Maracas Mexican Bar & Grill boasts that it's ''a fiesta every night'' -- and no wonder. The over-the-top Fort Lauderdale restaurant was launched by the creators of Lips, a dining hot spot that features drag queens.

There aren't any entertainers in drag working at Maracas, but the place can be pretty entertaining. With the original in New York City's West Village, Maracas aims to bring good times to South Florida with a different theme every night, whether you want to celebrate your birthday or sip $2 margaritas.

Tip your sombrero to designer Brenda Starr -- aka Robert Tabor -- for the fun decor, with turquoise vinyl tablecloths, multicolored walls and curtains, strings of red chile-pepper lights, a jeweled cactus and bold art.

If you don't want to party, arrive early when the music videos are barely audible, servers have time to dote and you can simply load up on inexpensive Mexican fare and drinks.

Start your meal with warm nachos and bowls of perky cilantro-spiked salsa, then dive into tasty guacamole prepared at a station in the dining room with pico de gallo, cilantro and lime that easily serves two or more.

We also shared the ''Holy Mole'' chicken tamales, which looked more like a chocolate dessert with its thick coating of mole sauce and drizzle of sour cream. The chicken was flavorful, but there was more corn masa than meat.

The menu features typical items like tacos, burritos and chimichangas. Our delicious quesadillas were packed with grilled shrimp and Jack, Cheddar and queso fresco, with zesty pico de gallo and sour cream. In a trio of enchiladas La Bandera, you'll get one beef with ranchero (a little oversauced), chicken in a salsa verde and one cheese with tomatillo.

We're told fajitas generally arrive sizzling, but ours didn't. Veggies were a bit wimpy and the steak chewy.

Maracas lists specialties like pan-fried pork carnitas, with a hint of cilantro and garlic, served with tortillas, pico de gallo and guacamole. We were less happy with the pollo relleno, chicken rolled with huitlacoche, a corn fungus that's often called Mexican truffle. Its strong taste overpowers the chicken. We do like Maracas' sides of fluffy rice and refried beans that aren't just a muddle.

Not surprisingly, dessert at Maracas is colorful. Prickly pear syrup is rendered magenta, drizzled on a rich Mexican flan, surrounded by sliced strawberries and tufts of whipped cream. Squiggles of the purple syrup also decorate the sopapilla -- puffy fried dough dusted with cinnamon and sugar, drizzled with honey and chocolate and served with vanilla ice cream.

Among the other treats at Maracas: ''Man's Best Friend'' night on Wednesday. Dine on the 44-seat patio out front with your doggie and 10 percent of what you order -- plus 100 percent of what you order for your pup -- goes to the Pet Project. Now that's worth celebrating.

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