If I had to describe
La Duni Latin Cafe in one word, it would be "in". La Duni has achieved that difficult but coveted status in the finicky Dallas restaurant scene: it's hot. It's been named one of
Esquire's Best 20 New Restaurants in America (December 2001),
D Magazine's Best of Big D (August 2001), and one of the
Dallas Morning News Top 5 Restaurants.
Don't mistake these accomplishments as a blanket endorsement, however. All is not perfect in La Duniland. I won't post an entry here unless I have visited a restaurant at least twice; I've been to most of the eateries listed here many times. So I waited until my second visit to see if La Duni could get its act together. It couldn't.
My beef here is that the hostesses woefully underestimate the wait. On my first visit, a "twenty minute" wait turned into nearly an hour. On my second visit, a "thirty minute" wait for a table on the heated patio (as opposed to a quoted hour and twenty minutes in the dining room proper) stretched to an excruciating hour and a half. I spoke to someone as they were leaving that night whose party had been waiting for two hours; they never did get a table. Is it intentional? Who knows? What it is, though, is frustrating. On both occassions we were seated only after complaining to the manager.
The shortcomings at the front of the house are unfortunate, because the food is terrific. They feature appetizers, salads, sandwiches and entrees from Venezuela, Columbia, Argentina,
Mexico, Brazil, and more. Everything is very reasonably priced, with most entrees under $13. On my first visit I ordered the "Pollo al Aljibe", which is roasted chicken with champagne, green orange-citrus and pan juices mojo served with garlic rice, black beans, and plantains. It is delicious and a steal at $11. On my second visit I ordered "Quesadillas de Robalo" ($13), corn tortillas filled with sea bass, picadillo and Latin cheese. It was very good, but no match for the roasted chicken dish. Entrees are attractively presented on rectangular plates. The service, uneven on the first visit, improved the second time around.
The decor is very pleasing. Wall sconces provide attractive lighting accents, and one entire wall in the dining room features a shelf of alternating flowers and candles, making for intriguing shadow play on the wall. Interestingly, booths have high-speed internet connections and power sources, so bring your laptop to surf the web while you're here.
The food makes La Duni worth checking out. Just make sure you have plenty of time (and patience). They do not accept reservations.
Limited parking is available. Expect to pay $3 for valet service.
Hours are:
Tue-Thu 11:00am-10:00pm
Fri 11:00am-10:30pm
Sat-Sun 9:00am- 2:00pm; 5:00pm-10:00pm
Mon-Closed
Email La Duni at manager@LaDuni.com or visit their web site here.
My 1 - 10 ratings:
Food - 8; Service - 4; Atmosphere - 8