A panorama of faces filled Sal's Mexican Inn the night we arrived to renew our acquaintance with the long-standing but newly renovated Oxnard restaurant. Families, restless little kids, laid-back teenagers, young couples and seniors with canes crowded into the various dining areas. A festive mood prevailed.

Sal's legendary co-owner and enthusiastic greeter, Sal Lopez, went to Tex-Mex heaven in 2000, but the 56-year-old restaurant still has the same warm and lively atmosphere from the early days. Daughter Lettie Lopez, who has pitched in at the restaurant since she was 18 a quarter-century ago, now is running the show with the blessing of her mother, Mary.

When we arrived at Sal's on a weekday night, spirited sounds of mariachi music greeted us at the entry. As luck would have it, a private party was under way in a front dining room, and the hosts had hired musicians. The result was sporadic bursts of rousing music breezing through the restaurant throughout dinner.

There were lots of people already seated at booths and at the long row of tables that cuts through the center of the back dining room. The look and function of the dining areas have been spiffed up with a lighter, brighter decor. Graceful arches soften the simple lines.

There were plenty of staff to accommodate the hungry visitors, and we were approached by an energetic server whose gusto matched the surroundings. While we considered whether to sip an imported Mexican beer or to choose a refreshing drink made from hibiscus (jamaica) or rice, almonds and cinnamon (horchata), it occurred to my friend to inquire about margaritas even though they weren't listed on the menu.

"You'll like them," our server assured us. We did. They came just the way we like, straight up with ice in a large, heavy glass edged with salt, a perfectly cool complement to Sal's slightly spicy Tex-Mex fare.

Thin tortilla chips and a very mild pico de gallo mix kept us occupied as we leafed through the extensive menu, which covers just about every conceivable item or combination Americans consider traditional at Mexican restaurants. We had two goals in mind: to seek out anything a little out of the ordinary and to sample a tamale, the latter because we had heard that, after a health setback, Mary Lopez had been at the restaurant's reopening to oversee tamale preparation.

We definitely found something unusual to enliven the meal. Along with small cups of albondigas and tortilla soups, a chile relleno, the tamale and camarones rancheros (at $11.25, the only shrimp dish we noticed on the menu), there was the barbacoa de res dinner ($10.50), listed among "Sal's Special Meat Dinners."

It caught my eye because the preparation -- chilies, spices and fruit juices combined with the meat -- was similar to the carne adovada dinner, which features pork instead of beef. I had eaten, and enjoyed, the adovada before, and this seemed a likely variation.

Once we'd placed our extensive order with another server, we sat back and waited for the food to arrive. We had asked for the a la carte relleno ($3.10) and tamale ($3.25) to be delivered first, like appetizers, even though we were pretty sure they'd be more filling than most.

They were. Each serving covered an entire plate; the pulled beef tamale stretched out almost to enchilada length, joined by a hearty sauce much like a good chili, complete with crumbled ground beef. The corn-flour wrap was light, making the whole dish a delight. The chile relleno was full of cheese inside and buried in cheese outside, none of which detracted from the lightly spicy chili itself.

The bounty of the a la carte items got us into the right frame of mind to encounter the "dinner" portions. The butterflied shrimp of the camarones rancheros were arranged in a tangy vegetable sauce and surrounded by generous helpings of Spanish rice and refried beans. The barbacoa de res was finely shredded and enveloped in the aromatic sauce we anticipated, boldly exotic but with a lingering sweetness.

I tried to draw a translation for barbacoa de res from our server, but he seemed only to be able to come up with "beef," the description given on the menu. Once home, I whipped out my faithful laptop and came up with another definition: cheek- or head-of-cattle barbecue. That might have given me pause, but then again I grew up in a neighborhood where "head cheese" meant cold sausage; its derivation didn't stop anyone from enjoying it.

With the array we ordered, it wasn't too surprising that the cups of soup that came with our entrees (salad is an option) got lost in the shuffle. So we asked about them, and they were quickly delivered.

We can vouch for the albondigas, a simple but well-spiced presentation. The tortilla soup, noted as "new" on the menu, seems to be a work in progress. The broth was very mild, with big, hand-sliced chunks of carrots adding color and texture along with bits of chicken.

The julienned tortilla chips gave an attractive look to the little cup. The soup is looking good, but not fully developed in flavor.

A cool slice of flan, in basic home style, wrapped up our meal.

Sal's looks have definitely improved with the renovation, and kitchen equipment has been modernized. But the family restaurant's essence of warmth and good cheer remains its hallmark.

E-mail Rita Moran at ritamoran@earthlink.net.

SAL'S MEXICAN INN

LOCATION: 1450 S. Oxnard Blvd., Oxnard. 483-9015.

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

WHAT'S HOT: Beef tamale, albondigas soup, chile relleno, barbacoa de res dinner.

IMPRESSIONS: Bustling family restaurant features home-style Tex-Mex food, bright touches from recently completed renovation.

COST OF DINNER FOR TWO: $11-$24.

-- Reviewed one evening in January.