In South Florida where wanna-be Mexican restaurants are rampant, the taste of authentic Mexican cuisine at Homestead's La Quebradita Taqueria might come as a surprise.

``The cooks are from Mexico, that was the success of the restaurant from day one,'' said Luis Aguirre, who bought the restaurant with his wife, Yolanda, less than a year ago.

The real estate broker bought the business from a longtime acquaintance after moving to Homestead from Chicago. Though he is originally from Ecuador, Aguirre decided to keep the restaurant's Mexican format.

``You have to offer what the town needs,'' he said. ``The town needs more services for the Mexican community.''

Unlike other Mexican restaurants north of Homestead, the menu doesn't include Tex-Mex dishes, but rather meals that are typical to the various states of Mexico.

Having lived 22 years in Chicago, Aguirre takes advantage of that city's large Mexican population to order products for la Quebradita such as spices and chile.

In December, Aguirre went before the Homestead City Council to apply for a license to sell beer and wine, but was denied. The board did allow the business to continue having an outdoor seating area where diners can enjoy their meals under an umbrella.

That's exactly what Mauricio Lanzas and Francis Salazar did for lunch Thursday on an unusually hot day for March.

``I like the natural fresh air,'' said Salazar, who stumbled upon the restaurant by accident one day while visiting someone at Homestead Hospital.

Though she lives in Miami, the Nicaraguan native said she must have visited the business about 10 times.

``I love the food, the attention and the surroundings,'' she said.

Unlike other Mexican Restaurants in town, La Quebradita (The Little Gully), doesn't serve chips and salsa dip before meals. Instead two different types of salsa sauces and a container of escabeche, a spicy vegetable condiment, are available on each table for patrons to season their tacos.

Thursday, we enjoyed a chile rellenos dish at $4.95, which was served with rice and beans, and salad; a Big Quesadillas at $2.95, which consisted of a large flour tortilla filled with cheese, and a taco barbacoa $1.39 served with shredded beef and served in an authentic soft shell taco.

Other specialties including Bistec a la Tampiquena, $9.95, a grilled skirt steak; Huevos Rancheros $4, which includes three eggs, rice, beans, and sauce; and Milanesa, $5.95, which is a breaded steak served with rice, beans, salad, guacamole and tortillas.

The restaurant's decor is unmistakably Mexican. It includes Mexican serapes draped from the windows, a statue of Mexico's patron saint, La Virgen de Guadelupe, and wall ornaments of Aztec figures.

Patrons can expect to see changes at La Quebradita in the future. Within 30 to 60 days, Aguirre plans to enlarge the restaurant's dining area and expand the menu more. He also envisions a special section where shakes and fresh fruit juices will be available.