Review of Guadalajara Grill in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Guadalajara Grill is pumping on a Friday night: a local Mexican restaurant in full swing. Nobody is here to see and be seen or to soak up the ambiance. People are here for the food. The six Suits brothers own the Guadalajara Grill. They arrived in Taos in 1994 and started the restaurant there in 1996. Now with two locations - one in Taos and one in Santa Fe - they are definitely successful. The place is noisy but not so loud that you can't have a conversation. Waiters hustle, and their chat is minimal. Then they're gone again. They barely have time to slow down for the order, and the food is dropped off just as fast. Running is their primary occupation, but then again, this is the Friday night rush.

The food is good; everything is fresh and made on the premises. The menu isn't huge, but the restaurant manages to cover important food groups: seafood, vegetarian, meat, and tortilla-based antojitos (appetizers). The chips are crisp and, except for an off flavor in the frying oil, good. The corn tortillas are properly hot and floppy.

The menu reflects the Solises' roots - Tapatio (the name Guadalajarans call themselves) steak and shrimp with baked potato, rice, and guacamole. They also serve grilled wild salmon, but that isn't from Guadalajara. Primo vegetarian tostadas, served two to a plate, come with arroz a la mexicana, a simple version of white rice cooked in tomato sauce, and good refritos (well-fried beans). Guacamole, Tapatio style, is made to order - loaded with jalapenos, garlic, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro and sparked with lime. It has a pure, direct flavor and a bright chile kick. Birria (stew), a Guadalajara specialty, is made here with goat. Available on a plate or in a bowl, the soupy version comes in a chile-rich red broth, and you get limes, chopped cilantro and onions, soft tortillas, and an even hotter chile sauce on the side to ratchet it up to your preferred heat level. The meat - chewy, lean, shredded, and slightly gamy - might take you back to a primal place you haven't been in a long time.

Shrimp is well-represented on the menu, ranging from a simple ala parilla (grilled) preparation, to a Mazatlan style with wine and mushroom sauce. One combination offers enchiladas topped with shrimp, and it works- velvety cheese, soft tortillas, and a mild red chile are luxurious partners to juicy shrimp. Another fish offering, mojatrafrita, a whole tilapia slashed to the bone and fried to a hard, golden crust, is perfect. The white fish inside remains moist, and the contrast is classic. Mojarra frita is a freshwater-fish dish that's served in most Mexican seaside restaurants; I swear I could hear the surf splash and feel the salt wind in my hair when I tasted this one.

Twelve choices of Mexican beer offer plenty of good quaffing and go beautifully with all the selections. Diners who don't like beer can try Mexican wine, a large wine Margarita, one of a full selection of Jarritos - Mexican neon-colored sodas with bright flavors. For dessert, there is eggy, house-made flan, tres leches cake, and fried ice cream. The fried ice cream is a party extravaganza in a bowl. All it lacks is a sparkler at the summit. (Our waiter had looked at us intently and advised that it was enough for two.) Served on a fried flour tortilla shaped like a soup bowl, it comes crowned with a swirl of whipped cream as big as one of Madonna's conical bra cups and a drizzle of chocolate for good measure. A ball of rock-hard ice cream with a fried cornflake crust is elevated to royal status, and the gods laugh at mere mortals whose hubris leads them to try to conquer it with a spoon. Four of us gave up on finishing it after tearing at the treat for quite a while. Guadalajara Grill is located at 3877 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, 424-3544. They are opened from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and from10:30 a.m. until l0 p.m. Friday and Saturday.