Modern Mexican at Padre's

Tacos at Padre's (Credit: Michael Schennum/azcentral.com)

Housed in what may be the last old-fashioned cottage still standing on East Camelback Road, Padre's serves up modern Mexican cuisine in a funky, fun setting.

Scene: Lavender and teal walls, saltillo tile floors, wood beams, Latino art and silver crucifixes create an ambience that's 50 percent Santa Fe Southwestern, 50 percent Mexican cantina and 100 percent comfortable. The main room, dominated by a long, welcoming bar, gets all the action - especially on Friday nights, when there's live salsa and dancing. Peace and relative quiet are found in the two smaller dining rooms, one bright and cheery with Mexican art, the other more elegant and subdued.

Food: Padre's creative menu, which blends traditional dishes with Southwestern-inflected inventions, will probably remind you a bit of Barrio Cafe and Los Sombreros. But while those restaurants focus on Mexico's regional specialties, Padre's takes flying leaps from its Mexican roots, offering such dishes as salmon-spinach enchiladas with cream cheese, onions and chipotle crema, and grilled chicken with cilantro-pesto pasta.

You won't find anything as mundane as ground beef in the tacos here, but rather red-chile-bathed short ribs with Oaxacan cheese ($11.95), grilled rib eye with nopales, or duck breast with tomatillo salsa. Sopa Tarasca ($6.50), a spicy puree of black beans elaborately painted with swirls of crema, looks like something straight out of a Southwestern cuisine cookbook. Sprinkle diced tomato, bacon, queso fresco and fresh cilantro over the top and you're in business.

Lemony, tomato-studded guacamole ($8.95) and cream cheese-based cilantro mousse ($5.50), both served with housemade chips, make great starters, but be careful. It's easy to fill up on this habit-forming stuff before entrees arrive.

And trust me, Lazy Enchiladas, stuffed with pulled pork, smothered in tomatillo sauce and sprinkled with queso fresco, are worth saving room for. Sided with soupy refried beans and fluffy Mexican rice, this is a terrific lunch for the price ($9.95). The same is true for one day's lunch special - blackened pork tenderloin served with guajillo mashed potatoes and yummy broccoli ($8.50).

Too bad Padre's signature lobster thermidor quesadilla, served with mango mojo, isn't the wow it should be for $17.95.

For dessert, try creamy flan or a moist brick of pineapple bread pudding, drizzled with caramel and vanilla-rum sauce (both $6).

Drinks: What would a Mexican restaurant be without beer and lots of it, including all of the popular hecho en Mexico varieties? Padre's is more famous, however, for its award-winning cocktails, including the lemon-berry mojito (fresh lemonade and blueberries), raspberry margarita, mojo martini (mango rum shaken with orange, pineapple and cranberry juice) and the elegant Hemingway daiquiri, based on the original recipe.

Lowdown: Although some dishes are pricey ($18 and up), it's easy to eat well for a lot less. Order apps and entrees and you'll go home with doggie bags - guaranteed.

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