The Black Ant

Chef Mario Hernandez’s thoughts on eating insects are that we already eat lots of squeamish stuff — brains, caviar, gelatin, foie gras, hearts, pâté, testicles, and tongues — and that getting diners to devour such fare is just a matter of presentation. Perhaps that’s why Black Ant — where the signature dishes include grasshopper tacos and crushed-ant guacamole — is so intimately lit, or rather unlit (nightclub goggles are in effect, and nightclub vibes). Or why a dinner can include half a dozen different kinds of tortillas. Every table is overflowing not just with authentic mostly Oaxacan dishes, but also the kind of adventurous (and amorous) camaraderie usually seen on spring break getaways. It helps that the cocktail menu is so damn sabroso. Especially those grasshopper tacos. The menu isn’t all buggy, of course; rabbit enchiladas, por ejemplo, served in the hypnotic spice of chilhuacle chile salsa. Whatever you order, be sure to share; these halfsies go to 11.