Southwest by Far East

Left at Albuquerque is an odd bird. The main theme at this hangar-like structure is clearly the American Southwest, but in the end, this is a restaurant that just doesn’t fit neatly into any category.

That’s not to say it’s nondescript. From any of the parking lots surrounding this boxy, free-standing structure it looks like a big rectangle of fading desert sunset in shades of light blue, orange and yellow.

As you approach the door, you pass a large patio facing many of the other restaurants in Park Place, most of them branches of successful major-league chains such as CPK, Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Houston’s. This familiar cast of characters makes Left at Albuquerque look all the more distinctive. But in truth, this restaurant would be distinctive enough without assistance.

For one thing, take the design. Inside the building you find a 20-foot beamed ceiling, exposed overhead ducts, colorful Spanish-language movie posters and lots of space. The tables have shiny hardwood tops and the booths are upholstered in cheerful fabrics with Navajo patterns.

There’s a separate bar area, where customers order from a long list of tequilas and nibble on Left at Albuquerque’s trademark red and yellow tortilla chips. One of the things I like best about this restaurant is the eclectic jukebox, which is well-stocked with CDs of ‘60s rockers and blues artists from various eras.

*

One evening, when the weather was especially balmy, I grabbed a table on the patio, the better to watch the throngs lining at the nearby Edwards Cinema. Things got off to a bang-up start with a pitcher of refreshing margaritas, which we customized by calling for them to be made with Herradura Silver tequila.

In fact, Left at Albuquerque is a tequila lover’s paradise. The huge list of selections includes Herradura Seleccion Suprema, at $20 a shot, and Porfidio Barrique, for double that--a tequila that’s $40 a shot.

Oh, yes--there’s food here too. The dishes come from a display kitchen equipped with a mesquite grill, and when the concepts work, most of them are reasonably good. The best appetizer is ancho tequila lime prawns. You don’t really taste much in it except the mesquite-smoked prawns, but they’re nicely grilled and delicious. The garnishes, grilled polenta and guacamole, add a nice dimension.

“Hot off the griddle corn cakes” are just what the name promises, and they’re quite enjoyable, though I really think I’d like them better at breakfast with real maple syrup than at supper. Anyway, the cakes are smothered with tequila lime butter and a sun-dried tomato and corn salsa.

I’m not much for the slightly acidic but otherwise ordinary chicken tortilla soup. The fried calamari are crisp and competent, though, with a fine chipotle-cilantro dipping sauce.

The salads come in huge portions, big enough to share. An especially interesting one is Dixon apple and blue cheese salad: a heap of mesclun greens, crumbled blue cheese, candied spiced pecans and sliced fruit. One appetizer to avoid at all costs is the New Mexican cheese pizza, a doughy, greasy flat bread topped with way too much flat-tasting melted Jack.

Most of the entrees are Southwestern in spirit, but a few can’t be categorized. Take the carnitas of red chile and orange-marinated pork. Here is a dish that looks Chinese and tastes Cuban, maybe; go figure. It’s made with shredded stewed pork that could pass for a classic Chinese red-cooked pork, but I couldn’t taste the ancho chiles, and the bitter orange flavoring suggested the Caribbean.

The pan-roasted barbecued salmon is another oddity. It’s a perfectly decent piece of fish grilled over mesquite and served buried in a pile of spinach, roasted corn, sun-dried tomatoes and green-tinted rice, all in tequila lime butter sauce. The added flavors are so overwhelming that you can barely taste the salmon, which is (I suspect) fairly moist and fresh under it all.

The simpler entrees work best here. Dixon pork is two thick pork steaks marinated with ginger and habanero chiles. Whatever “Dixon” refers to in this context, the result tastes positively East Asian. As for bam-bam catfish, it’s a skillet-blackened filet, done so delicately that I found myself longing for a bigger piece.

La Texana grilled chicken breast is rather plain, but the mesquite flavor penetrates every bite, and the side dishes--mashed corn and grilled mixed vegetables--are pleasing. One entree I do not recommend is the drunken rib eye steak, marinated in Dos Equis beer. Mine was watery.

*

There is a surprisingly good selection of desserts. The Margarita pie is really like a Key lime pie (you don’t taste tequila in it), and on top of the custardy filling and a gorgeous Graham cracker crust comes a big scoop of freshly whipped cream.

One evening I had a special cranberry and banana crisp that oozed hot, nicely tart fruit. And any night you can get Left at Albuquerque’s star dessert, the chocolate pecan torte, a monstrous portion of chopped pecans suspended in a meltingly gooey fudge. If you dare to finish a dessert this rich, you’ll end up wishing you’d left your appetite in Albuquerque.

Left at Albuquerque is moderately priced. Appetizers are $1.99 to $7.99. Soups and salads are $2.99 to $8.99. Main plates are $8.99 to $14.99. Tequilas are $3.75 to $40.

BE THERE

* Left at Albuquerque, Park Place, 3309 Michelson Drive, Irvine. (949) 757-7600. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. All major cards.