The desperadoes of Davie St.

Inventive off-shoot of Mexican cuisine offers hefty comfort food

RESTAURANT Lolita's South of the Border Cantina

Where: 1326 Davie St., Vancouver, 604-696-9996

Payment/ reservations: Major credit cards; no reservations

Drinks: Fully licensed

Hours: 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. every day

- - -

South of the border doesn't have the same mystique up here north of the 49th parallel as it does with our U.S. neighbours. For them it means Mexico; for us, the exotica of Seattle or the Bellis Fair Mall. Add the notion of a cantina and my mind conjures up desperadoes on the lam from the law or, in the case of Lolita's, diners on the lam from the usual Lower Mainland fusion cuisine and edamame beans as far as the eye can see.

Part cantina, part tiki bar atmosphere, Lolita's offers a sense of escapism from the sleek and slippery eateries opening recently. It pushes the boundaries of our border into tropical delights, a nifty room decked out in rustic wood, bamboo-thatched ceiling, a long bar where dining desperadoes can rub elbows over colourful cocktails and a bubbling fish tank for good measure. This could be Mexico or the last food-and-liquor stop at the foot of the Florida Everglades.

Peaches and I hunkered down on stools at the end of the room at a small counter overlooking the bustling open kitchen. Little tacky ceramic lizards with cacti sproutings watched over us.

This isn't true Mexican cuisine but an inventive offshoot, dreamed up by ex-Bin 941 manager Lila Gayle who, along with her brother Jaison, run the joint. Chef Shelome Bouvette is whipping together some hefty home comfort fare with a bit of flair, flavourings emerging from the rice and beans riding sidecar on the plates that'll surprise your slumbering tastebuds.

Start with the excellent guacamole and tortilla chips ($8.50) with black beans lurking beneath the avocado murk, a meal in itself but we refreshed our gullets with the grilled pear and endive salad ($8.50) with pickled jalapenos and stinky Stilton cheese countered by the spicy-sweet pecans and chipotle vinaigrette. There's also a great starter of beef taquitos with slow-roasted pulled beef brisket ($10.75), a turkey tostado with poblano mole ($9.75) and a wild-mushroom quesadilla with skunky epazote herbal undertones paired with poblano peppers and goat cheese ($8.50).

Tacos here are incredible, from the seared halibut with mango salsa to the pulled achiote chicken with salsa verde to the beautifully medium-rare grilled steak ($14).

We also sampled the Cochinita Pibil ($17), succulent slices of pork tenderloin treated with achiote paste for a red sauce that evokes both fruit and mild spicing, perfect for pig meat, especially when wrapped in a banana leaf as Yucatan tradition dictates. Served with fried plantain, a fruit that seems to be the lovechild of the banana and potato. Outstanding dish.

Plenty more on this menu to pick from like the Gaucho Steak couched in a serrano pepper and roast-garlic demi-glace ($19.25) to the alderwood-smoked poultry with adobado paste, pine-nut riddled mole saucing and smoked chipotle stuffing ($18.50).

THE BOTTOM LINE: Border-hopping edibles in a hopping joint.

GRADE: Food: A, Service: A, Atmosphere: A

©The Vancouver Province 2005