Meraki #24 EN - Iztac

MERAKI Travel Stories

IZTAC The real taste of Mexico

Visual Stories | #24

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IZTAC The real taste of Mexico A love story set in the splendor of the Aztec Empire names this restaurant in Madrid, which since its opening in 2018 has positioned itself among the best Mexican restaurants thanks to its authenticity, the quality of its products and, above all, its respect for the most genuine avors of a gastronomy that Unesco has declared an Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

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Mexico and all its states are presented in the Iztac menu. Specializing in haute Mexican cuisine, Iztac brings to the table a love story that captivates diners in the same way as their dishes The space takes its name from the legend of lovers Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl, a love story set in the splendor of the Aztec Empire that tells the tragedy of these two lovers. As the Valley of Mexico was taken over by the Aztecs, numerous neighboring cities, tired of paying the mandatory tax, decide to ght for the freedom of the people. One of them, the head of the Tlaxcalans, father of the beautiful young protagonist Iztaccíhuatl, placed his trust in t h e y o u n g w a r r i o r p r o m i s e d to h i s daughter, Popocatépetl, to lead his people.

The brave man goes into battle with the promise to marry Iztaccihuatl if he returns victorious from the battle. Soon after, a rival of the young man, feeling jealous of their love tells Iztaccíhuatl that her lover had died during the ght. Dejected by sadness and unaware that it was a lie, Iztaccíhuatl dies. A fact that Popocatepetl would not know until his return.

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With this preamble as an aperitif we started to travel through the avors of Mexico, and our ticket, which is nothing more than the gastronomic o er prepared by chef Juan Antonio Matías, guarantees a tour of all regions of the country, from Baja Califor nia to the southea st, in Quintana Roo; a celebration of the senses in which there is no lack of an explosion in the avor and color of the dishes and also of drinks such as micheladas, mezcals or tequilas and margaritas that invade the bar and tables of the best Mexican restaurant in Spain with their excellent quality.

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Saddened by the news, he decides to honor her love and has a large tomb built before the sun, stacking ten hills to build a mountain. In his arms, he carries his lover's body to the top.

Once there, the young man laid her on the oor and gave her a posthumous kiss. With a torch in hand, he kneels beside his beloved to watch over her eternal sleep. Since then, they have remained together, face to face. As time goes by and with snow covering their bodies, the two young people turn into two large volcanoes that will continue like this forever.

The legend goes that every time Popocatepetl remembers Iztaccíhuatl, the volcano spurts ashes as a means of comparison with the eternal passion of his smoking torch.

INTANGIBLE HERITAGE OF HUMANITY Since November 16, 2010, Mexican cuisine has been part of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity stipulated by UNESCO, and since then many of its restaurants have been on top of international lists of the best in the world. Its main elements have become historical treasures worth preserving, as they have survived cultural miscegenation and the passage of time. Mexican food is colorful, extravagant, cheerful and, above all, very creative. It is a large group of varied culinary traditions that, although using similar ingredients from one region of the country to another, the spectrum of avors and combinations is so wide that each of the 32 Mexican states has something to contribute.

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THE BES IS THE LEAST KNOW Iztac changes the menu with relative frequency, trying to keep the more representative or more successful dishes. Certainly, in its last menu there is room for dishes as genuine (and at the same time unknown in the Iberian Peninsula) as the rich dog sh bread, the shrimp oil, the delicious ox typical of the center of the country or the tasty papadzules As in Mexico, any stew is likely to turn into a taco, the addictive Arabian tacos cannot fail, one of the few dishes that come from the previous menu, which are accompanied by rosarito tacos, Mayan sh tacos and duck carnitas tacos Among the main dishes, Iztac now p r o p o s e s n e w o p t i o n s l i ke t h e enchiladas from Guanajuato, the Oaxaca almond, the duck with manchamanteles, the Veracruz cod, the tenderloin or the stupendous mole poblano A fundamental addition is its spectacular terrace opened in January 2020 with full capacity to provide service both in Summer and Winter.

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Considering the outspread of Mexican restaurants full of kitsch Frida Khalo pictures, charro hats and luchador masks or colored paper on the ceilings, the Iztac owner decided to invest in a place that breaks up with the stereotypes of Mexican restaurants in Madrid and for that he enlisted the help of the Mexican Lourdes Treviño Quirós Freehand Architecture studio in the Spanish capital In this former location where in the fties was located the rst Mexican restaurant in Spain, the bar stands out with bottles of the renowned Corona Mexican beer that anticipate what customers are about to experience.

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”CORONAS” ON THE CEILIN

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The kitchen area opens to the living room and shows an avant-garde style that is completed with a very chic contemporary Mexican touch. The result is a space full o f l i g h t t h a t h i g h l i g h t s t h e e l e g a n ce o f t h e environment in neutral tones, dotted with touches of color, allowing you to enjoy the environment at any time of the day, moving from a more relaxed to a more festive one, for those who may be seduced by the cocktail proposal.

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The paintings decorating the walls are by Gabriel Moreno and are perfectly integrated with the design of the place.

They narrate the wonderful legend of Popo and Iztac.

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MERAKI Hotels & Fine Dining

CEO/Editorial Director CARLA BRANC Text HERNANDO REYES ISAZ Photos IZTAC Story #24 March 202 www.iztac.es

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