An old store in the JCRS Shopping Center has been remodeled into a south-of-the-border fantasy. The 82-foot-high pink stucco bell tower with a balustraded observation deck is a three-tiered, Spanish Baroque apparition crowned by a life-size warrior with spear, shield, and plumed helmet. Inside, under a high black ceiling simulating a tropical night, the decor caters to the romantic stereotypes of Mexico cherished by North Americans. A Spanish tile floor winds through a jungle of concrete palm trees, plastic ferns, and strolling, strumming mariachis. Tables overlook a three-tiered fountain on a lagoon, where diners can choose a thatched roof cabaña or a ferny grotto. Smiling señoritas deliver the margaritas, while fire jugglers dive off cliffs into the lagoon. This 52,000-square-foot complex—
with a tropical jungle, 30-foot waterfall, pirates' hideout, a mercado, and other marvels—is the largest link in a chain of Casa Bonitas.