For as long as I've been here, there have been two Mexican restaurants in L-A.

Margarita's, which just moved to Center Street in Auburn, and South of the Border Restaurant, on Sabattus Street in Lewiston.

Now there's a third - the newly opened Mexico Tipico, located where Margarita's used to be. Family run, with a huge menu, good prices and great food, it's definitely a contender.

An authentically Mexican contender, at that. Owned by the Moreno family, from a small town near Guadalajara, Mexico, it serves typical food, says co-owner Ramiro Moreno. "We serve homemade tamales, homemade chile rellenos, fajitas, mole poblano and arroz con pollo," he says. "Pero (but), everything is made very fresh."

Mexico Tipico is the Morenos' fifth restaurant, Ramiro said, but while the others are called Mexico Lindo, this one has a new name. "I didn't want to make it a chain," he said.

Corey and I went in last week for lunch to try it out.

Walking in, the first thing we noticed was the decor - Mexico Tipico looks different, on the inside, than Margarita's. Pretty, but much more low-key, with plain Formica-topped tables and fewer items on the walls.

The next thing we noticed was the menu. There's a lot to choose from, and the offerings seemed authentic, like what you'd expect to find in a restaurant in Texas: tortilla soup, chile rellenos, cevice, tamales and chalupas, in addition to the usual enchiladas and tacos. And the prices seemed pretty good: lunch specials ran between $8 and $10.

And then I saw it: Mexico Tipico serves mole (moh-LAY).

Have you ever had it?

Most people say it's Mexico's national dish - or rather, turkey or chicken enchiladas with mole sauce. Traditionally, it's served for special occasions: Making it can require dozens of ingredients and take hours.

And it's really weird - at least to people who aren't used to the combination of poultry with a sauce of nuts and chocolate, chiles, peanuts or peanut butter, garlic, cinnamon, cloves and sometimes plantains, tomatoes and more.

I love it. First had it at a restaurant in Texas, when I used to live there, and was turned off by the first few bites: it was simultaneously spicy and bitter and sweet and gentle and not a flavor my taste buds had ever come into contact with.

Then I started liking it, and by my 6th bite our relationship had turned from like to infatuation, and from infatuation to love.

So it was a given that I'd order Mexico Tipico's Chicken Mole. It came with rice and beans. Corey ordered Camarones Mexicanos, a shrimp and avocado dish, also on the lunch menu. We also asked for guacamole with the ubiquitous chips.

The chips came out first, of course, and were tasty, as was the salsa, the guacamole and the complimentary bean queso our waitress dropped off on our table.

But the meal went beyond good and into the realm of great.

I hadn't had mole in at least two years, so at first, as usual, the flavor took me aback. Within four bites I was lovin' it again - dipping my fork tines lightly into the sauce and just tasting it, again and again, so I wouldn't eat too much, too fast. What made it better were the sides: The beans were just as I like them, very lightly flavored and delicate. Same goes for the rice. Corey wasn't as much a fan of those as I was, though.

I almost didn't want to taste hers, because I wanted to use my appetite on the mole. The shrimp dish was good - she loved it - but I only liked it.

We left happy and full, loaded with leftovers and richer than we'd expected when we arrived.

And I ate the rest of my mole for dinner, after spending the entire afternoon wanting more.

Highly recommended.

What: Mexico Tipico

Where: 838 Lisbon St.

When: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (bar open until 1 a.m.) daily.

Atmosphere: Low-key and family oriented, but with a fun-looking bar.

Prices: Middle of the road, for Mexican. Dinner offerings around $13 to $15.

Contact: www.mi-mexicolindo.com; 782-0657