Diners around town have a lot of ideas about Mexican food, but chef Erasmo ‘Ras’ Casiano of Xiquita wants to change that. The nuances, he said, go well beyond smothering and cheese. The chef also owns Lucina Eatery & Bar, which showcases a blend of Latin American cuisines inside a lively restaurant. Learn more about the talented chef, how he accidentally came to Denver, and his current obsession.
The Chef: Erasmo Casiano
Ever since he can remember, Casiano has loved the culinary world. It started with his parents, who would put together epic dinner parties in Dallas, where the chef was raised.
“It was an open door policy, with a bunch of aunts and uncles coming in and out, and I loved that hospitality,” said Casiano, adding that by the age of 15 he was scooping ice cream and flipping burgers. “I loved watching people take their first bite, and someone with an ice cream cone is an immediate smile, it’s never a bad time.”
By the time he was 16, Casiano had worked most back of house positions and had done smaller shops and large chains. In 2007 he graduated from culinary school in Texas. He ended up in Denver in 2019 by accident.
“I decided on a whim I was going to head to Washington state, but I never made it,” he said. “I ran out of gas, and I got a call where I was offered a job at Crú Park Meadows.”
Eventually Crú closed, but Casiano stayed in town. Now over a decade later, he has worked around the city, taught cooking classes, and opened Lucina in Park Hill and Xiquita in Uptown. But before opening those two hot spots, the chef had back surgery four times, the last time, he had his spine fused.
“My wife was like you can’t work in the industry anymore, it’s literally breaking your back,” said Casiano, who suffered from disc degeneration and had imploded discs. “She decided I should teach.”
So he did. First he got a job at Kitchen Table Cooking School in Greenwood Village, bringing hospitality to the program. Then he launched cooking classes at Create Kitchen & Bar in the Stanley Marketplace in 2017, which he opened with Diego Coconati. And, against his wife’s original wishes, Casiano later created Lucina with Coconati in 2022. Xiquita followed last year, bringing the Mile High ancestral Mexican fare.
Another big milestone the chef has faced is becoming a father to the cutest little boy. Since then, his son has been the priority.
“I took eight weeks off for paternity leave, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t get wrapped up into work again like before,” he said. “It’s crazy how your priorities shift, while the restaurants are close to my heart and are my babies, it’s still my job and my work. Though I’m blessed to love what I do.”
The Restaurants: Lucina Eatery & Bar
Step inside the slightly tropical paradise in Park Hill that is Lucina Eatery & Bar. The vibe is island party, the decor artsy and bright, and a large bar takes center stage, perfect for watching the cocktail show.
The dishes on the menu are reminiscent of the two chefs’ childhood, blending Latin American dishes with family favorites. On Coconati’s side there’s nuances of Argentina, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico, all places he lived while growing up. The majority of the Mexican side of the menu comes from Casiano.
Together they blend fantastic dishes such as empanadas stuffed with pollo ropa vieja, herb remoulade, and masa manteca. Or, the mofongo with pork belly chicharron, plantain mash, mint and herb salad, and a slightly spicy habanero crema. Also try a classic Argentinian steak in the Ojo de Bife y Papas, a grilled Angus ribeye, housemade fries, and bright chimmichurri.
The cocktail program is just as wild as the restaurant, and many have loud, Instagram-friendly hues. The signature drinks incorporate all sorts of spirits, from rum to local whiskey to tequila. On the island side, the El Mono Mantequilla comprises brown butter infused Havana Club Anejo Rum, Creme de Banana, tawny port, pimento dram, and bitters. Don’t pass up WWLD? What Would Lucina Drink? either. Inside you’ll find a medley of green-tea infused Grey Whale Gin, benedictine, mint, lemon, and egg white to make it a proper flip.
The Restaurants: Xiquita
Growing up Mexican, Casiano had always wanted to dig deep into his culinary roots. In fact, he dug so deep he went back hundreds and thousands of years in order to bring ancestral cooking to Xiquita. Even the design of the restaurant speaks to that as it’s modeled after the ancient temples in Mexico.
“Xiquita is a spiritual restaurant for me, and the idea came after I visited Mexico a few times,” said the chef. “It’s our lineage and I feel we are under-represented, even though Mexican food is highly recognized in the United States. But it’s something else. It’s not a true representation of what you have in Mexico.”
He admits going toward historical food is a hard sale for some diners. But he strives to give an eye-opening experience centered on what Mexican food can be and how versatile it is.
“At the end of the day it’s good food, but in terms of tasting it, and asking, is this Mexican food? Yes, as it was created hundreds, thousands of years ago,” said Casiano, adding we need to get away from the idea that all Mexican food is either smothered or covered in cheese, sour cream, and olives. “It’s a grounded, gritty, rustic way of cooking in terms of the application of Mexican food, and we really want to get people back in touch with what food is and where it comes from.”
Pay attention to the tortillas at Xiquita, each uses nixtamalized corn, a process dating back to Mesoamerican peoples. It involves cooking and soaking corn in an alkaline solution such as limewater, which enhances the nutritional value and improves digestibility.
Share a plate of ceviche featuring tuna, leche de coco, habanero, onion, herbs, and tostadas. The Tikin Xic showcases delicate kanpachi wrapped in a banana leaf with adobo (basically stewed meat) and xni pec, a traditional habanero salsa.
“We are hitting a nice little stride while having fun applications of Mesoamerica and street food,” said the chef. “Mexico has so much to offer that goes beyond the taco, and Xiquita opens up a great avenue for people to try something new.”
Casiano has also teamed up with chef Johnny Curiel of Alma Fonda Fina to run regional Mexican dinners. The first one will focus on Baja and takes place May 12 at 6 p.m., inside Xiquita. There will be one a month after that, until December. Reservations can be made via OpenTable here.
The Takeover: Chef Erasmo Casiano
Personally, I’m excited to see more footage of Casiano’s adorable baby, who has the cutest face ever. He assured us that will happen, especially in the morning. However, the crux of the takeover will showcase the ins and outs of Xiquita with a nod to Lucina, which we are equally pumped to see. He will start out by greeting the team, which he does every time he goes to work.
“It’s a good reminder that we aren’t robots, we are trying our best every day,” said Casiano. “There are people behind every plate, every napkin, every drink, and it’s easy to get lost behind a keyboard and throw harsh judgment.”
Get to know life beyond the plate and join the fun on Thursday, April 24 on the DiningOut Magazine Instagram stories. If you comment, like, follow both Lucina and Xiquita, and share with friends, then you will be entered to win a $100 gift card to Xiquita.
Visit Lucina Eatery & Bar Tuesday through Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m. 2245 Kearney St., Denver, lucinaeatery.co
Visit Xiquita Tuesday through Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m. The happy hour, dubbed Xiquita Taqueria, runs Tuesday through Friday, 4 to 6 p.m. 500 E. 19th Ave., Denver, xiquita.co
