Hailing from New York City, with roots in the Dominican Republic, Michael Tavarez has become one of the city’s most prominent Dominican chefs. He first opened Picadera as a pop-up in 2020, with a mission to bring DR flavors and beloved New York street food to Dallas. In 2023, he opened an outpost in a ghost kitchen near Oak Cliff. In 2024, he won a Big Tex Choice Award at the State Fair of Texas for his Dominican fruteria dog.
Day-party culture
By 2025, Tavarez landed in a permanent storefront in Deep Ellum’s newly relocated Trinity Cider. After almost two years at the Deep Ellum location, Tavarez found that Dallas lacked Dominican day-party culture. His solution was Cafecito y Sazon Brunch, a new weekly brunch series that turns the space into a Latin party destination from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Inspired by the cultural fusion present in Dallas during the FIFA World Cup this past summer, Tavarez didn’t want that positive energy to dwindle.
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“We used to throw parties Friday nights with Latin dancing and bachata classes,” Tavarez tells the Observer. “But because of the neighborhood, the nighttime scene just wasn’t it for me anymore. So I wanted something during the day, for our people — something like in New York City. I remember brunch wasn’t just sitting down and eating; it was more about people meeting up, dancing, and having mimosas. There was more of a party, more of a place for people to just enjoy everything, not just the food. I wanted to mix a little bit of that New York Dominican experience here in Dallas, because I’ve gone to a lot of brunches and I always go ahead and look for that, but I can never find that experience.”
Pancakes de plátano maduro and salami.
The NYC BEC (bacon egg and cheese)
Cuatro golpes is a traditional Dominican breakfas.
On paper, Cafecito y Sazon Brunch sounds like its own version of Deep Ellum Brunch — mimosas, heavy food, and a DJ spinning tunes. But inside, it feels like coming home to a big family gathering after being away for so long.
We visit one Sunday, about an hour after its opening. Business is moving slowly, but the crew isn’t letting this kill their vibe. A DJ is spinning an energetic mix of Bad Bunny, Ozuna, Karol G, and other Latin favorites. Tavarez is hard at work in the kitchen, anticipating a growing crowd. Picadera’s street eats — like the Dominican smashburger, the empanadas, and the chopped cheese sandwich — have all been in our rotation for years. So we have high hopes for brunch.
To kick things off, we order a mimosa tower. Picadera’s tower uses two bottles of champagne, and guests can choose from a variety of flavors — we recommend the passion fruit.
As for food, the best way to kick things off is Picadera’s avocado toast ($14). Stay with us here. We promise this is unlike any other avocado toast you’ve ever had. After all, the Latinx community pretty much invented avocado toast before it became an American brunch fixture.
“In the Dominican Republic, for ages, people have been putting avocado on toast,” says Tavarez. “But in America, it’s fancy. So I said, ‘You know what? Let’s go ahead and put that on the menu too. But I’m gonna level it up. It’s still made with Dominican ingredients, but we’re gonna use an everything sourdough bread. We use avocado, top it with fried Dominican cheese, fried Dominican salami, crushed garlic, plantain chips, and our secret sauce.”
Toasted to just the right crisp, the sourdough bread cuts very easily, and the smashed avocado and pieces of salami add a whirlwind of flavor.
You’ll never have to choose between sweet or savory at Picadera, as Tavarez has gotten creative with incorporating both components onto each plate. One of the heartier options is the pancakes de plátano maduro y salami ($18). This particular plate comes with a stack of plantain pancakes that cut like cake, stuffed with fried salami, and topped with maple syrup and powdered sugar. Salami inside pancakes may sound like a peculiar conversation, but trust us, this is something you’ll want to try soon.
Those who want a little bit of everything should try Los Tres Golpes ($20). A traditional Dominican plate, composed of two fried eggs, Dominican salami, fried cheese, and mangu – creamy mashed green plantains. For an additional $2, guests can make the plate cuatro golpes and add creamy mashed green plantains.
Even the simplest entrees have plenty of festive flavor. Take Picadera’s NYC BEC (bacon, egg and cheese). A play on the bodega favorite, it comes on either a plain or an everything bagel, and is stuffed with bacon, fluffy eggs, and a slice of American cheese. The in-house-made ketchup adds a layer of sweetness to the New York staple.
Two hours later and one mimosa tower down, Picadera is now packed. Friends are gathered at the bar and at tables for brunch and chismeando. Families are seated on couches at the entryway, playing board games and card games. And there’s hardly any more room on the dance floor.
But this is exactly what Tavarez envisioned. And from here, he can only see Cafe y Sazon getting bigger.
“We want everyone to experience our culture, our food, and our music,” says Tavarez. “In New York, you get a lot of people from every culture who know what Dominican food is. I want that to become a thing here, and hopefully, through these new brunch parties we’re doing, we can showcase that, because our full menu is also available during brunch. So come experience the food, the music, the culture, and our people.”
Picadera, 2721 Main St. (Deep Ellum), Tuesday – Thursday 5 – 10 p.m.; Friday noon to midnight; Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight; Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.