Tikal Mayan Food: Guatemalan cuisine in New York
Tikal Mayan Food in Lenox Hill is more ambitious than your typical modest Guatemalan restaurant. Its walls are adorned with murals of the ancient city of Tikal, and its employees are mostly family members of the owner, Noé Rodríguez, who was born in San Marcos, Guatemala.
The restaurant offers refined homestyle cooking. The tamales come wrapped in banana leaves; the beef version includes refried black beans and spicy chiles. The tacos, three per order, offer five fillings to choose from, including tongue. The tongue tacos contain tender pieces seasoned with spices, accompanied by a slightly acidic green tomatillo salsa. There are also crispy, rolled, and fried tacos with the same fillings: chicken, steak, carnitas, and birria.
Enchiladas are tortillas fried until crispy, a base for various fillings, similar to a Mexican tostada. In Guatemalan style, the tortillas are thicker and are prepared by hand in the kitchen. Beef enchiladas with curtido include grilled flank steak, pickled beets, queso fresco, red onion, and a hard-boiled egg; a complete meal with flavors that blend harmoniously.
Even more surprising is the enchilada topped with chicken chow mein, a legacy of Chinese immigration from Guangdong in the twentieth century. The flavors are old-school Cantonese, and the result is wonderfully crispy and tender.
Among the main dishes, the following stand out: Pacaya envuelta, the flower of a date palm, battered and fried, with a flavor and texture similar to artichoke hearts. Kaq'ik de pavo, a turkey leg in a dark and intense orange sauce (made with Coban chilies and pumpkin seeds), ideal for dipping in warm tortillas. The barbacoa de cordero offers slow-cooked pieces that retain their firmness in a sauce of marjoram, cloves, garlic, and morita chilies.
For drinks, atole de elote is prepared with corn on the cob infused in milk and cinnamon, resulting in a creamy and frothy beverage. Jamaica, a sweet drink made from hibiscus flowers, adds a touch of acidity that pairs perfectly with hearty dishes.
