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La Duni
By Jim White
Tour the southern
hemisphere without a travel agent at the new Latin sensation La Duni.
The restaurant takes
over the old Anzu space and takes us on a whirlwind tour from Havana
to Buenos Aires.
Dishes from
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela are featured. From the
Canary Islands comes a wonderful meat and vegetable condiment called
mojo. Sailors found this exotic mixture of olive oil, garlic
and herbs that inspired the French to create mayonnaise.
The Latin roots of
owners Espartaco Borga (founder of ZuZu) and his wife Dunia (whose
nickname provides the name for the restaurant) bring heritage and
authenticity to the restaurant and the menu.
The place is warm and
inviting, with the feel of a dining room in an upscale hacienda. Old
World charm meets New World pragmatism: Booths feature data ports—log
on at lunch. The high-tech touch is as cool as the sassy dishes
featured on the extensive menu are hot.
Aprepas Criollas
($7.25) are sensational. The grilled white corn masa patties
are filled with different selections daily, like ham, pork or black
beans. We liked the tasty little "sandwiches" so much we
brought another order home. SO good with the Argentine mojo!
Speaking of
sandwiches, here they are tortas and feature hand-carved and
house roasted meats. Torta Cubana ($7.95) is a fabulous
creation served on grilled baguette with sliced tomatoes, Gruyere
cheese, ham, pork, pickles and more. Beef, pork and chicken tortas
are also offered. "French fries" are yucca and are yummy.
Two entrées
convinced us we’d be back to sample more. Pollo al Ajibe
($9.95) is a moist, tender roasted half-chicken served with
Champagne, citrus, pan juice mojo. Pollo al Oreganato
($12.75) is garlic marinated grilled breast of chicken seasoned with
parsley and oregano and served with a delightfully fresh watercress,
spinach and red leaf lettuce salad.
Latin American
variations of enchiladas, tacos, and quesadillas round out the menu.
Desserts are divine.
A prime example is Quatro leches cake (outdoing the
traditional tres leches).
The food is so good,
and the attitude so pleasant, I can overlook the slow service.
La Duni
4620 McKinney Avenue
(214) 520-7300
Send me an Email: jwdineline@aol.com
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