Mexico City native Jose Acevedo helms the kitchen at this trendy Mexican restaurant, preparing premium takes on the specialties of Oaxaca and Puebla. Given the fashionable space, the food probably costs more than it should, but Taleo is still worth visiting.

Taleo is a stylish stand alone establishment in Park Place-Irvine, a sanitized new business and shopping center.

During warmer months, the patio is a popular dining option. Unfortunately, it wasn’t one of those months, so we dined indoors. The decor includes high curved wood ceilings, Flavio Gardiandia’s massive paintings on the walls, and a bar area with a flat screen TV and this three-piece set of obelisk-like pottery from Paloma Torres.

The complimentary bowl of salt-dusted chips was very good, served warm. The accompanying salsa was chunky, smoky and spicy.

Taleo serves a different bowl of soup each day, but Chef Acevedo always prepare tortilla soup. As I found out, there’s a reason the bowl of tortilla soup ($5) never leaves the menu. The spicy chicken stock and tomato broth contains tender shredded chicken, crunchy tortilla strips, queso fresco, avocado, dried chilies and more.

Smoky boneless short ribs ($24) were prepared using chile sauce, carrots, potatoes and onions, cooked and served in banana leaves with buttery white rice. The beef was fork tender and had a potent kick, but was finally just a competently prepared beef stew.

Grilled halibut ($28) arrived on vanilla mango sauce and was topped with a tropical salsa of mango, strawberry and macadamia nuts. The fish was pretty tasty, but slightly overcooked. The best thing on the plate turned out to be a tremendous rice salad that featured candied orange, blueberries, tomato and zucchini, all dressed in vinaigrette.

The halibut was also supposed to come with asparagus, but craving a more traditional Mexican side, I substituted epazote black beans studded with queso fresco. The earthy beans were excellent, and the crumble of cheese a nice touch.

The portions were too large to allow for dessert, but I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. Flan, tres leches cake and sorbet might have been prepared well, but I’m not too enamored with even the best versions.

This entry is filed under California, Mexican, Orange County, Southern California.