RESTAURANT REVIEW / CABO GRILL : Small, Simpatico : Although the bar first catches the eye, greater rewards abound on the menu of fresh Mexican dishes.

Think of it as a tequila sort of place.

It’s noisy. Signs on the walls hype Patron, Sauza Conmemorativo, Tres Generaciones and other cactus-based firewater. And the locals are hanging out at the eye-catching, eight-seat, green-tiled bar to the right as you walk in.

The house specialty is a “caborita” ($4.25), sort of a margarita that contains orange juice. Don’t get excited just because it’s a house special, however. The hand that pours the tequila is a moderate one--perhaps in cooperation with the Highway Patrol’s program to reduce drunk driving.

But don’t let the tequila, paper plates and plastic forks fool you. Ojai’s 2-month-old Cabo Grill is a contemporary Mexican restaurant with a limited menu, heavy on fresh ingredients--nothing frozen--and strong on good food.

Situated next-door to the movie theater, the Cabo Grill is a place that is personal and small--despite the presence of an ample, lovely rear patio that fills up in warm weather--and so as you order a chile relleno , you’re liable to hear someone from the kitchen yell out, “Hey, the pasillas are hot this week. Be careful.”

Don’t let the hot pasillas , or even the collection of fresh salsas (I prefer the smoked version, which chef Suz Montgomery developed one day when she cooked the negro and chipolte peppers a bit too long) frighten you away from ordering the chile relleno. It comes by itself ($2.25) or as a burrito ($4.75). Whether it’s a pasilla or an Anaheim chile, the relleno is very lightly battered and fried. Speaking as one who judges Mexican restaurants very much on the quality of their chile rellenos , this one, stuffed with jack cheese, gets flying colors.

Another dish that’s way up there in flavor and textures is a frequent special, the tortilla soup ($2.50). It’s packed with tortillas, of course, plus fresh tomatoes, fresh chicken stock, pieces of chicken breast, and even avocado and cheese. It all goes together to make an outstanding dish.

On the menu, Cabo Grill describes its Cabo Caesar salad ($5.25) as a “traditional Baja favorite.” I doubt that many Mexicans south of the old Caesar’s Bar and Restaurant in Tijuana have even heard of a Caesar salad, but this is a very well-made version, with fresh garlic, extra virgin olive oil and fresh Romano cheese.

The grill’s soft tacos, prepared al carbon-style, come with chicken ($2.25), carne asada ($2.25), fish ($2.25) or shrimp ($2.50). The interesting thing about them is the emphasis on flavorings of lime and cabbage--a typically Mexican touch--instead of lettuce. The cabbage gives a heft and crunch all its own.

Running the kitchen is Montgomery, who is Italian--can you believe it?--and was most recently the chef at the nearby Ojai Valley Inn. Julie and Chris Richman have the hands-on management responsibility. Their parents, Ojai residents Pince and Emily Richman, are the grill’s owners.

It may be that the chicken on the Cabo combo dish ($7.95) comes out a bit dry occasionally, and the grill hasn’t yet gotten into the fresh-tortillas-in-the window schtick you see these days. Tortillas here are still the commercial variety. But the freshness of the herbs, spices and local fish (thresher shark in the tacos), plus Montgomery’s attention to detail, make this new restaurant an asset to Ojai’s food scene.

* WHERE AND WHEN

Cabo Grill, 139 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai, 640-8002. Open 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays and Mondays, and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. No reservations, full bar, major credit cards accepted. Lunch or dinner for two, food only, $8 to $32.