100 Favorite Dishes: Paella at La Calle Doce

By Steven Doyle Wed., Jun. 23 2010 at 8:00 AM

Categories: 100 Favorite Dishes

As a countdown to the Dallas Observer's "Best of Dallas" 2010, City of Ate is serving up 100 of the favorite dishes we crave, savor and hope to scarf down again soon. These dishes are in no particular order. Some are little known, others celebrated. Some are pricey, others can be eaten on the cheap, but all are delicious to the extreme. Don't hesitate to share your own nominations in the comments. More of the dish's tasty details are after the jump.

No. 68: Paella at La Calle Doce

Paella, the mega-dish hailing originally from Valencia, Spain, is not something found in a many local restaurants. Most commonly thought to be named after the pan it is made in, paella is a fantastic rice concoction that is ideal for the locavore, typically blending myriad fresh ingredients such as seafood, rabbit and chicken, then cooked on an open fire and served family-style to a host of friends.

Although the dish is a bit rare locally, it certainly can be found several places in Dallas. Our go-to paella haunt is La Calle Doce. Here you will find the flavorful dish chock-full of shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams, chicken, cod, sausage and pork and served in aromatic rice infused with saffron then presented in a large comal-like device. The dish is large enough to share with two or three hungry friends. On our most recent lunch expedition to La Calle Doce we did not manage to conquer even a quarter of the dish and enjoyed paella days afterward.

La Calle Doce
415 W. 12th St.
214-941-4304

No. 100: Oatmeal Pancakes at Legal Grounds
No. 99: Shanghai Buns at Jeng Chi Dumpling House
No. 98: Mashed Tater Parfait at Cowboy Chow
No. 97: Chicken and Waffles at Victor Tango's
No. 96: Colorado Lamb Osso Bucco at Hibiscus
No. 95: Flatbread Pizza at Dish
No. 94: First Chinese Barbecue in Richardson
No. 93: Elotes at Fuel City
No. 92: Summer Platter For Two at Big Shucks
No. 91: Chicken Gizzards at Sushi Yama
No. 90: Bob Armstrong Dip at Matt's Rancho Martinez
No. 89: The Angry Dog at Angry Dog
No. 88: Sliders at Dish
No. 87: Spaghetti Bolognese at Urbano Café
No. 86: Vietnamese Pork Panini at Lumi Empanada & Dumpling Kitchen
No. 85: Cheese Fries at Snuffers
No. 84: Tres Vasos at Samar
No. 83: Quatro Leches at La Duni
No. 82: Pad Pak at Bangkok City
No. 81: Brisket Sandwich at Maple and Motor
No. 80: Lunch Express at Dream Cafe
No. 79: Apple Crisp at Salum
No. 78: La Vaca Loca at Good 2 Go
No. 77: Shrimp and Grits at Screen Door
No. 76: Meatball Sub at Jimmy's
No. 75: Baja Chicken at Mattito's
No. 74: Fried Port Salut Cheese at The Porch
No. 73: Lobster Roll at Rex's
No. 72: Fried Green Beans at Local
No. 71: Shaved Ice at May's Ice Cream
No. 70: Shredded Pork Sandwich at Mojitos
No. 69: Tom-Yum-Gai at Bangkok City