Every once in a while, when walking into a new restaurant you get the feeling you do when you hear a new and particularly catchy song and know instantly it’s going to be a hit. I had this feeling while visiting tacobarn, which recently opened in the Sandy Hook hamlet of Newtown, which seems destined to be a big success thanks to its great tacos and sleek vibes.
The first thing that impressed me about tacobarn was the space itself. Even from across the street the restored barn space that is the restaurant’s home and inspiration for its name was striking: the restaurant's illuminated sign glowed against the aged wood like a beacon. And even on a rainy night in December, the outdoor dining space, though unoccupied, was impressive. Hanging lights and a fire pit cast a soft orange glow on the approach to the restaurant’s front door. Inside, this impressive design continued with two levels of an open, bright and fun space.
Of course, none of those vibes would amount to anything if the food wasn’t good. tacobarn is led by restaurateur David Boyajian, who owns Sparrow Pizza Bar in West Hartford, and Chef Adam Greenberg, a four-time winner of Food Network's "Chopped," who also beat Bobby Flay on Flay's cooking competition show. Let’s just say that Greenberg and Boyajian have figured out the food side of the equation. The take on Mexican food here is unapologetically untraditional with many American-ized influences and while on paper that didn’t sound great to me, in practice I loved it. Everything I tried was bright and clean tasting with flavors that tended to incorporate elite citrus and tropical notes rather than spiciness. Both Boyajian and Greenberg are veterans of bartaco, a Connecticut-born beloved chain of restaurants, and tacobarn is reminiscent of that restaurant group in more ways than the similarities in their names. However, tacobarn still has a distinctive feel. For instance, tacobarn is more rustic and New England-feeling than its bartaco counterpart, thanks to the barn setting. Additionally, the food was on a higher level than what I had on my last visit to bartaco.
A guacamole appetizer and chicken rice bowl were both thoroughly enjoyable, but nothing particularly special, but that was more than made up for by the tacos, which are the namesake of this restaurant. Each of the three flavors I tried was impressive for different reasons. The chipotle glazed pork belly was rich and succulent. While eating it, I stopped multiple times to point at it and tell everyone at my table how much I liked it. Equally as tasty was the cauliflower taco. Sometimes vegetarian taco offerings can taste like a reluctant afterthought and not something a meat-eater would order. But this had additional layers of flavor and texture over the meat and is a must-try for vegetable lovers. Equally as good was the chimichurri chorizo. I truly want to order all the taco varieties I got as well as try new ones, such as duck and crispy avocado. To top it off, prices are reasonable. The chicken rice bowl is $12.50 and the tacos I ordered ranged from $3.25 to $4.75. Portions may not be the biggest, but I’ll take lower prices and small portions any day, as that allows me to sample a greater variety of dishes and tacobarn is designed for visitors to order multiple rounds of food, if they choose.
Beyond the main courses, I also loved the restaurant’s margarita, which had the right balance of booze and sweetness. Additionally, I fell in love with a tres leches cake for dessert, soft and bursting with moistness; it was a near-perfect dessert.
tacobarn has a nice enough space to draw people even without high-quality food, but fortunately, both the atmosphere and the food are worth stopping in to experience. I expect tacobarn will be a draw in the area, and I just hope I can get a table the next time I stop in.
Erik Ofgang shares his opinions on food and drink in the state. He is the co-author of “The Good Vices” and has written for The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Smithsonian, Forbes and other publications. He pens a Connecticut Magazine column titled "Craft Cruising" about the state's beverage scene.
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