We caught a whiff of Dominique Stoller’s new concept Casa Madre back in 2021 when they broke ground on The Baffert at Five Points.
Since then we’ve been waiting as patiently as possible for her first restaurant to open.
Casa Madre is located just east of The Baffert inside the historic building at 119 E.18th St. The interior of the building has been undergoing some major renovations with the addition of a Himalayan rock salt wall. Not only does the Himalayan rock salt wall look beautiful aesthetically but it also brings a soothing, relaxing atmosphere to the dining room — it’s a Tucson first!
“We are so happy and excited to open our doors and share this restaurant with Tucson,” said Stoller. “We have had so much support from our family and friends over the past few years creating a beautiful ambiance for the community to enjoy delicious food and drinks. It is my greatest joy to finally get cooking!”
Stoller and the team are officially taking reservations for dinner starting on Wednesday, June 26. From that day on, the restaurant will be open from 4 – 9 p.m. on Wednesday – Sunday.
Reservations are highly recommended due to limited space!
You can reserve a table online and the Mediterranean and Latin-inspired can be found there as well. Or, keep on scrolling to start considering what you’ll order first.
Stone Fruit Burrata ($14) – Organic mixed greens / Fresh seasonal stone fruits / Burrata cheese / Tart cherry and balsamic dressing
Appetizers
Bacon-Wrapped Dates ($13) – Local Urban Grove dates stuffed with Spanish chorizo / Wrapped in bacon
Grilled & Chilled Shrimp Cocktail ($16) – Grilled & chilled shrimp / Cocktail sauce made with fresh horseradish & lemon
Chef’s Board ($19) – Doma’s pasta salad / Grilled & chilled asparagus / Roasted marinated bell peppers / Boursin herb cheese / Crostini / Apples / Local Urban Grove dates / Brie cheese / Candied locally grown Jamaica calyxes stuffed with goat cheese / Pistachios / Honey
Pork Belly Wings (choose a style) ($19)
Buffalo Style – Crispy bites of pork belly tossed in brown butter sauce & Franks Red Hot / Creamy Roquefort blue cheese dressing / Served with fresh organic crunchy iceberg salad with organic carrots & celery
Loomi Style – Crispy bites of Loomi (black lime) seasoned pork belly tossed in Loomi brown butter sauce / Creamy yogurt dressing over fresh apple lime & cilantro slaw
Entrees
Chile Relleno with Cuban Black Beans & Arroz Con Crema ($30) – Fire-roasted chiles stuffed with Oaxacan & jack cheese dipped in egg batter and fried / Scratchmade black bean puree / Arroz con crema / Avocado / Serrano peppers, cilantro & green onion / Fried plantains / Fresh pico de Gallo
Tilapia Papillote ($35) – Oven-roasted tilapia in parchment paper with pink Himalayan salt & black pepper, local Urban Grove limequats & garlic butter / Served with herb-roasted potatoes & sauteed seasonal vegetables
Lemon Ice Box Cake ($12) – Layers of homemade lemon curd & cream / Caramel cream / Homemade caramel / Graham cracker crumble / Topped with torched Italian meringue
White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie ($12) – Nilla wafer crumble / Dark chocolate / White chocolate pastry cream folded with fresh cut bananas / Topped with fresh whipped cream / Bruleed bananas & chocolate drizzle
Ice Cream Sandwich ($12) – Homemade Urban Grove date ice cream scooped between two cardamom & cinnamon pizelles / Served with fresh berries and whipped cream
Casa Madre (Photo by Hannah Hernandez)
Doma’s Journey
Over the years, Stoller has impressed many throughout Tucson’s culinary scene.
When a line cook at Tavolino Ristorante Italiano passed out, Stoller (working a front-of-house position) came to the rescue. Over the years, she’s worked at Tavolino Ristorante Italiano (she kickstarted her career by filling in for a line cook who passed out in the kitchen), Contigo Latin Kitchen, HUB Ice Cream, and Playground.
In 2019, she debuted her own catering company, Doma’s Delights, and then also won Tucson Knife Fight that very same year.
Casa Madre is located at 119 E.18th St. For more information and to make a reservation, visit casamadretucson.com.
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At a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
