Rock climbers have been hip to La Siesta for more than 20 years.

So have Terrebonne locals, many of whom have good things to say about the little Tex-Mex restaurant on the way to Smith Rock State Park.

Mary Adame and her husband Rudy opened the restaurant 22 years ago after Rudy’s physician put him on disability.

”We had five kids,” said Adame, taking a break from kitchen chores Monday. ”We were not going to make it on $500 a month. The only thing I knew how to do was cook.”

So she secured a $2,000 loan, bought some supplies and rented the small space that Redpoint Climber’s Supply now occupies. Eight months later, she expanded into the nearby ”Coffee Cup,” and, in 1989, moved next door to the present location.

Adame, born and raised in Brownsville, Texas, learned to cook from her Mexican-born husband.

Her Tex-Mex breakfast specialties include machaca (shredded beef, tomato, onion, cheese, bell pepper and two eggs scrambled together), enchimeggs (refried beans, cheese, onion, red sauce inside tortillas and topped with an egg) and chorizo (Mexican sausage and eggs).

Lunch and dinner favorites include chile verde (pork chunks cooked in a green tomatillo sauce and lightly spiced), pollo en mole (chicken cooked in a lightly spiced mild sauce) and the cactus dinner (pieces of prickly pear cactus cooked with onion, tomato and eggs).

”We get a lot of rock climbing people,” said Adame. ”They come from all over the country. I don’t cook with lard or a lot of grease. It’s all freshly made every day. We make our flour tortillas by hand. They like that.”

Adame’s signature spices are garlic and cumin.

”It’s a family-run restaurant,” she said. ”My style is very different from any other restaurants in the area. It’s fine Mexican food. It’s authentic Tex-Mex.”

Tex-Mex cuisine (as well as music) originated in southwest Texas and is a melding of Mexican and lone star cookery. The cumin and the garlic help distinguish the flavors from traditional Mexican food, but most of the standard items can be found on the La Siesta menu. Tamales, enchiladas, tacos and burritos are all there as well as menudo and fajitas. For dessert, there are sopapillas (crispy flour pastry chips topped with honey or cinnamon and sugar) and fried ice cream.

The restaurant features live music on Friday nights. During the summer, Adame throws open her outdoor patio and brings in different bands to perform. Adjacent to the restaurant is a lounge and full bar.

Adame said her enthusiasm hasn’t flagged in the 22 years she’s been cooking for a crowd.

”I enjoy very much what I do,” she said. ”I talk to a lot of people … I know people who have been coming in here since I started. Now their children are coming back and they say Remember me? You used to hold me while my parents were eating.’”

Jim Witty can be reached at 541-617-7828 or jwitty@bendbulletin.com.