Cancun Cafe: A Refreshing Concept and Menu

Few things are more primally satisfying than a sloppy burrito or a gooey basket of nachos when the mood strikes, but until recently, the choices around here have been pretty basic. Purists like me could make a beeline for one of the down-home taquerias of Santa Ana and environs, little stands specializing in homemade tortillas, fiery salsas and meat fried in lard. The Fiesta Americana set might head to one of the upscale chains--bright, gaudily decorated palaces serving tamer versions of original Mexican dishes--to slosh everything down with frozen margaritas.

Now, along comes a host of newcomers, which we’ll call upscale taco stands. You won’t find many of Mexico’s more exotic ingredients on these menus--no brains, pork cracklings or lard, for example--but everything you do find smells and tastes like home cooking. Further, these places look the part. Some of them have color schemes louder than a band of mariachis.

David Wilhelm’s Cancun Cafe is a leader in this new genre, and I’m predicting a bright future. Could that be franchise I smell?

Wilhelm, owner of such chichi local eateries as Kachina, Barbacoa and the very tony Bistro 201, has been a longtime fan of Taco Loco and other Laguna Beach hangouts, so it was long expected that he would open a similar place himself. At this bright, radically designed place you can feast on the simple dishes Wilhelm likes without paying the kind of money it takes to eat in his restaurants. In fact, these prices are just short of giveaway.

You probably won’t want to eat inside here--the beach is just across the street. If you do, you’ll be forced to sit on uncomfortable stools at an oddly angled maze of shoulder-high adobe counters, where it is practically impossible to socialize. Wilhelm says he’s going to remodel soon, but it’s unlikely he’ll repaint. The dining area is a sun-splashed polygon of pastel blues, yellows and browns, and pays homage to Rufino Tamayo, Mexico’s greatest living artist.

No one who comes here should miss the soft, luscious sweet corn tamale, made from sweet white corn. The nachos are served in a giant basket and loaded up with unctuous black beans, runny Jack cheese, huge scoops of good guacamole and real sour cream. You get your choice of meats on it, too. I had mine with what must have been half a pound of peppery fried pork.

Many of the tacos here try to stand out from the usual taco crowd, but only a few really do. The taco shell, made from whole wheat flour, is softer than usual. Steak is the best filling for my money, the little bits of lean beef cooked on a grill in front of your eyes. The pork taco, made with the same meat used in the nachos, isn’t bad either.

It’s true that shrimp are an expensive ingredient, and I understand that Wilhelm wants to keep the prices down. But in his well-seasoned tropical blackened shrimp taco, sold a la carte at $2.25, the tiny scraps of shrimp are barely detectable. His Baja fish taco is an even bigger turnoff. Expect a small chunk of deep fried haddock, smeared with thousand island dressing.

You’ll always find good salsas here, a fiery-hot verde, a medium-hot ranchera with a smoky aftertaste and good pico de gallo. The cafe makes good agua frescas, too, which are ladled out for you from a glass bowl. One day the fruit punch contained watermelon and passion fruit, another it was pineapple and orange. Both were quite refreshing, just like Wilhelm’s concept.

Cancun Cafe is inexpensive, with prices ranging from $1.25 to $4.95.

* CANCUN CAFE

* 176 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach.

* (714) 494-4384.

* Open Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. through 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday through midnight.

* Cash only.

I enjoyed myself at Mrs. Garcia’s Tacos Al Carbon, too, despite the fact that I find the name somewhat misleading. Al carbon means charcoal-grilled, and the term has been liberally stretched to mean just plain grilled. But with most of these items, you don’t even get that. Steak and chicken are prepared on a metal grill, but almost everything else is cooked by other means. Pork is marinated and stewed. Other dishes are generally either boiled or fried.

Nonetheless, food is healthy and tasty at this first Orange County venture for a chain that has more than 10 locations in greater Los Angeles. The Mission Viejo store has a raucous, neon and colored plastic decor, highlighted by a panoramic view of Avery Parkway. The place has already made a hit with students at nearby Saddleback College.

I’m just wild about the fish taco here, made with a generous hunk of deep-fried perch smothered in tasty cabbage slaw. As with all the fried items, the oil used is healthful canola, fast becoming the oil of the ‘90s. But only the fact that this concoction is in a tortilla shell makes you think about sunny Mexico. I think they should call it the Lake Michigan taco.

The fajita taco--an idea that is bound to catch on quickly--is pretty good too. It’s just what you might imagine: sauteed onions, peppers and tomatoes, mixed with a choice of meats and stuffed into a soft tortilla. I had mine with chicken, and ate every bite.

I must say that the side dishes could be a lot more interesting. Tortilla soup is one bright spot, a rich, pork-flavored soup with little tortilla strips inside. The forgettable pinto beans, though, come topped with yellow tasteless goo that passes for cheese, and the corn oil floating around in the dish adds more calories than taste. The rice is totally without character. The usual compendium of tostadas, burritos and combination plates allows you the illusion of variety.

My advice: Stick to the tacos. When you’re in the mood, of course.

Mrs. Garcia’s Tacos Al Carbon is inexpensive, with prices ranging from $1.80 to $4.85.

* MRS. GARCIA’S TACOS AL CARBON

* 28592 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo.

* (714) 364-1852.

* Open Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. through 10:30 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m. through 9 p.m.

* Cash only.