It's Not Tex-Mex

New Dallas line of cooking sauces transports taste buds to Mexico

Tex-Mex is Dallas’ go-to for all things south of the border, but if Lakewood couple Leticia and Rodrigo Salas have their way, you’ll soon be looking to the interior of Mexico for inspiration for your next home-cooked meal.

Launched in September, their new line of Mexican cooking sauces, Mölli Sauces, are inspired by traditional regional sauces and use specific peppers and all-natural ingredients to capture that cooked-from-scratch flavor. For now, Mölli Sauces come in two types designed to be used with meat, fish or vegetables.

The Mexico City sauce uses bright red ancho chilies and zesty tomatillos to give it a fiery kick that pairs well with beef and pork. The Morelos sauce, which has a sweet and savory blend of smoky chipotle, tomatillo and tomatoes, works well with fish. The Morelos was inspired by the flavors of the Nahua people of Central Mexico, who have been using these ingredients in their cooking for more than 1,000 years.

Mölli Sauces are inspired by traditional Mexican regional sauces and use specific peppers and all-natural ingredients to capture that cooked-from-scratch flavor.

The Mexico City natives say they were inspired to create the sauces after difficulties finding their native flavors in Texas.

“Being in the U.S., it’s hard to find the more advanced Mexico food flavors,” Rodrigo says. “You can find basic tacos and enchiladas, but you can't find anything more advanced in terms of the authentic Mexican recipes we had in Mexico.”

After spending nearly two years developing the sauces in their kitchen using a mixture of Mexican and local ingredients, the Salases decided to try selling them. It was a big step for the couple, as they had never started their own business before.

“There were a lot of roadblocks,” Rodrigo says. “It’s about finding access to good ingredients, and chile peppers, for example, change their taste and spice level depending on where they’re from. Some of them come from China, which we didn’t want. We had to find the right suppliers of Mexican chile peppers and tomatillos that we could have year round so we could keep the consistency.”

The Mölli Sauces make it easy to create a meal in 20 minutes. You simply brown the meat or vegetables and then add the sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes.

The Salases plan to introduce several more sauces to the Mölli line-up in the next six months, including a chunky tomato sauce inspired by a dish from the state of Veracruz as well as two pastes derived from traditional recipes from the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca.

“Oaxaca cuisine, personally, I think it’s the best food in Mexico,” Rodrigo says. “They have the best flavors and spices. The paste is basically a marinade for pork, beef and chicken, and it works great as a base for soups or stews.”

For now, Mölli Sauces are available at Deep Ellum Postal & Grocer, Rudolph’s Meat Market, Loco Cowpoke, White Rock Local Market, Amazon.com and Artizone.com. Rodrigo says they hope to get into Whole Foods and other chain grocers as demand grows.

“We’ve gotten a really good response so far,” he says. “We were one of the highest-selling vendors in September at Artizone, which was a surprise for us. For a start-up that nobody knows of, it’s been pretty good.”

Mölli Sauces are inspired by traditional cooking sauces from Mexico.

Photo courtesy of Molli Sauces

Mölli Sauces are inspired by traditional cooking sauces from Mexico.

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Roundup Time

Dallas restaurants heat up new summer menus in this roundup of news

Mirador

Whipped feta at Mirador

Mid-June means it's time for a roundup of restaurant news around Dallas, and this one is perfect for people craving something new. Everyone's doing new menus and dishes, from a fancy lobster roll and wine pairing to a new ranch dip at one of America's most popular chains.

Here's what's happening in Dallas restaurant news right now:

Al Biernat's has a new special 3-course dinner at its Al Biernat’s North location, available on weekend nights only from Friday-Sunday, featuring dishes like grilled pear soup, snapper, short rib, steak frites, and Al’s Famous coconut cream pie, for the bargain price of $55.

Mirador in downtown Dallas has a new summer menu for brunch and lunch featuring $18 seasonal crudo, $14 heirloom tomato salad, $11 chocolate donut, and a $18 Foie-ffle with buttermilk waffle, duck confit, cultured butter.

The Porch has a new summer menu with $30 wood-fired salmon, $16 pork belly burnt ends, and $38 shrimp & grits. Plus, there are $10 "inflation-free" cocktails featuring a margarita and hibiscus hybrid.

Te Deseo in the Harwood District has a new menu at their La Terraza rooftop with corn soup, salsas flight with three salsas, cheese and chicken stuffed arepas, tacos, ceviche, and churros. Dishes range from $9 for an appetizer to $29 for fajitas.

Elm Street Cask & Kitchen in downtown Dallas has a new summer menu with $34 blackened redfish, $14 Gulf shrimp ceviche, $34 chargrilled pork chops, and lighter bites like $14 watermelon & feta skewers.

Winsome Prime the steakhouse at Trinity Groves has a new weekend brunch with $17 spinach-artichoke dip, $25 six-ounce Kobe burger, $46 oxtail hash, and $47 lobster Benedict. Hours are Saturday-Sunday from 11 am-4 pm.

Culpepper Cattle Co. has a new Sunday brunch buffet for $28 with omelets, chicken fried steak, cheddar grits, monkey bread, biscuits & gravy, chicken tenders, pancakes, waffles, French toast sticks, migas, tacos, plus $5 mimosas and $8 build-your-own bloody Mary bar.

Eddie V's has a new special pairing a lobster roll and wine for $38, with choice from Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay, Whispering Angel Rosé, or Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir. Available at both Plano and Fort Worth locations until July 25.

Jinya Ramen Bar has new summer chef specials: tan tan men noodles in a chilled chicken broth, topped with pork and bok choy for $17; and buffalo cauliflower with ranch for $8. Available through August 31.

Tacodeli is bringing back the salmon pistachio taco, with includes salmon wrapped in a pistachio crust, pistachio salsa + spicy habanero escabeche, and a sprinkle of pistachios for $6.50.

Fish City Grill has a new "handhelds" menu of tacos and sandwiches, starting at $14, including fishwich with beer-battered cod, honey chipotle shrimp tacos, lobster & shrimp grilled cheese, shrimp po’boy, and bacon cheeseburger.

Dog Haus, the hot dog restaurant and biergarten, has teamed with chef Josh Elkin for an Aloha Soopah Slider featuring fried Spam, tater tots, chili crunch, furikake, eggs, and maple sriracha on grilled King's Hawaiian rolls. Available for $8 through July 21.

Culinary Dropout is celebrating its one-year anniversary in the Design District with new summer dishes, zero-proof sips, and frozen cocktails. There are two-for-one sushi rolls, whipped feta and tahini dip, strawberry spinach salad, short rib, and cocktails like Pancho's Paloma and the Irish Goodbye with whiskey, Borghetti Italian liqueur, cold brew, and cinnamon cold foam.

Barcelona, the Knox-Henderson wine bar, has a menu designed for patio dining that includes asparagus a la plancha with charred lemon; corn zucchini buñuelos with dill and citrus; burrata topped with onion pesto and blistered tomatoes; or a whole roasted branzino served with salsa verde, potatoes, and lemon.

Corner Bakery is offering low priced sandwiches such as ham and Swiss, bacon & egg, and chicken salad sandwich for $4 and $5. The sandwiches are typically $8-$10.

Bellagreen has six new limited-time dishes including cucumber & avocado gazpacho, watermelon salad, falafel burger, and lemon crumble bar. Priced at $5-$20. Available through the end of August.

First Watch has a new summer brunch with blueberry lemon cornbread, elote breakfast burrito, shrimp & grits, and strawberry tres leches French toast with spiced gingerbread cookie crumbles. A new summer drink is the Watermelon Wake-Up with watermelon, pineapple, lime, and mint. Available through August 11.

MilkShake Factory, the Grapevine dessert shop, has added the buzzy Dubai-style chocolate bar with pistachio crème and toasted kataifi wrapped in milk chocolate for $6. They have also added a limited-time strawberry pretzel pie shake withstrawberries, salty pretzels, and frosting, topped with whipped cream and a strawberry for $10, available through July 27.

Menchie's frozen dessert chain has partnered with Hi-Chew candy for a limited-edition flavor: Hi-Chew Blue Hawaii Tropical Candy. The flavor combines citrus and pineapple in a creamy frozen dessert, available through June 31.

Bahama Buck's has a limited-edition lineup of Bomb Pop shaved ice and sodas. Flavors include Watermelon Bomb Pop Sno topped with sprinkles and a Watermelon Bomb Jr., Bomb Pop Cherry Bahama Soda, Bomb Pop Lime Bahama Soda, and Bomb Pop Blue Raspberry Bahama Soda. Available at Dallas locations from June 26-July 6.

Einstein Bros. Bagels, the fast-casual bagel chain, has morning mocktails in fruity flavors like Bros. Bay Breeze with cranberry, lemonade & passion fruit; Passion Fruit Sunrise with OJ, lemonade, & passion fruit; and an Energy Spritz made with Monster Energy. Starting June 18.

Duro Hospitality and Socorro Tequila have launched Socorro Tequila Joven Duro Edition, a collaboration that brings an exclusive tequila experience to all Duro Hospitality concepts. Cocktails include “El Martini” at Mister Charles with Makrut Lime and Cointreau; the “Sandro Pertini” at The Charles with mezcal, Campari, and lime; and the “Tio Rosso” at El Carlos Elegante with grapefruit soda and rosemary.

Taco Bell has new chicken strips for a limited time. They come solo, in tacos, or in a burrito. The chain keeps dabbling in chicken: They launched chicken nuggets with a tortilla chip breading in 2024, then brought them back again in 2025. The chicken strips are marinated in jalapeño buttermilk and coated with tortilla chip breadcrumbs and can be ordered with choice of spicy ranchero or avocado ranch. The taco features one chicken strip, purple cabbage, lettuce, pico de gallo, and cheddar on a tortilla. The burrito has all the same ingredients, but two chicken strips instead of one. Items are $3-$6.

Chipotle is launching adobo ranch, the chain's first new dip in five years since queso blanco. the sauce features adobo pepper, sour cream and a blend of herbs and spices. Available starting June 17.

7-Eleven, Inc. has a new Spicy Hot Link Sausage featuring a slow-smoked, paprika-packed sausage. They've also launched a summer Craveables Value Menu with 5 bone-in wings for $5 and a glazed doughnut for $1.

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