A meal at this second, newly opened outpost of Emilio’s Kitchen dares you to scrub your expectations of what Mexican food should be by introducing lesser-known dishes with unexpected twists.

Albondigas—Mexican meatballs in a mild chimichurri sauce topped with a dusting of queso fresco and toasted sourdough—are a fabulous way to get your feet wet. Entrées channel the American South while still imparting south-of-the-border flavor like shrimp and grits with a lovely mojo de ajo sauce that lends a helping hand to the somewhat ho-hum grits.

Even a dish as straightforward as the New York strip steak is paired with a poblano-pepper salsa instead of the standard trappings you might find elsewhere.

At lunch, the organic-based menu includes more traditional entrées, but often with fun fusions, like the calamari burrito, which dresses up a standard pizza-joint app in a suit you never knew it needed.

No less than eight sandwiches appear on the menu, each zigging when you expect them to zag. A torta masquerades as a Milanese. The shrimp sandwich attempts to upstage its namesake star with an adobo dressing that is divine. Even the humble turkey sandwich starts out predictably enough, until a cranberry ancho-chili mayo comes knocking at the door to jazz things up.

All of these dishes can (and should) be washed down with a glass of the homemade horchata, which is delicious and sweet enough to double as a dessert.

HOW WE REVIEW: Restaurants are chosen for review at the sole discretion of New Jersey Monthly. These unstarred reviews of more casual restaurants are written after a critic visits once, with a guest; the magazine pays for these meals.