The Black Ant- A Hip Mexican Restaurant in the East Village

By Jennifer Shanteau

I don’t know about you, but Mexican cuisine is high on my list of favorites, especially when traditional flavors are used in new, refreshingly modern ways. So whenever I come across a Mexican restaurant like The Black Ant that I have yet to try, I’m excited, especially when it’s in a cool part of town, like this hip and energetic jewel I found last night.  The place was just buzzing!  It was packed full of people who look like they have exciting things going on in their lives.  There was a couple on a first date sitting next to me and a birthday party of ten across from me, so it seems whatever your occasion, it works here.  Is Wednesday the new Saturday?  Perhaps in the East Village it is.

The service was definitely excellent, especially for a place as busy as this.  We were almost instantly brought a heaping bowl of Guacamole, and Gustavo was constantly walking around checking in, and answering questions, to make sure that we, and everyone else was well taken care of.

Back to the Guacamole…..trust me when I say “heaping” is an accurate description.  It’s not just your basic guac.  Oh no, besides the usual ingredients, this one was packed with tomato, grilled scallions, radish and chic peas.  It was hearty.  I could easily see coming here for a girls night out, ordering a slew of cocktails and just this one appetizer, and being perfectly happy, depending upon how hungry my friends were, that is.  My boyfriend and dining companion even liked it, and I’m pretty sure I’ve only seen him actually enjoy Guacamole one other time in his life.  They said this was one of their most popular dishes, and I see why…..and for $12?  It’s a great value.

At Black Ant, cocktails are not an afterthought…..gotta respect that.  I felt that the adult libations were given as much thought as the food.  Now, let me tell you all about the drink that won my heart last night…..Yum Kaax.  Yum it is!  Get this…..it’s made with homemade corn juice.  Have you ever had homemade corn juice? Right? Me either!  Now I want to acquire jugs of it and re-concoct this most delicious nectar at home.  Along with the corn juice, they add tequila, some wild Mexican herbs and their house made Sal de Hormiga.  The Sal de Hormiga rimmed the glass and gave this drink a spicy punch which balanced out the sweetness of the corn juice perfectly.  I know, I’m going on and on about this one drink, but it was that good!  In fact, when it came time for dessert, I skipped it and had another one of these instead. (Oops!)

My boyfriend had the Red Ant Negroni.  I’ve never really been one to drink Negronis, but I have to admit, I’m coming around.  I once heard Aaaron Sanchez say it was his cocktail of choice, and since I believe he knows everything, I’ve definitely been more open to becoming a fan.  (Chefs are my rock stars.) For this particular Negroni they used Mezcal Joven, (instead of the traditional gin), Vya Sweet Vermouth, Hibiscus, Campari and Orange.  It was gorgeous and delicious.

Thank god I had a cocktail in me before our next course came out, because along with the Ceviche de Cobia I ordered also came Croquettas de Chapulin.  Now, unless you speak Spanish, you probably don’t know what a chapulin is.  My friend, it is a grasshopper.  Most of you reading this do not know how deep my bug phobia runs.  I once called my super just to have him come over and kill a centipede.  I kid you not.  Just to see grasshoppers on a plate before me actually sent a chill up my spine, and caused me to take short, shallow breathes.  I wanted to be adventurous like Andrew Zimmern on TV who eats everything, but alas, I guess, I am not as adventurous as I am bug phobic.  Luckily, the grasshoppers did not die in vain, but were happily devoured by my dining companion who described them as “crunchy and not as salty as ants”.  I did enjoy the Manchego Croquettas which had an amazing umami kind of taste to them, and paired well with the Chilpaya Truffle Aioli.  I have to admit, I can see how something crunchy and salty (aka grasshoppers) would have worked well topping this dish.

The Ceviche de Cobia  comprised of Blue Cobia, Chile Meco, Red Onion, Clemetine and served with Chia Tostadas was fresh and delicate, very refined and upscale like something you would get in the stuffiest, fanciest of restaurants, but still felt right at home here.  I could eat pounds and pounds of this stuff!

Next, came our second round of drinks, first the Forest and Jungle made up of Tromba Resposado, Honey Dew Melon Juice, Canton Ginger Liquor and Crème de Violette.  Ok, now even though I am not as adventurous an eater as I once thought, I do still consider myself an adventurous drinker, and I have never even heard of half of these ingredients.  However, I can tell you, they make up one mean drink…..so refreshing!  This is the perfect beverage to sip on a hot summers night.  Mental note, come back in June.

Next came the Smoky Jalapeno Margarita.  I couldn’t very well go to a Mexican restaurant without sampling their take on the Margarita could I?  The answer…..absolutely not!  Their margarita contains a Silver House Infused tequila, Cointreau, Lime Juice, Orange Juice, Agave and Smoky Black Ant Salt.  The smoky salt so makes this drink! Its a mix of salty, smoky and sour.  It added that extra layer of flavor that made this drink special.  I liked it so much I called Gustavo over to ask him what was in it.  He then gave me the scoop.  The sour flavor in the salt actually comes from the Chile Morita which is infused with tequila.  All of their salts are made in house and each add a distinct, original flavor to the cocktails they accompany.

 

All of the entrees looked so good, but ultimately we decided to share the Octopus and the Short Ribs.  I’m a huge fan of both, so I figured this way, we couldn’t go wrong.  Right I was!  The Costillas en Tezmole, Braised Short Ribs, Tezmole de Zapote, Mushrooms and Chochoyote was everything you could possibly want in short ribs: succulent, flavorful, and comforting. I’m not the most self-controlled human being and I really didn’t want to stop eating this.

At The Black Ant I was discovering new things one after the other.  In this particular dish, I tried Chochoyote, a vegetable that looked like a potato, but tasted like corn.  The fact that I was trying so many new things in one place, after dining out for years and years, in this country and others really impressed me.  There is nothing else I love more than to find new foods and new drinks to love!

Living in Astoria puts me in the vicinity of the best Greek restaurant I’ve ever eaten in.  My favorite dish there is the grilled octopus, but after eating the octopus at Black Ant, I think my favorite Octopus dish has just changed.  Not only was it cooked to perfection, but I really appreciated how the dish was built.  I guess my commute to my favorite octopus is now a lot longer, but worth every minute to acquire.

Because of my love of Mexican cuisine, I anticipated enjoying The Black Ant, but I wasn’t expecting to like it quite this much, and I definitely wasn’t prepared to try so many new things or be this impressed with their cocktail menu.  I’ll be talking about this place for sure, and going back for my next visit the first chance I get!  If you’re in the East Village and looking to be “wowed”, this is your spot.

 

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