Aveeda G.
Yelp
My other half and I had the pleasure of dining at Bistro Mariposa recently for some apps and drinks and our minds are BLOWN! This place (and Monarch Casino in general) just completely changed my mind on casino hotels/restaurants/Black Hawk vibes.
First, this space is just GORGEOUS and even though we didn't get into the entrees, I have NO DOUBT that the rest of the menu is just as phenomenal.
Bistro Mariposa is serving up elevated Latin cuisine. It's tacos and queso and guacamole, all the usual suspects, but with a twist that you never knew you needed! Some of our faves below:
1) Chips and Salsa- I will very likely never highlight a complimentary salsa again, but they serve two here: a smoky red salsa and a green tomatillo version. Both are delicious, but that smoky red one was my fave! Smoky, thick (I'm not a fan of watery salsas that do nothing but make your chips wet), and so flavorful. The warm blue corn tortilla chips are a nice touch too! See? An unexpected, but much appreciated twist.
2) Queso Fundido - this is hands down the best queso I've ever had! They start with a wild mushroom bechamel, add hatch chile, spanish chorizo, porcini dust. The mushroom flavor is mild, but absolutely comes through and I am craving this again now!
3) Guacamole - fresh made and chunky like I like it, but they serve it up with chicharron which is just genius.
Their Fry Bread Esquites and Carne Asada Tacos were also wonderful. And we loved our Smoky Paloma and Jalamango cocktails. They also have some AMAZING sounding desserts on the menu and we HAD to take home their Cajeta - goat milk cheesecake with mango ice cream, white chocolate crumble and lace cookie - you guessed it: some of the best cheesecake I've ever had.
Bistro Mariposa was an absolutely surprising experience I did not expect. Chef Austin and the rest of the staff were wonderful. A special shout out to our server Bulut who took such great care of us!
If you find yourself at Black Hawk (or even just driving west on I70), you need to stop in here!