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Two Denver chefs have come together to explore and explain one country—their own. For the next seven months, Erasmo Casiano, chef and co-owner of Uptown’s Xiquita and Park Hill’s Lucina, and Johnny Curiel of Alma Fonda Fina (as well as Alteño, Cozobi Fonda Fina, and Mezcaleria Alma) are hosting a dinner series called Our Mexico, expanding the trendy pop-up concept into an edible odyssey across Mexico’s culinary landscape.
Our Mexico is “a celebration of the cultures and traditions through food to show the diversity of what Mexico has to offer and the history behind it all,” Casiano says. His collaboration with Curiel sprang from their friendship—one that began when they were young cooks in the Denver scene.
The limited-seating dinners will be held at Xiquita, and some of them will include local guest chefs adding their personal connections to the menu. On July 14, Rubén Hernandez, co-owner of La Reyna Del Sur food truck and host of the Sunday borrego cookouts at Re:Vision in Westwood, will share Oaxacan dishes; on October 20, Manny Barella, Top Chef alum and co-owner of Overland’s new Riot BBQ, will present a Monterrey-influenced menu; and on November 17, Michelin-starred chef Michael Diaz de Leon (formerly of Brutø and founder of nomadic restaurant concept Pinchi Umami) will showcase Chihuahuan cuisine.
Casiano and Curiel will also rely on the talents of Xiquita’s executive chef Rene Gonzalez Mendez—whom Casiano calls his “encyclopedia” on regional Mexican cuisine—for all of the dinners.
The concept for the dinner series began when Curiel and Casiano first received questions from their diners like, “What is this?” and “Why haven’t I tried it before?”
“You haven’t had it because we’re so hellbent on chimichangas,” Casiano says. “So to be able to dive deep into my own roots and see how rich and diverse it is, and how we really don’t know much about our neighbors to the south and the people that we are, what better way to present Mexico?”
The series progresses from the wider-known to the more esoteric, exploring the nuanced flavors of each locale. The pilot dinner in May gave a taste of Baja’s seafood, including raw oysters topped with frozen aguachile, seared lobster tacos with roasted salsa roja, and grilled octopus tentacles coated in chile.
The upcoming dinner on July 14 explores Oaxaca; single dinners over the rest of the year zero in on Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Chihuahua, and Sinaloa. Casiano and Curiel are also looking into creating vacation packages touring the different regions of Mexico to give Denverites the opportunity to experience the diverse cultures and cuisines firsthand.
“I’ll never stop exploring Mexico,” Curiel says. “I’ve been to Mexico over 120 times, and I know about one percent of Mexican cuisine.”
Reservations for upcoming dinners on July 14, August 11, October 20, November 17, and December 15 can be made on Xiquita’s OpenTable page. Xiquita is located at 500 E. 19th Ave., Denver.
