By MERIDITH FORD
Journal Restaurant Critic

PROVIDENCE -- It has always been difficult to put a label to Cactus Grille. Is it a Mexican restaurant? Is it a barbecue joint? Is it a little of both with a strong Southwestern accent?

Cactus Grille is really all three.

So in trying to pin down the peppers and tortillas with the shrimp and barbecue, I don't want to hem myself in.

That's why snake bites, while not exactly original, are a good starter. These little mouth-popping fried jalapenos pack a lot of punch -- they border on being just this side of too hot -- until you dip them in a cooling, smoky, sour cream-and-tomato sauce. And inside, a surprise: tiny popcorn shrimp and oozing Monterey Jack cheese.

Frankly, I had a hard time choosing. First, I wanted a quesadilla with pulled barbecue pork, chiles and cheese. Then I thought about the Mexican-style empanada, a flaky, stuffed pastry.

Then I saw a combination I couldn't refuse: fried calamari with a chipotle-jalapeno butter. Federal Hill meets the Federales, so to speak.

It's a good pairing. The calamari could have been a little crispier, but the peppy sauce -- part fire, part smoky flavor -- was a good way to dress things up.

Even chips and salsa have a slightly different interpretation here. Three salsas -- a traditional chunky one brimming with chopped tomatoes, onions and cilantro; a dark red, smoky-tasting chipotle; and a mild, but peppery ranchero with bits of avocado -- make ordinary chips into a meal.

Frankly, it is the starters I wanted to stick with. They are fun, tasty and perfect with the ever-flowing offerings of margaritas and beer.

This version of Cactus Grille is a reincarnation under original owners Beth and Jason Brown.

In the past 10 years, the Browns have opened a restaurant, sold a restaurant, moved to Florida, moved back to Rhode Island. Now they've bought back the name of their restaurant and reopened using the same recipes as when they originally opened back in 1992 in Fox Point.

Certainly this Rhode Island original has occupied hipper, more ample space -- the Richmond Street version (now Big Fish) had the most to offer by way of digs.

But the recipes are pure Cactus Grille favorites -- dishes such as the snake bites and sauces -- mole poblano, ranchero, house-made salsas -- with Southwestern panache. Finally, there are the swimming-pool sized margaritas.

I found myself selfishly ordering a simple personal favorite. There it was, under a heading called "Mexican favorites" -- a cheese enchilada. I prefer corn tortillas to flour, so this plateful of tortilla-wrapped Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses was extremely satisfying, smothered in a blanket of more of the mild cheeses and a corn-and-red pepper salsa laced with cilantro.

It was even better when mixed with the sauce sampler of mole poblano -- a dark, rich version of this Mexican favorite, here with a bit of fire underneath grace notes of chocolate and cinnamon.

Salsa verde was oddly off-putting; I like this traditional green sauce made with earthy tomatillos (husk tomatoes) better when served cold, not warm. And a gratuitously named "Mayan" barbecue sauce proved a little too sweet, even though it got kicked up a notch with jalapeno peppers.

A pulled pork sandwich was tender, juicy and smoky-flavored, three absolutes in good barbecue. The fourth is the sauce -- more of the Mayan barbecue -- which, again, for me was too sweet.

Most of the desserts are made in-house, including a vanilla ice cream concoction covered in crumbled oreos and served with good old Hershey's syrup and whipped cream. Aptly named mud pie (not to be confused with chocolatey Mississippi mud pie), it was a cooling -- and cool, in a Charlie Brown sort of way -- end to a fine meal.

The Original Cactus Grille, 800 Allens Ave., Providence, 941-0004. Casual. reservations accepted. Smoking in lounge only. Wheelchair accessible. Open Sun-Thu for lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Fri-Sat until 11 p.m. V, MC, AM, DIS. IDINE, EC. Ample parking. Highchairs and booster seats available.

Appetizers, including soups and salads, are $1.99 to $8.99 (there is a sampler for $19.99). Ribs, barbecued chicken and shrimp are $10.99 to $16.99. Mexican dishes are $8.99 to $14.99. Sandwiches such as pulled pork barbecue are $6.49 to $8.49. Other specialties, such as Cajun salmon, are $10.99 to $14.99. Desserts are $4. Margaritas are $4.50 to $6.25 per glass and $16.95 to $24.95 for a pitcher.