Evoking south of the border, and of Boston

Jalapenos Grill

It's been just over a year since Ricardo Doronsorro transplanted his storefront Mexican taqueria in Walpole Center, moving just down Main Street into the former home of upscale Italian restaurant La Cucina. With the shift into larger quarters and a new name, the Jalapenos Grill also moved up in the style and complexity of its dishes.

The decor evokes a touch of Mexico with a minimum of fuss, sprinkling serapes and other iconic south-of-the-border gear amid the wooden posts and timbers lining the spacious main dining room. Up a short set of stairs, a recent renovation created a cozy separate dining area next to the restaurant's lively bar.

Jalapenos has a nice selection of Mexican beers for $4, and its wide range of margarita recipes - from the simple cantina ($7) to the exotic millionaire's ($29) provide an education in tequila's many levels. And the accommodating staff had no trouble concocting a version that bypassed the standard margarita mix.

Familiar items can be found on the menu, but with ingredients and sophisticated seasonings that give new meaning to old favorites. The prices are slightly higher than at most casual Mexican restaurants, but so is the aim of Doronsorro and partner John Murray for the Jalapenos Grill, with dishes reflecting the European culinary traditions that took root in Doronsorro's native Yucatan province during Mexico's colonial past.

One of the soup specials on a recent Sunday night, sopa de marisco ($4), proved to be a savory broth brimming with seafood, scallops, and clams.

Among the appetizers, a house favorite is the shrimp Vallarta ($10), four sauteed jumbo shrimp topped with melted cheese and accompanied by a chipotle-honey mustard sauce that brings out their sweet and briny flavor.

The lineup of tacos starts with a dish of three crispy rolled tortillas ($9), a choice of chicken or beef accompanied by guacamole and salsa, and the traditional side dishes of Mexican rice and refried beans. But it extends into new territory with the sizzling steak in the carne asada ($10), the tilapia in the pescado ($10), and the simmered pork in the cochinita pibil ($9) tacos.

The nightly menu includes a somewhat rare dish in these parts, tamales ($10), in which cornmeal dough is stuffed with a meat filling, wrapped in corn husks, and steamed until firm. Jalapenos offers sweet or savory versions of its pork-filled tamales, topped by red or green sauce. The layer of maize around the filling might have been a shade thick in our dish, but in combination with the spicy pork and salsa verde, it was comfort food that crosses cultural borders.

Another distinctive dish is the mole poblano ($14), a large portion of boneless chicken breast sauteed until tender and served with a traditional mole sauce, in which chilis add bite to the dark, almost bitter chocolate base in a recipe that dates to the Aztecs, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Among the special entrees, the enchiladas Azteca ($15) was a baked dish with layers of tortillas, meat sauce, and cheese that offered a rich and satisfying casserole reminiscent of lasagna. And the pasta Mexicana ($18) also leaned on an Italian staple, using linguini as a base for a delicious mix of tender seafood morsels sauteed with chilis, onions, and tomatoes.

With leftovers from the generous portions safely set aside for the next day's lunch, we turned to the menu's dessert offerings, all $6.

The traditional flan was a smooth custard, creamy yet firm enough to keep the shape of its mold, and drizzled with delightfully sticky caramel sauce. An unexpected treat was the coconut layer cake, a large wedge with a not-too-sweet vanilla icing set off by a thick coating of crunchy coconut.

As part of its mission to spread Mexico's heritage, the Jalapenos Grill regularly hosts special events, with recent offerings including musical performances, salsa dance classes, and special five-course dinners paired with tequilas or wines.

And they had me at the food.

TERRY FITZGERALD