Que pasa? Which means: What’s up?

It seems clich/ to begin a Mexican restaurant review with a Spanish urban phrase, yet I do so because it truly added to the enjoyment of my recent dining experience at El Mazatlan in Cave City.

It all began with a friendly waiter, who genuinely called my dining companion and me “amigo” with every visit to the table, and who also humored us when we asked for translations, including the one that opened this review.

Something I do always begin a Mexican meal with is a bowl of guacamole. El Mazatlan’s guacamole looked fresh and deep green in color, which made me think the only ingredient was avocado. This is usually a good thing, because I don’t like guacamole with fillers. In this case, however, the avocado must have been bland, because the guac was bland. I found one or two pieces of cilantro in the dip, but not enough to add flavor. My dining companion and I salted it, making it acceptable with chips.

The appetizer we did vehemently enjoy was the cheese dip. It was the usual melted white cheese, but there seemed to be spices that added to the flavor as well.

The d/cor at El Mazatlan was charming: Bright yellow, orange, brown and red colors on adobe-looking walls in a meandering floor plan and an occasional painted mural that looked like an open window on a sunny day. We sat far from the smoking section, because when we were seated near the door dividing the two sections, we still encountered smoke.

El Mazatlan in Cave City is just off Interstate 65 north of Bowling Green. The word is with graduation, prom and Mother’s Day this weekend, the restaurants in Bowling Green will be full to capacity, so a trip north, if you don’t fall into any of those categories yet want to eat out, might be in order.

And … speaking of order, I can recommend a few items my dining companion and I enjoyed. The chimichangas were simple but delicious. They can be ordered with beef or spicy chicken. Both my dining companion and I had a chicken chimichanga on our combination plates. The chicken was moist – large flavorful chunks wrapped then fried in a flour tortilla that was flaky with deliciously substantial crunch at each end.

Also on my el amigo special plate was a cheese quesadilla. This is a folded, then pan-fried flour tortilla filled with the same cheese as the queso dip. Unfortunately, as the meal cooled, the cheese separated and it was not as appetizing as it had been in the dip.

Rounding off my plate was something I had never heard of called an ollita. This was a small, crispy, fried flour tortilla in the shape of a small cup with chicken chunks, spices, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and grated cheese layered inside. It was a unique, flavorful dish – and you could even eat the dish when you finished its contents.

The chile in the egg batter then fried chile relleno was hotter than I’ve had at other restaurants. Both the beef taco and tamale had crumbly, fine pieces of ground beef with soft or crunchy corn meal for a classic Mexican combination and effective taste.

El Mazatlan in Cave City has the same (or at least a very similar menu) to its sister restaurant in Bowling Green and also locations in Glasgow and Munfordville.

I usually have either appetizers or dessert, but was tempted to enjoy both because El Mazatlan offers the Mexican classic flan, as well as unique desserts like fruit-filled burritos, churros with ice cream and tres leches cake. This translates into a cake made with three kinds of milk.

And for my final Spanish expression: If you’re in “buen humor,” (a good mood) visit El Mazatlan and you will “que lo pases bien” (have a good time).

— New restaurants are given a six-week grace period. Comments can be sent to managing editor Mike Alexieff by telephone at 783-3235 or by e-mail at malexieff@bgdailynews.com.

105 Garbner Lane

• Cave City
• (270) 773-7448

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday

Cuisine: Mexican

Price range: $4.25 to $13.99

Specialties: Burritos, enchiladas, tacos

Libation situation: Full bar

Smoking: Yes