Blue Bar & Restaurant has been refashioning itself over the years. In fact, its in-progress Web site and the business cards of owner Carlos Costa now refer to it as Blue Ultra Lounge & Restaurant.

Located a stone's throw from the Stage Door Theatre in Agoura Hills, the building once known as Casa Rea has clearly embraced the color blue, with soft lighting in the dining room and blue translucent dividers between booths. Big, round Japanese-style lanterns hover over the patio area.

The formality of the dining room is tempered by the booths' cushy lounge seating, complete with throw pillows, plus a few plump white couches along one wall. The long bar room has more casual seating and a band area in the back. The evenings can run late at Blue; on most nights, it's open until 1 a.m.

Checking the online menu for Blue, I found a variety of cuisines, including Mexican, Caribbean, Asian and basic American. But at the restaurant itself, I found a more streamlined menu: Most of the island fare was gone; just a few of the Mexican items remained.

There still is plenty of variety, and at reasonable prices. An added bonus the night we stopped by was the attentive service of a waiter whose experience ranged through the years from Casa Rea to the present Blue.

We didn't find a starter that was distinctively blue in hue, but the two we tasted were satisfactory: crab cakes ($9) and coconut shrimp ($8).

The lump crab cakes were very mild in flavor, but got boosts from other items on the plate: Asian jicama slaw, mango salsa and Cajun remoulade. The coconut shrimp, although not unusual, were crisp and tasty, especially with the orange-chili dipping sauce.

Mango brie salad ($9) was something that we found both online and on the current Blue menu. It featured a full plate of greens with a good wedge of fried panko-crusted brie and slices of fresh mango. Other accents included cayenne candied pecans, raisins and a few fresh raspberries. The mango vinaigrette was quite good, although applied a bit heavily for our taste.

Another dish that sounded interesting, but also a bit too hearty for us as an early course, was the sausage and spinach salad, made with grilled chicken sausage, orzo, roasted red peppers, toasted pumpkin seeds, shaved Parmesan and a honey-mustard vinaigrette. With that and an appetizer or soup, diners could make a meal.

I decided to honor the Mexican heritage of the spot and ordered "the whole enchiladas" ($13), chicken enchiladas served with a small pot of black beans and good cilantro rice. The enchiladas were surprisingly unadorned, but that made the quality of the thin tortilla wrap and the chicken breast filling stand out. There was a cheese and light sour cream topping, but no visible sauce, although the pico de gallo added zest, and slices of fresh avocado provided color and flavor. The whole enchiladas seem like a gratifyingly healthy version of the dish.

Tilapia ($14) is appearing on lots of menus now, a revival that may be due to the fact that the delicate fish is now being farm-raised as well as fished in Western and Mexican waters. Blue's version wraps the small fish fillets around a shrimp mousse stuffing, with the little rolls lined up on the dinner plate along with mushroom and zucchini couscous and grilled vegetables.

I thought that the shrimp stuffing overwhelmed the fish flavor, but my friend enjoyed the dish once a call for soy sauce was answered. Without it, they were a little dry despite the sauce served with them.

From the "sweet endings" section, we chose Mama's flan ($6), which was not only delicious but very attractively presented. Alongside the home-style flan was a dab of whipped cream, fresh raspberries and a sugary mound of dulce de leche. Along with good cups of coffee, the flan ended the meal with a satisfying flourish.

In addition to what we sampled, Mexican food fans will find carnitas and a chicken tortilla soup. For updates, check that in-progress Web site at blueclubs.com.

— Rita Moran visits restaurants unannounced and pays for her food. If you know of a new, unusual or just plain good restaurant, please contact her at ritamoran@earthlink.net.