Why mess with a bueno thing?

That’s the kind of thought process that must have gone into the opening of Fiesta Mazatlan Family Mexican Restaurant in Redmond last spring.

After all, the Galvan and Robles families already owned and operated more than a dozen successful Mexican restaurants throughout the Northwest, and their Mazatlan eateries on U.S. Highway 97 in Redmond and Bend are abuzz with diners, especially around lunch and dinner time.

Fiesta Mazatlan is in Redmond’s newest strip mall, a few doors down from Ray’s Food Place on the west side of town. Call it ”Mazatlan Lite.”

”The town is growing a lot,” said manager Andre Robles. ”We’re trying to serve the other side of town.”

While Fiesta Mazatlan occupies more humble digs than its crosstown progenitor, the two restaurants share much in common, down to the vivid, colorful murals hand-selected by Chihuahua restaurant decorator Julian Portillo. The menus are similar, except that Fiesta Mazatlan offers a selection of salads and steaks not available at Mazatlan.

Once inside Fiesta Mazatlan, diners can lose themselves in a bit of Mexico and forget for a time that there are a supermarket parking lot and a McDonald’s and Starbucks right outside. Everything is crisp, clean and new. The wait staff is politely attentive.

And the food – seafood, beef, chicken, pork and vegetables – is prepared in the Jalisco style, said Robles.

Jalisco, a state in central Mexico, ”has a very rich dining tradition,” Robles said. ”Jalisco is one of the superior food states in Mexico.”

Robles is especially proud of the new Todo Bravo New York steak served with a chile relleno, rice and beans ($14.95) and the Fiesta Salad, charbroiled chicken breast served over a mixed bed of lettuce with tomatoes drenched in the house dressing and topped with a special barbecue sauce ($11.50).

Robles also recommends the No. 15 dinner combination ”for big, hungry guys.” It’s an enchilada, chile relleno and tostada served with rice and beans ($11.75).

Other new salads include the shrimp salad, mixed salad surrounded by spicy or garlic shrimp dressed with avocado slices, tomatoes and shredded cheese ($8.95); and the fajita salad, chicken breast slices sauteed in a tangy salsa with green peppers, onions and mushrooms served over a crispy tortilla bowl with lettuce, sour cream and guacamole ($8.95).

Traditional Mexican lunchtime fare includes the machaca burrito, juicy shredded beef fried with onions and tomatoes and mixed with scrambled eggs and wrapped in a flour tortilla ($7.95); and the seafood quesadilla, folded flour tortillas stuffed with melted cheese, scallops, shrimp and crab and topped with guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes and onions ($8.50).

”The whole menu is good,” said Robles.

Fiesta Mazatlan

Location: 937 S.W. Rimrock Way, Redmond

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Price Range: $5.95 for a lunch combination to $14.95 for a steak at dinner

Alcoholic Beverages: Full bar

Kids’ Menu: Yes

Reservations: Yes

Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express

Contact: 548-1595