La Cocina Mexicana

Mexican food is full of hearty meat stews, fish and vegetables. Favorite Mexican specialties including burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, salsa and tamales.

Food is a central part to the Mexican way of life: like Mexico itself, it is colorful, rich, exciting and festive.

In recent years, thanks to some truly innovative chefs all across North America, this New World culinary tradition is stepping up to take its rightful place alongside the classic Old World cuisines. Experimenting with ingredients—from tree oyster mushrooms and lemongrass to Asian ingredients such as Thai eggplant, freewheeling chefs are finding dazzling modern flourishes to refresh this already rich tradition, giving ancient recipes some surprising and delightful new twists.

So bite into some dishes inspired by ancient Aztec, Mayan and Spanish cultures at your local Mexican restaurant. Mexican food is full of hearty meat stews, fish and vegetables. Enjoy Mexican specialties including burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, salsa and tamales. Search this cuisine type to find delicious Mexican restaurants near you.

Lucky Number 13

Trece Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Lounge

Trece, Spanish for "13," was named for a number that seemed oddly fateful in the destiny of the enterprise. Not only the last two digits of the street address, 13 was also the number of ingredients in two signature dishes by Creating Chef Amador Mora, as well as the player number worn by restaurant founder Robert Colombo as both a high school and college baseball player!

Trece sits at the heart of Dallas's fashionable Knox-Henderson area, a spot notable for high-end retail, lively entertainment and a prime location. To satisfy the palate of this demanding clientele, Trece showcases a menu Chef Mora calls "Lux Mex," combining authentic flavors of his native Mexico with luxe ingredients to create dishes such as Trece's signature Nachos Amador con Langosta-Lobster Nachos served with roasted tomato salsa and jalapeno jelly. Trece's legendary guacamole is prepared tableside with fresh avocados, house-roasted tomatoes and peppers, smoked jalapenos, plus more!

A Feast for The Eyes As Well As The Palate

Set amid an impressive expanse of alabaster stucco fronting 4513 Travis Street, Trece's main entrance passes through an 18th-century wooden door framed by hand-carved Corinthian columns.

The main dining room seats 150 in chic, modern splendor set off with five-inch plank ebony wood flooring and plastered raffia cream walls, climaxed with a central artistic display incorporating a snow-white stuffed peacock and D.L. & Co. taxidermy pheasant.

See And Be Seen

A year-round 50-seat patio offers a "see and be seen" prospect on the passing parade outside. Over-sized paneled windows fold back to let fresh breezes blow through, and close tight to keep patrons well-sheltered when the weather shows a less friendly face. When the sun shines, an awning spreads above the patio-the perfect spot for sipping a house specialty such as Trece's Mexican Martini or a Cucumber Lavender Mojito.

Trece's Tequila Lounge serves up 120 types of Tequila, with a connoisseur's selection of the finest blanco, robust anejo and reposado aged varieties. Special selections of the finest are available on tap, hyper-cooled to five degrees for the ultimate sipping experience. The private Wine Room offers secluded dining for parties up to 20-perfect for sampling in solitude the extensive cellar of Latin and California wines, including featured vintages such as Casa Madero, established in 1597 in Mexico's Parras Valley and considered the oldest winery in America.

Trece's combination of ingredients perfectly meld to create an atmosphere of warmth, conviviality and the pleasure that comes from enjoying life's good things in plentiful abundance.

THE MAN BEHIND TRECE

Founder Robert Columbo is the creative force behind Trece's innovative menu and atmosphere. Over three decades in the business, Robert was founder of the world-famous Sfuzzi restaurant chain and later Chief Operating Officer of the Phillips Group, where he developed the Bryant Park Hotel in New York City and The Shore Club of Miami.

Since 1999, he has spearheaded more than $400 million in hotel and restaurant projects across the country. As befits his stature in the industry, Robert's favorite tequila is Patron Platinum.