender) and Jose Abrego (Sous Chef). Emily was born to two chefs who own several Salvadorian/Mexican restaurants as well as one Italian, just over the District border. This foodie couple became very loyal customers of Tico; they dined there each weekend and became well acquainted with the chef and staff. It was Emily’s parents who introduced her to the men who would eventually become her business partners.

As a very picky eater, Emily was unable to find fault with anything during a tasting test with Chef Marcelino and knew she was hiring the best person for Chicatana.

It was Chef Mareclino’s idea to add ants to the menu.

As a native of the State of Guerrero, Mexico, he grew up eating them — it took Emily about a year to work up the nerve to try one.

Chicatana ants are perhaps the most famous in the leaf cutter ant family. For most of the year, they live inside their enormous colonies in a complex and functional hierarchical structure. Once the first major rain of the season occurs, these giant, reddish brown, flying ants leave their homes, filling the sky for one to two days. Since Mesoamerican times, people living in Oaxaca, Guerrero, or the Chiapas Region, have caught and eaten these sizable insects in a flurry of excitement.

Gorditas Chicarron and House Special, Chicatana Sour (photos Rey Lopez)

Today, Urban development is destroying their habitat and as the population of Chicatana ants dwindles, the price to eat them increases. What was once an abundant protein-rich food for the poor has now become a pricey delicacy. At world-renowned Pujol, located in Mexico City, Chef Enrique Olvera uses Chicatana ants as mayonnaise for baby corn, his adaptation of elote more commonly known as a street food.

While some restaurants in Mexico use large quantities of these ants to create mole sauces, crusts, or pastes; at Chicatana they are ultimately a garnish for a few items, such as gorditas (plump corn patties layered with a spicy green salsa topped with cream) or a Chicatana Sour (a mezcal based cocktail).

The ant does not add flavor but gives each food item a little crunch and lots of adventure. For those who would rather not eat insects, Chicatana has a plethora of options including al pastor pork, cooked on the only trompo in DC.