Chichimecas Spotlights Smoked Meats

By The Foodies./ foodie@longislandernews.com

For restaurateur Alejandro Gonzalez, each of his restaurants’ names tells you a story about what to expect when you sit down for a meal.

His oldest, Oaxaca, which he started in Huntington village in 1996, is a reference to the Oaxaca region of Southwestern Mexico, known for its cuisine. His second, Quetzalcoatl, which he opened in Huntington village in 2007, is a fine dining experience named after the Mesoamerican deity that captures the idea of “serving food for spirit” and the native Mexican philosophy of respect for food and body.

His latest venture, Chichimecas in Farmingdale, is no different. Drawn from the Nahua name given to a group of nations in northwestern Mexico and the Southern United States, collectively, the Chichimecan nations are known for their semi-nomadic culture, hunting and gathering ways and prowess at smoking meats to preserve it.

With Alejandro’s attention to pairing names with concept, it is little surprise then that smoked meats, like chicken, pork chops, pulled pork and ribs are the centerpieces of his menu. The meats are served steakhouse style and are a must-have during your visit. Pork chops ($7.50, $14.50 and $22.50 for two, four and six, respectively) are served in a poblano sauce that highlights the top-notch preparation and woody, smoky flavors. And the ribs ($9.50, $14.95, $19.95 and $22.95 for a quarter, half, three-quarter and full rack) are a knockout – delightfully tender and smoky, with meat that falls off the bone with ease.

Before we discovered our new favorite way to prepare meat, we got started with crispy tortilla chips and hearty mild salsa before checking out the Shrimp al Tequila ($8.95) appetizer. Tender shrimp are sautéed in ancho, cazrabel dry peppers and tequila sauce. Slight hints of each ingredient create a cool flavor with a tingly finish.

Next up was Pepan de Buerro ($16.95) a fire-orange presentation of thick, juicy cubed pork dressed with a nutty pumpkin-seed derived sauce. Mole Chicken Enchiladas ($13.95), three corn tortillas stuffed with pulled chicken and marinated in vibrant, eye-catching mole sauce, are sweet, spicy and satisfying.

The mole recipe is a medley of 32 different ingredients – almost all sourced from the Americas. Alejandro explained that the recipe calls for seven different dried peppers, as well as either cocoa bean or chocolate as well as a cookie. He also said mole is a good benchmark for a Mexican restaurant – “If the restaurant makes good mole, chances are, the rest of the food is good,” he said.