a whole new world.

All of a sudden, Vegas is flush with new Mexican restaurants. On the Strip, it's a market driven solution: A quaint taco shop called El Segundo sits strong on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fashion Show Drive, where the tapas joint Cafe Babareeba was doing brisk business just weeks ago. In high traffic areas like this one, and the Mandalay Place walkway between resorts Luxor and Mandalay Bay where the infamous Hussong's Cantina opened a few months back, a familiar concept focused on tacos and burritos, chips and salsa and margaritas is bound to do better. Tourist tastes are still middle-of-the-road, and the less exotic the better.

But off the Strip, it's a different story. Downtown, hiding in the World Market Center furniture superspace, right across from the massive, just underway Symphony Park development, here is Mundo. It comes to us from the same folks that operated La Madonna, a southwest valley "avant garde" Mexican restaurant that had a following but ultimately didn't last long. As evidenced from the creativity displayed here (up top we've got a great appetizer, smoked chile-crusted swordfish skewers with a jicama salad, and underneath is carnitas in black bean broth, which left me satisfied for almost an entire day), it couldn't have been the food that spelled La Madonna's demise. Mundo's chef is working very similarly to what is being done at our most upscale and innovative Mexican restaurants on the Strip, places like Border Grill in Mandalay Bay. Another stunning opener is the poblano chile corn soup, creamy smooth and full of bright cumin. There is quite a bit of seafood and quite a bit of beef on the menu of entrees, including avocado leaf crusted sea scallops with cheesy risotto, a shrimp tamale, a skirt steak with chimichurri, and a peppercorn and red chile crusted filet mignon floating on some killer sauces: smoked chile and asada tomatillo.

Like every other buzzed-about downtown Vegas destination, Mundo boasts a cocky hipness that can sometimes be a restaurant's undoing. But they back up any attitude with superior cuisine, putting their own unique twists on the concept of unique twists on traditional flavors. If you make the rounds downtown, you've already eaten here. If you're out in the 'burbs, this is worth the trip. If you're coming into town and looking for a cool joint with delicious, contemporary food beyond your hotel, check out Mundo.