La Calle Doce opened on September 15, 1981, in a renovated house on West 12th Street in Oak Cliff. Oscar and Laura Sanchez ran it, and they served Mexican seafood at a time when most people in Dallas ordered a cheese enchilada plate and called it a night. That was 45 years ago last week. The house is still there. So is the fish soup.
The anniversary happens to fall on the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, which gives anyone looking for an excuse a pretty good one.
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The word enchilada is the past participle of the Spanish verb enchilar — to season with chili, literally “the chili’d thing.” The dish is older than the country it became famous in, older than most of the languages spoken around it, older by centuries than the state of Texas. The Mayans were among the first to dip corn tortillas in chili sauce and eat them as a complete meal.
When Spanish conquistadors walked into Tenochtitlán in 1519, they found the Aztec court already eating elaborate versions of the same idea — tortilla as vehicle, chile as the point. Bernal Díaz del Castillo wrote about it. The Spanish adopted it, modified it, and carried it through three centuries of colonization. By the time Mexico declared independence from Spain in 1821, the enchilada had already been evolving longer than most nations had existed.
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Dallas is a city known for its rich and diverse culinary landscape, where you can find everything from upscale steakhouses to authentic ethnic eateries. Whether you’re a local or just passing through, these five restaurants offer a taste of the best that Dallas has to offer this week. Each venue delivers a unique dining experience, with carefully curated menus and atmospheres that range from casual elegance to modern sophistication.
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by Steven Doyle
Ceviche is seafood prepared in a centuries old method of cooking by contact with the acidic juice of citrus juice instead of heat. The preparation and consumption of ceviche is practically a religion in parts of Mexico, Central, and South America, and it seems as though there are as many varieties of ceviche as people who eat it. It can be eaten as a first course or main dish, depending on what is served with it.
The chemical process that occurs when the acid of the citrus comes in contact with the fish is similar what happens when the fish is cooked, and the flesh becomes opaque and firm. Continue reading
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