Tex-Mex in a funky Deep Ellum setting -- part restaurant, part bar, part dance floor -- is the ticket at "Monica's Here and There," now in its second decade of consistent popularity. The inviting space is big on atmosphere, with deep-red bordello walls, a long pale-yellow banquet, and funky sconces, the perfect venue for high-volume salsa music and dressed-up margaritas (which are excellent, by the way). The creative menu offers new twists on Tex-Mex such as Mexican lasagna, snapper verde (in a green tomatillo sauce), and sirloin noir, as well as more traditional Mexican specialties. If the food makes you want to get up and dance, feel free. Friday and Saturday nights, the place heats up like a loud nightclub; but Sunday afternoons and early evenings are quieter, and there are free Latin dance lessons. The inexpensive Sunday brunch is rightly popular, and weeknight specials include half-price entrees on Tuesday and 75¢ margaritas on Wednesday. But one of the best bargains in the city is the daily lunch special for just $5. If you like Monica's, you'd be wise to check its sister restaurant, the more refined and upscale Ciudad, 3888 Oak Lawn Ave. in Turtle Creek Village (tel. 214/219-3141); some locals have proclaimed it the finest Mexican in town.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
