Talavera, a charming Coral Gables newcomer, is worth a visit any day for its homey Mexican cuisine, classy setting and notably sharp service, but especially on Super Bowl Sunday for crisp, hand-cut corn chips the color of pale cinnamon bark that are utterly greaseless and as authentic as can be.

Baskets of them, along with commercial blue corn chips, land on the table soon after you're seated, along with bowls of incendiary green and mild red salsa.

The hands-on Mexico City team of Eduardo ``Lalo'' Durazo, Martin Moreno and chef Oscar Del Rivero (Jaguar Ceviche Spoon Bar) have created a stunning spot. Deep almond-hued booths, walnut-colored wood-slat tables and earthy sisal rugs fill the wide-open space, with outside seating beneath broad awnings.

Named for the ornately decorated pottery of Puebla, Talavera combines Mexican classics, lesser-known rustic dishes and a few American twists. There's something here for purists and novices, natives and visitors, gourmets and gourmands alike. Instead of taking themselves too seriously, Talavera makes the customer experience paramount.

Thick, chunky guacamole is smashed moments before it hits the table. It's simply seasoned with lime juice, cilantro, onion, salt and a gentle hit of Serrano chile, embellished with creamy queso fresco and chicharones (fried pork rind -- a bit flabby, unfortunately, from resting in the guac).

Tortilla soup has an unconventional bright green hue but tastes fantastic with its surprising hunks of more avocado.

As long as you're seeing green, the cilantro lemonade is so refreshing you might even forgo a michelada. But, if you're of age, I wouldn't. That kicky beer and lime juice concoction is a perfect match with the rustic fare. So, too, the tangy margaritas.

Another must is the queso fundido, a shallow casserole of gooey Oaxaca and Gouda cheeses with smoky chorizo crumbles, baked until glossy and charred. Warm flour tortillas work for dipping, but I'd ask for more of those crispy chips.

Caesar salad -- born in an Italian restaurant in Tijuana -- is delightfully crunchy here, tangy but not too creamy and a hit with the kids. Other fine choices include the daily grilled fish, bright seafood cocktails with shrimp and overstuffed chiles rellenos.

Talavera's signature huarache is a sandal-shaped wedge of grilled masa layered with black bean puree, lettuce, tomato and a protein -- pleasing with juicy red snapper and guajillo-rubbed beef, but not dry and flavorless chicken.

Chicken tacos were clumsy and dense, while a ``Vegetarian's Dream'' salad was drenched in cilantro pesto dressing. Salsa fresca didn't taste so fresh with its pallid tomatoes -- a problem after the freeze, I realize.

Desserts, however, made things right. A molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream disappeared so quickly I hardly had time to note the details, and a perfectly velvety flan the diameter of a bread plate and festooned with crisp ribbons of cinnamon tortilla would make any sweet tooth giddy.