Similar tacos have been on the menu for years at Oyamel, a Washington D.C. restaurant owned by José Andres. And now the nation's capital has shown additional acceptance of the consumption of insects with a new pop-up restaurant devoted to our six-legged friends.
Ehrlich Pest Control, a company based in Reading, Pennslyvania, hosted a "pestaurant" dining event on the patio of the Occidental, according to NPR. Normally the scene of power lunches, lobster rolls and so many martinis, the fine dining spot temporarily became a tourist attraction, drawing customers with curiosities for grasshopper burgers, roasted crickets and Mexican spiced meal worms.
The Occidental chef took entomological cooking past your typical comal-toasted crickets to include gastronomic ingredients like duck fat, and apparently attendees were pleasantly surprised about how the pests tasted. It makes you wonder if a restaurant that permanently features such dishes could be successful. It's starting to happen in San Francisco, where bug dishes are gaining a considerable footing at multiple restaurants.
Could a similar out come be possible here in Dallas? I'm betting no, but a well-placed and wisely marketed pop-up could do well enough. Who's with me?
