Border Grill   

What began as a modest Melrose taco stand has morphed into Santa Monica's sauciest spot for tamales, margaritas and mojitos. But owners Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger dish out far more than the ersatz snacks and spirits that mar most authentic Mexican joints, and instead translate classical Latin plates into zesty updates that are as robust in their presentation as they are in their flavor. Dinners ramp up with colorful starters such as halibut Mazatlan ceviche with serrano chile and the slow-roasted chicken adobo quesadilla. These bocaditos, or little bites, clear the way for big-ticket entrees like the pescado Veracruzo, a pan-seared halibut in onion and jalapeno, and the ropa vieja, a braised lamb replete with roasted veggies and poblano chiles. Other sophisticated offerings include the skirt steak, the chile relleno, and the cochinita pibil, a pork roast in banana leaf, grilled onions and roasted plantains. With their cosmopolitan but classically trained palates, Border Grill's 'Too Hot Tamales' deliver a rambunctious Mexican fiesta.