In a true began-at-the-bottom story, Ulises Jimenéz, who embarked on his restaurant career a couple of decades ago as a busser and barback at Barcelona Wine Bar in Norwalk before eventually ascending to the head chef position, has opened this hidden gem along  the Milford Green. Family has clearly been a source of inspiration for Jimenéz, as the restaurant’s name honors his wife’s recently deceased father and he turned to his own mother for some of his recipes.

Jimenéz’s flavors are authentic and flavor is maximized in every dish, as revealed in customer favorites like his esquites (Mexican corn salad) with chipotle aioli and Cotija cheese; spicy beef empanadas with smoked tomato sauce; and sweet plantains with crema and queso fresco. His tacos must be considered in any discussion of our state’s best. Let Connecticut’s “taco faithful” make the pilgrimage to Milford for his beef birria, shrimp, Baja fish, chicken adobado, pork pastor, pork belly, ribeye asada, butternut squash, roasted cauliflower, and five-spice duck tacos.

Notwithstanding the authenticity of his Mexican flavors, Jimenéz’s menu, jaunty approach, and rigorous sourcing of pristine ingredients appear more Nuevo Mexican, a label he welcomes. Selling briskly alongside more traditional offerings are delights like his bacon-wrapped jalapeños stuffed with herb queso; roasted Brussels sprouts with queso fresco and agave-jalapeño vinaigrette; and kale salad with dried figs, sunflower seeds, pickled red onion, and quinoa in an apple cider-orange vinaigrette. “I wanted to do something different and good,” Jimenéz says