La Costena

An old, wide-porch Oak Cliff house turned Mexican seafood restaurant, La Costeña has a welcoming homey feel. A TV in the corner of one room shows novelas during lunch, so you can get a fix of tasty Mexican seafood while catching up on your favorite Spanish-language soap opera. Another of the house's seven rooms has been converted into a small, festive bar. With the owner's family and the cook both hailing from the Texas-Mexico border state of Coahuila, the menu has a slight Northern Mexico emphasis. Inspired by local ranching culture, this regional cuisine is sometimes cooked over a wood fire. The Costeña shrimp, prepared in a spicy chipotle chili pepper salsa, is a good example. Try the whole tilapia plate (and by whole they mean the head and everything) for another entrée you can't order at just any local seafood joint.