Are you one of those that insists on ordering dessert first because, ya just never know? I truthfully can’t imagine anything worse than the world as we know it suddenly coming to an end and the last thing I’d tasted was some boring old entrée. If the waves are crashing, mountains are moving, the walls are crumbling down and I’m hearing a chorus of Hail Mary’s, I want a heavenly bite of dessert to be my one lasting memory of this particular life. At most places when I ask for the dessert menu first I typically get an odd tilt of the head or sometimes even a pissed off look from a waiter that is doing the mental math on his 15% tip and isn’t digging the sum total. So when La Duni busted on the scene in 2001 and wholeheartedly encouraged my dessert first fetish, this chocoholic was pretty damn happy.
Even though La Duni is a fantastico Latin café with loads of authentic Mexican, Central and South American dishes (which we’ll detail later), we’re kicking this recommendation off talking about the oh so sweet creations by award winning pastry chef and co-owner Dunia Borga. Like we said, dessert first. There are many reasons they have an entire four page menu dedicated to desserts but reason #1 is unquestionably the Cuatro Leches Cake. Of course we’ve all tried the popular Tres Leches cakes at Tex-Mex restaurants but beyond simply adding another milk product, this cake is in a different stratosphere when it comes to taste, moistness, and true Latin flavors. Like its more popular sibling, it starts with a basic vanilla sponge cake that has been soaked in the leches (milks). La Duni’s cuatro is layered with Arequipe, which is basically a cousin to caramel sauce popular in Duni’s home country of Columbia. The cake comes crowned with carmelized meringue and dressed with a Tres Leches sauce and syrupy reduction of the Arequipe. It is soooo moist and soooo delicious I’m at a loss for adjectives to capture my undying love for this dish (naturally you’ll find it in our Dishes to Die For). Just behind the Cuatro Leches on the depth chart is the ultra rich Venezuelan Triple Chocolate Truffle Cake. Three layers of dark chocolate cake are laced with espresso and divided by a Grenache of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and semi-sweet. She smoothes a sheen of dark chocolate icing all over it then studs the bottom third with carmelized hazelnuts that have been dipped in milk chocolate. If there’s a more decadent piece of chocolate cake to be had, please show yourself! There are several other cakes on the menu, like the Venezuelan Rum cake that beg you to consider crashing your diet, but we continue to find ourselves battling over the last bite of these two. All of their cakes can be served by the slice, half or whole cake. Wanna make some life long friends at the next dinner party you’re invited to? Skip showing up with the same old bottle of $20 wine and instead show up with one of these babies. La Duni also has a whole line of made to order specialty and wedding cakes as well as an amazing selection of coffee drinks and tea service.
La Duni has garnered quite the following for their Latin cocktails. The Mojito is the most popular and I have to say their version is about as good as any west of Havana. Rum, club soda, sugar and mint leaves obviously but what really sets it apart are the “hand muddled” limes. Limes are hand ground in a pestle then dumped into the glass. Not too sweet and not too citrusy, this mojito is just right. They also make flavored versions. Our other favorite is their Margarinha. This drink walks and talks like a margarita but without the yellow tint and overpowering citrus taste. Tequila is stirred with cointreau, cane sugar, and a half dozen of those hand muddled limes. There are others that are more on the exotic end of the booze spectrum like the La Duni Passion and the Pisco Sour from Peru. Our advice is to drink your way through the list and report back to us!
The wine list is also very respectable and sticks to their penchant for authenticity. With the exception of a lone Italian offering of Pinot Grigio, the entire list is comprised of Chilean, Argentinean, and Spanish wines. Whether you’re looking to try a white from somewhere other than the states, have jumped on the South American value red bandwagon and want to check out some of the earthy malbecs or Cab blends, or want to see what all the fuss is about over the Spanish Tempranillo grape, La Duni has a great selection with most of the list under 50 bucks.
The lunch and dinner menu are the same at La Duni and it is chock full of meats, sausages, and cheeses with bona fide Latin preparations as well as pressed sandwiches and a half dozen entrée sized salads. Each meal begins with their award winning salsa and crispy, crispy chips. There’s nothing more disappointing than a salsa that’s too tomatoey and bland. La Duni’s is blended fresh and has more than a little kick in its heels. Chips are often overlooked. They should be thin, crispy, with just a slight oily luster to them. They’re right on here.
We dug into the Choriqueso for our appetizer. I suppose you could say this is their take on a queso fundido but much better. A provolone wedge is drizzled with olive oil and herbs then topped with slabs of Argentinean sausage. Roasted pimentos and a zesty chimichurri sauce come on the side with a rolled foil of home made flour tortillas. You know the deal, build your own and roll it up. It’s a heavy starter for sure but the flavor combinations of the rustic sausage, smooth cheese, and the fresh herbs enveloped by the wholesomeness of the tortillas make this a dynamite dish.
From there we chose the Mahi Mahi fish of the day, Pabella Criollo, and Asado Brasilero. The mahi mahi was an ultra fresh filet served mojo de ajo style with loads of sliced garlic over basmati rice. This alone was a flavorful combination worth returning for but La Duni seems hell bent on packing as many flavor profiles as possible on each plate – which is fine with us. This also came with grilled asparagus, spicy smoked yellow bell peppers, sweet and crispy roasted plantains, and a pan seared corn cake. That is 6, count them, 6 different tastes on one plate, each distinct but working in harmony with each other.
Pabella Criollo is pulled flank steak that’s been stewed in their salsa and is served over garlic studded rice with a few crispy plantains and crumbled queso fresco over an arepa (griddled flat corn cake). Again, lots of bold flavors that explode in your mouth. Asado Brasilero is a beef cut called Picanha in South America and is more prized than a filet mignon due to its flavor from the layer of fat sitting on top of the actual beef. In the US, even though it is in the sirloin part of the steer it is typically divided among other cuts. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure I suppose.
Regardless, at La Duni they take this cut marinate it in spices, grill it and then drape the strips over garlic rice. It comes sided with the same plantains and roasted pimentos but also with thick cuts of sour orange pickles. It is really quite a treat and a nice interlude from the big blustery steakhouse steaks.
The ambiance at La Duni is a little cozy and cramped but in a good way. Warm tones, fresh flowers, and simple photos line the walls. In a very European, un-Starbucks move, La Duni has free Wi-Fi with plugs lining the bar area as well as the booths. They don’t accept reservations so there’s always a good crowd at the small bar but somehow the place never seems annoyingly crowded. You’ve got the Latin beats going on the sound system, it smells incredible and everyone is having fun.
Even though La Duni is only 7 years old, the Borga’s have quite a background in the restaurant business. Husband/Chef/Co-Owner Espartaco (“taco”) founded the popular ZuZu fresh Tex Mex chain in 1991, expanded it, then sold it off when it had grown to some 200 outlets. He also co-founded Lavendou Bistro in north Dallas. Dunia didn’t start her official culinary journey until 1997 when she enrolled in Dallas’ own El Centro to start her pastry studies. Clearly she was a quick study having won numerous awards and nominations including her current nomination as Outstanding Pastry Chef in the Southwest by the prestigious James Beard Foundation. This dynamic duo is soon to expand into Northpark Mall, has also spun off La Duni Baking Studio on Oak Lawn as well as ALO, a concept that highlights Peruvian street food and cocktails.
In a city like Dallas you would think we would be rich with authentic Latin American restaurants and cuisine. Not even close. Too often, new restaurants come in touting authentic this and genuine that but upon closer inspection you see terms like inspired by or based on. To us, that’s restaurant speak for “we took an authentic idea or cuisine, Americanized it, worked in some kind of Texas twist, and serve it in an overly kitschy and counterfeit atmosphere.” From the cocktails to the ingredients to the preparations and techniques and even to the wine list, La Duni is true blue in its pursuit and delivery of unadulterated Latin cuisine dished out in a space with a sophisticated, international feel to it.
Oh yeah…and that Cuatro Leches cake freakin’ ROCKS!!