SORT OF SOUTHWESTERN : At Cimarron in Beverly Hills, the Cuisine Is Mixed Grill--and the Wine Lists Are Branded

Past the plain door with its discreet little sign, Cimarron’s interior is surprisingly cavernous, as big as the Great Southwest itself--a striking concave window along one wall, a bar way off to the left and an open kitchen somewhere near the horizon to your right. It’s large enough so that when your guests poke you and ask, “Isn’t that a Brat Packer? Isn’t that Uncle Fester?” you don’t worry that they’ll be overheard.

Clearly, we’re supposed to think Southwestern. The walls are ornamented with austere, semilunatic visionary paintings done in desert colors (in one, the desert floor is represented by rumpled, paint-stained bed sheets; why a cow skull is glued to the sky is anybody’s guess). The menu is spotted with little geometric Indian motifs and even a couple of cartoony 10-gallon hats. The wine lists are bound in leather marked with cattle brands. No kidding.

But when it comes to chef Jimmy Lynn Jr.’s food, there’s not much on this menu--apart from a sprinkling of tequila and pine nuts here and there and some smoky-flavored ketchup with the Chihuahua fries--that’s identifiably Southwestern. Among the appetizers, the shrimp enchilada (actually a budin Azteca --toasted blue-corn tortillas layered with fresh shrimp and surrounded by wild rice) happens to be one of the most pedestrian things on the menu.

Cimarron would be easier to understand without all the Southwestern trappings. Then we could see it as a grill--and a very good one--with specialties in fish and game meats and a taste for slightly fantastical sauces. The best of the appetizers is the Gulf shrimp, which arrive on braised leeks in a rich tangerine-and-whole-grain-mustard sauce. It’s subtler than it sounds: a little sweet, a little hot and tenderly aromatic.

The tumbleweed scallops are almost as good: big, sweet scallops with a luscious texture and a strong mesquite-smoke aroma served on a rich, sharp blue-goat-cheese sauce with a refreshing bit of chopped tomato on top. “Steam-fried” venison-filled dumplings resemble dainty Vietnamese steamed dumplings, complete with a ginger-scented sweet-and-sour dipping sauce.

Surprisingly, given all the game and fish on the menu, the most memorable entree is the farm-raised-chicken breasts. They’re stuffed with goat cheese, mild peppers and leeks, but the important thing is how good the chicken is. The skin is properly browned, but the meat itself is deliriously tender and moist.

The plain-sounding beef tenderloin, thick as a two-story house, is also very good, smothered with sauteed onions and mushrooms and garnished with mashed potatoes.

Quite a bit here is ultimately steakhouse stuff, in its way. The elk tenderloin--quite mild, not gamy at all--comes with an apt cream sauce that’s spiked with ginger and pink peppercorns, but again, the plate is meat and mashed potatoes. The roasted rack of lamb is excellent after you scrape aside the bizarre “gazpacho-mint chutney,” a mild red-pepper-and-cucumber sweet relish.

The “kick-ass” barbecue sauce with the baby red snapper is not threateningly hot. The problem with the dish is simply the quantity of bones in the baby snapper.

Many of pastry chef Deborah Herrider’s desserts don’t quite achieve auteur status: a chocolate brownie mixed with nuts and ice cream, a creme brulee with a caramel layer that tastes like the outside of a toasted marshmallow. Her blackberry cobbler, like a large crumbly cookie with a fruit layer beneath it, is delicious, but the world stops when her devastating chocolate cake is served. It has a sneaky fresh caramel layer and comes surrounded by an orange-caramel sauce; the cake itself is staggeringly rich and chocolaty. One mouthful would be plenty for anybody with self-control and nowhere near enough for a chocolate lover.

Cimarron, 301 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills; (213) 278-2277. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, dinner 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Full bar. Valet and validated lot parking. MasterCard, Visa and American Express cards accepted. Dinner for two, food only, $61-$85.