Excepting the small confines, everything about Bien Trucha is a reimagining of the typical Mexican taco stand. Instead of biding your time in a grungy lobby waiting for a greasy bag of griddled, grayish meat, there's a warm beige dining room featuring a room-length, pillow-laden banquette and clean tables adorned with white tablecloths and glinting stemware. The walls are lined with turquoise and magenta tapestries and a mod folding-screen divider separating the dining room from the kitchen.

The food, which features a hint of Spanish influence and gourmet flair, is just as innovative. There are no generic red and green sauces here. Each dish gets its own distinctive, chili-spiced topping, from a creamy serrano aioli on the grilled skirt-steak torta to earthy chile morita salsa on the tacos al pastor.

The Bien Trucha taco (you can get 4 small ones for around $10) features grilled skirt steak mixed with spicy chorizo and a dollop of rich manchego cheese, along with a stripe of smoky roasted tomatillo-serrano salsa. Roasted poblano soup with potato and queso fresco or epazote- (an herb with basil and cilantro characteristics) infused tomato broth (a.k.a. the Sopa Bien Trucha) are restorative, comforting brews. Even jiggly old flan gets jazzed up, as the custard is cut into a flower shape and garnished with a tiny mint leaf.

Centerstage Reviewer: Michael Nagrant