Mariposa Taqueria in Danbury Debuts Latin Dinner Series

When brothers Sam and Javier Reyes took over the reigns of Mezon Tapas Bar from their older brothers Richard and Juan, and flipped the concept over to Mariposa Taqueria in 2020, focusing on tacos and Latin American street food, they had big plans on the horizon.

Sam, who’s coming off a 2023 Bartender of the Year win at the Connecticut Restaurant Association’s CRAZIES Awards, took that award and the recognition it brought to launch a series of cocktail competitions to highlight area bartenders so they can show off their full display of skills to local cocktail lovers.

A welcome bite of smoked eggplant and pickled tayota on cassava toast.

Ceviche of dressed razor clams, “Mama’s vinaigrette,” and crumbled chicharrons.

Not far behind the well-attended cocktail competitions hosted by Mariposa, the Reyes Brothers are doing something a little different in Danbury. And at least for one night every so often, their Latin Dinner Series gives the restaurant a chance to flip their concept from casual to multi-course fine dining.

“You can come here and have very simple food done well, but there’s more in the chamber,” Sam says. “We’re doing it to highlight Javi’s skills. People come and try so many different cocktails, since that’s how I built my name, and for food, our regulars already know what they want. Some people don’t know the level to which he can cook.”

A bulgur wheat and ground beef scotch egg that mimics a Dominican quipe. Served with a wine pairing like courses two through four, I posed the questions of “Why not serve a scotch egg with a pilsner or a lager? Are you guys married to wine for this series?”

“I suppose we could be more flexible on pairings,” Sam says. “Javi likes wine a lot. That scotch egg with a Presidente in a small, frozen glass, it recreates a moment of eating a quipe with an ice cold beer on the streets of the DR. That’s what you do, you get street food and have a beer.”

Oregano-lime butter roasted prawn, confit garlic mofongo, coconut-piquillo sofrito

Their first one, which was a test run, featured food and flavors from their Dominican heritage, allowing Javier to intertwine fusion into some dishes while other courses were upscale versions of Dominican cuisine, each paired with a different wine, although Sam’s bartending touch was on display with a welcome cocktail of clarified milk punch and at the end with a riff on a sazerac made with rum.

Ceviche, a staple in many Latin cultures, involved hand-cut razor clams served in the shell with chicharron crunchies on top and Javier’s attempt at a family vinaigrette recipe saying, “Our grandmother has a secret vinaigrette that she won’t share with us, so we tried our best to imitate it.”

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In another course, Javier took a classic Dominican street food in quipes—typically deep fried bulgar wheat mixed with seasoned ground beef, formed into torpedo-like shapes and deep fried—and used that as the coating for a fun mashup of cultures.

“My spin on quipes is a scotch egg,” Javier says. “When you cut into it, the yolk will be runny. On top is a homemade Caribbean pepper hot sauce. It’s not too hot.”

Mofongo, another common dish in many Latin American countries, including the DR, would appear, albeit a fancier version using confit garlic butter mashed into crispy bits of green plantains, served with oregano-lime butter roasted shrimp.

Bavette steak, shallot escabeche, yuca puree, pepper agrodolce. This would be accompanied by two bowls, one of white rice, and another of beans, as it’s a must in Dominican culture and households.

A sweet ending: a majarete filled cinnamon-sugar donut

Because this is more of a teaser of what might be to come from Mariposa’s Latin Dinner Series, Javier mentioned it could essentially go anywhere next in terms of which country and which ingredients they use. Spain, Puerto Rico, Peru, Mexico. It’s all on the table.

“We’re trying to teach and show different cultures off at a higher level of dining,” Sam explains. “We want to feed the community that wants that. I’m leaving it mostly in Javi’s hands to see where it goes next. We have ideas to have ingredients on that center table so people can see it and learn, tell a story, and explain all of it. Maybe it’ll be more interactive. It’s also about how do we make ourselves stand out and open people’s minds to what’s out there.”

When the next installment of the Latin Dinner Series at Mariposa will go down is anyone’s guess, but your best bet is to stalk their Instagram @eattacos.mp.

56 Mill Plain Road, Danbury
203.748.0875, mariposataqueria.com