RESTAURANTS : El Porton--Authentic Mexican in Montebello

Many people still think Mexican cuisine is limited to the hamburger-stand fare prevalent in Southern California: acres of corn and flour tortillas, mountains of shredded cheese and ground beef, and oceans of red, green and white sauces. Mexico ought to sue for defamation of food.

A new generation of Mexican restaurants is beginning to surface, and with it a long-neglected array of dishes that Mexican households have been celebrating for a long time: grilled meats, regional stews and other time-consuming preparations.

The opening of El Porton a little more than a month ago could scarcely be better. It is located in Montebello, a middle-income suburb adjacent to heavily Latino East Los Angeles, and a logical place for this type of authenticity. It is, in fact, just across a large parking lot from the wonderful Tianguis, a Mexican supermarket that boasts everything from its own tortilla factory to a selection of exotic produce that would make more upscale markets jealous. Maybe that’s why everything at the restaurant tastes so fresh.

The ambiance at El Porton is about as subtle as a brass band, but it’s festive and fun. The restaurant is part of a large Mexican chain and the building is a replica of one of the Mexican franchises. It is a big, bright, cheerful place dominated by an open kitchen and grill area covered by the largest copper hood you’ve ever seen.

Mariachi music blares from overhead loudspeakers. Kitschy copies of pre-Columbian artifacts are set into the walls like hunting trophies. Cooks and grillmen in white hats scurry energetically around the range. Dining room personnel are decked out in regional Mexican clothing. It’s a lot like being in a Tijuana shopping mall.

Many servers at El Porton speak minimal English, but the restaurant has come up with a unique solution to the ordering problem. The menu displays untitled pictures of almost everything listed. It’s up to you to guess which is which. Then you are given an order slip and a pencil. It’s up to you to fill it in. The menu looks so inviting you’ll be tempted to put a little check in every box. There is much to choose from.

Chicken soup with rice and chick peas is a hearty bowlful with a homemade taste, and far better than the other soups on the menu. Skip the salads like salpicon --cold shredded beef with ordinary iceberg lettuce--or Mexican salad, cold chicken with avocado and a chicken-hearted jalapeno dressing without enough zest. Instead, head straight into an incredible selection of tacos de cazuela , all priced at $1.

El Porton makes its own tortillas, and they are delightfully fresh--no wonder the tacos are so good. Cochinita pibil-- pork and annatto seed steamed in a banana leaf--is a specialty of Yucatan, and wonderfully soft and flavorful. Hongos , fresh mushrooms in a chicken-based stock, are such a natural accompaniment to a corn tortilla that you’ll wonder why you’ve never tasted this before. Papas con rajas , potatoes in a cream sauce with green chiles, is peasant cooking at its best.

Moving up the scale, you encounter tacos a la parrilla , or tacos with grilled meats. These tacos are perhaps the best cooking the restaurant has to offer. Alambre , cubed beef with onions and bacon, is fabulous, and lomo enchilado , pork loin marinated with vinegar, red chile and garlic, even better. If you want to taste a variety of grilled meats at once, have the parrillada “El Porton,” a combination plate from the section marked “ especialidades Mexicanas .” It’s a main dish, served with papas con rajas , and even has homemade chorizo on it. Rice and beans? Don’t even think about it.

Do think about the exquisite chiles rellenos , dark green chiles stuffed with tiny diced potatoes and cubed, crackly pork, and just the right amount of white cheese. The chiles are served in a light orange sauce which resembles a tomato concasse . I noticed many families ordering them at breakfast.

Breakfast is my favorite Mexican meal, and it is a special pleasure here. The menu includes fresh juices, sliced fruits, sweet rolls and even eggs with chiles. Cafe de olla is a fresh-ground Mexican coffee with cinnamon and has a powerful kick. Children love algo rapido pero dulce (something fast but sweet): hot chocolate with churros (the squiggly pastries fried in oil and rolled in sugar). The only thing missing is sunshine.

El Porton, 1105 W. Whittier Blvd., Montebello, (213) 888-8879. Open daily, 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Beer and wine only. Parking in lot. All major credit cards. Dinner for two, food only, $10-$15.

Selected prices: Chicken soup with rice and peas, $2.50; Cochinita pibil, $1; lomo enchilado (pork loin with adobo), $5.50; sopes rancheros, $4; parrillada “El Porton,” $6; natilla (soft custard), $1.