It had been a long time since I pulled up a chair to a plate of tacos that looked and tasted like anything more than tacos. Though a devoted fan of slapdash Mexican food and all of those genetically linked salsas and hot sauces that go with it, Cantina Mayahuel breaks the predictable mold with powerful flavors and nurtured presentations that the El Torritos and Tio Leo’s of our land could never achieve.

Larry Auman is the “mom” and “pop” of this quaint cantina, which fits the casual spirit of Normal Heights with its funky, colorful art and intimate atmosphere. Prior to opening the eatery a couple months ago, he worked for 20 years as a bartender around the country, made jewelry and traveled extensively throughout Mexico. Cooking was something he was always good at doing, too. Thus his passion for swooping up traditional recipes from interior regions of Mexico crawls into every meal he prepares from the open kitchen he mans behind the eatery’s inviting, dark-wooden bar.

His daily menu is small and focused, offering only tortas and tacos stuffed with several different options. Fresh telera rolls and tortillas come from Pancho Villa in North Park, one of San Diego’s remaining, old-fashioned taquerias that bakes twice a day. Otherwise, he makes from scratch his own marinades, sauces and salsas infused with the myriad spices and chilies he came to know in Mexico.

He also offers a small lineup of homey weekend specials.

“There’s supposed to be seven great moles, but I make about nine,” Auman says, referring to the rotation of mole sauces he presents in various meat dishes every Friday. A Yucatan-style seafood stew is available on Saturdays, and a feisty tasting Barbacoa stew boasting sirloin beef and five kinds of peppers keeps the patronage streaming back on Sundays. The sinus-tickling stew takes eight hours to make and is already so established that “I dare not replace it with another special,” he says.

Terracotta plates and bowls help achieve a cantina feel, as well as the heavy glasses used for serving Agua Frescas – delicately flavored fruit waters that change often from tamarind to hibiscus, or to prickly pear and mango the night my companion and I visited.

Freshly mashed guacamole kicked off our zesty meal, a nice bare-bones preparation that wasn’t stretched out by sour cream or mayonnaise, and is spiced only with hints of lime, chili powder, white pepper and Cajun salt. Our ensuing choices became more nouveau and proved further that Auman doesn’t cut corners in terms of quality and presentation.

About 30 different spices united the key ingredients inside our Mahi Torta, which contained a plentiful amount of the cubed marinated fish speckled with shredded white cabbage, carrots, cilantro and tropical salsa (made with mango, pineapple and papaya). Thankfully, it escaped the tutti-frutti character I’ve found to be the bane of fruit salsas elsewhere. In addition, the judicial use of garlic-ancho mayonnaise and fresh crema gave the sandwich lip-smacking moisture without rendering it soggy. It was outstanding.

And, speaking of salsa, if you’re the type who revels in 10-alarm tongue burns then ask for the “special hot sauce” made with habanero peppers, oranges, onion and a dash of homemade pineapple vinegar. Even if you’re not a wussy to these fiery salsas, I guarantee a forehead sweat if you apply more than an eye drop to your food.

Rare in pedestrian Cal-Mex restaurants is beef prepared Tasajo style, where the meat is cut into thin strips and marinated in either achiote or, in this case, with lime and salt, and then seared. Auman offers it as a torta filling or in the form of tacos, which we tried. Each bite delivered tangy bursts of salt and citrus quelled perfectly by mild Oaxaca cheese and bright salsa fresca. It’ll be hard going back to plain ol’ shredded beef tacos after voraciously wolfing these down.

Another duo of open-faced tacos we ordered came loaded with melt-in-your mouth chipotle chicken crowned with zigzags of crema and hot sauce. The meal’s robust flavor and radiant presentation, I felt, could easily conform to the standards of California-Southwest fine dining without any restructuring whatsoever. But fortunately this is one of those classic neighborhood gems where you can schmooze with the staff and eat very well for less than 10 bucks.

Savory black beans and white rice (the only plain-tasting sustenance served here) cost only $1.50 for both items served side by side in a wide dish.

The libations feature about seven Mexican beers and a short but pleasing list of wines by the bottle or glass with Latin origins: Trapiche pinot noir, Casillero del Diablo sauvignon blanc, Tamari malbec and the likes.

Just as well there are no desserts. Auman gives you a torrent of unique and kicky flavors that you won’t want tainted in the end by refined sugars or, even worse, a jiggly mold of flan.