Monica Makes A Mean Chipotle Crema Sauce South of the River

By Andrea Grimes Wed., Feb. 9 2011 at 9:44 AM

Categories: Eat This

Andrea Grimes

That's the chipotle crema sauce to the south, and the traditional sour crema to the north.

Monica's Aca Y Alla in Deep Ellum has been a neighborhood staple for years, weathering bad press and a bad economic climate with quality Tex Mex and great specials. But it's still just another excellent Tex-Mex restaurant in Dallas. Yawwwwwwwn. We need something new. Different. And Monica came up with just that: a new, different way of eating, of all things, enchiladas. Which Dallasites have been shoveling down their gullets since time immemorial. Or 1856. Anyway. Monica's new Oak Cliff outpost is called "BEE," which stands for "best enchiladas ever." The restaurant itself is full of punny signs featuring bzzzing cartoon insects. Ignore that.

Go straight for the chipotle crema sauce.

Actually, first go left, when you walk in the door and fill out the little order card, then give that to the cashier, then tell Monica -- or whoever is behind the counter -- all of the many and various extras you want on your personalized enchilada. Just make sure there's chipotle crema in there somewhere. You can have the thick, spicy sauce on a corn, wheat or flour tortilla filled with all manner of peppery meats or cheeses. You can have it with rice. You can have it with beans. But you'll want it as a smoky complement to any of Monica's many ingredients.

Between the epic crema and the near-infinite seeming personalization choices, BEE might really have some of the best enchiladas ever. It's not just that the food is great -- it's that you can build your best enchilada. And that'll be the title of my first self-help book.

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