Months before Luis Rodriguez and Cynthia Rounds opened the doors to their new restaurant, Ticasso A Sinful Taste, they began teasing our minds with a succession of small advertisements that read, “coming soon.” Nobody had a clue as to what type of restaurant it would be, given its awkwardly catchy name. Some guessed Italian. Others thought coffeehouse. Foodies like myself remained gripped in curiosity.

Since debuting in late July, the eatery has settled comfortably into its space that last served as an obscure haunt for Polish food (The Cottage Café). Gone are the pierogis and homey décor, and in came a menu of exquisite Mexican-American fare presented within a stylish motif indicative of the urban renewal occurring between Hillcrest and downtown.

The owners did everything right to avoid appearing like beginners in their first-ever business venture. The slick plate ware and oversized eating utensils, for instance, are strikingly aligned to the interior’s eminent makeover, which they pulled off without any professional designers. Metal ceiling fans, halogen lighting and burnt-orange walls set the tone. “I lost all of my fingernails when we remodeled,” recalls Rounds. “Luis would take me to the manicure shop afterwards.”

In addition, Rounds draws from her food service background at Children’s Hospital by tucking in a slip of paper about food safety for customers toting out doggie bags. Rodriguez, on the other hand, brings a savvy sense of Mexican cuisine to the operation, along with his domestic partner, who works as a waiter.

My dinner companion and I were immediately impressed by our appetizers – the Tortitas de Papa, savory potato cakes served over a bed of cabbage, plus the Coctel de Camaron, a marvelous shrimp cocktail of sorts berthed in a brushed-metal margarita chalice. After consuming the chilled shrimp, we couldn’t part ways with the addicting “sauce” in the middle, which is made with tomatoes, onions, orange juice and lots of cilantro. Every remaining tortilla chip left in our basket got dredged in it.

More wowing ensued. Nowhere in San Diego will you find Chicken Tortilla Soup like this – a meal in itself made with a pasilla-base broth and loaded with breast filets and cubed zucchini. The big wide bowl was also stunning with one side of it sloped upwards to achieve an eye-catching lopsided effect. My companion’s Cream of Squash soup was more delicate in flavor, yet clean, fresh and equally pleasing to the palate.

Rodriguez says he developed the menu based on a lot of “personal favorites.” For us it was difficult to determine any favorites because everything we ate shot above a standard of excellence. We continued with a piggish approach, choosing the only two entrees that involve three items each.

My companion’s Carne Asada a la Tampiqueña was a juicy New York strip steak abutting a cheese enchilada and chile relleno. The latter is stuffed with soft Manchego cheese and topped with tomato cream sauce. Everything jibed. And the accompanying beans and Spanish rice would mean a doggie bag afterwards.

Generous portions filled my plate as well, which included foods from land, sea and air, thus the name Cielo, Mar y Tierra. Two unbelievably tender Angus medallions in a mushroom-merlot reduction gave way to a dense piece of chicken dressed in poblano-mole sauce, plus several garlic shrimp laced with butter. The meal is too much for one stomach, yet too good to stop eating.

The term “sinful taste” seemed to make perfect sense until we got the fuller explanation of the restaurant’s name. Rodriguez was called “Ticasso” when growing up. And the word “sinful” is a takeoff of “cyn”thia, which cleverly transitions his business partner into the title.

In addition to breakfast and lunch, which lean more heavily into American-style dishes, other dinners include pork tenderloin cooked in achiote sauce (Cochinita Pibil), chicken stuffed with garden vegetables (Pollo a la Jardinera) and shrimp with garlic-wine sauce (Camaron al Mojo de Ajo). A small global wine list features French and Spanish champagnes as well as a hard-to-find Manzanillo sherry.

Friendly service and a tucked-away back patio add to the unique merits of Ticasso, which, lucky for us, has finally arrived.