In my view, there are two kinds of Mexican restaurants in Central Oregon.

There are the more innovative establishments — places like Hola!, La Rosa, Rio and Baltazar’s — with menus that expand upon diners’ perception of Latin cuisine, featuring creative recipes that may even cross the line (as in the case of Hola!) to Peruvian foods.

And then there are the more traditional restaurants that don’t stray too far from such fare as enchiladas, tacos and tamales — albeit with some regional variations.

El Rodeo Family Mexican Restaurant in Bend is at or near the head of the list in the latter category. Owners Rudy and Lorena Arias, natives of the Mexican state of Jalisco, have owned the SE Third Street restaurant since 1998. In the 17 years since, they have attracted a customer base that is the envy of many other eateries in the Bend area.

As El Rodeo’s full name would indicate, this is a restaurant that welcomes families. Children who grew up dining with their parents at El Rodeo now return with youngsters of their own. They are as warmly greeted now as they were a generation ago.

Mood and service

My dining companion and I, however, are at that stage of life where our children have left the nest, and we are not yet grandparents. Our restaurant visits, therefore, are geared to our personal dining enjoyment.

With or without young ones, the principal family dining room is our preferred place to sit. This large room is focused around a central gas fireplace. Against one wall, beneath a set of faux-brick arches, is a skylit garden. The facing wall features a large mural of caballeros (costumed horsemen). The side walls feature Easter decorations on wall shelves. A series of booths line all four sides of the room, with additional smaller tables and booths beside the fireplace. Mariachi music plays in the background, setting a south-of-the-border mood.

Between that main dining room and the hostess stand, facing the restaurant’s front door, is a smaller overflow dining area. The La Cascada cantina, on the Third Street side of El Rodeo, is much more spacious but lacking in festive atmosphere; its main features are a long bar and several televisions for watching sports events.

We’ve found service always friendly and generally prompt; our only complaint was the tardiness of drink delivery in the lounge one evening, with no apology offered. Otherwise, we were quickly greeted and seated. Even before our orders were taken, we were presented a glass of water, a basket of tortilla chips, a tangy house-made salsa and a salad of white cabbage with cilantro and red onion. It goes great with the chips.

Evening meal

We came once recently for dinner, once for lunch.

At our evening meal, my companion couldn’t decide between meat and seafood, so she ordered “Mar y Tierra.” That translates as “sea and land.” Four large prawns, sauteed in butter and garlic, were served with tender, char-grilled carne asada (skirt steak), an ample serving of sliced mushrooms and a side of guacamole.

The fungi were also sauteed in butter, and a generous ladle of Spanish-style rice swam in it. Refried beans were heavily covered with melted cheddar cheese. The calories here were frightening.

My meal choice was chicken mole (pronounced “mo-lay”), a classic dish that varies significantly from state to state across central Mexico. The gravy in this instance was dark and chocolaty, with less emphasis on peanuts and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) than I’ve found in other variations. It was delicious.

Unfortunately, the chicken itself was not up to the same standard. Rather than full breasts or other parts of the bird, the poultry was cut into small strips, which were dry and overcooked. Rice and beans (mine with Monterey jack on top) accompanied.

Lunchtime

Our lunches, several days later, were satisfactory. My companion had a combination meal of a chicken enchilada and a picadillo (shredded beef) tamale. She found the enchilada to be excellent, filled with lots of meat, but she said the tamale was bland: “No pizazz,” she expressed.

She complained that the meal was served without a side salad or such additions as black olives, sour cream or guacamole. But she felt there was far too much cheddar cheese baked atop the accompanying refried beans, even extending onto her rice.

My chile Colorado was delicious — its rich, tomato-based sauce still bubbling when it was presented by our server. Tender cubes of beef, complemented with onions, made this an outstanding dish. I’m sure a selection of chile verde, cubes of pork in a green sauce, would be equally good.

Together with the check, we were presented a small “postre,” or dessert — a baked flour chip, topped with cinnamon sugar and honey, whipped cream and strawberry syrup. It’s a nice sweet touch to finish a meal.

— Reporter: janderson@bendbulletin.com