If you’re in the mood for Mexican food, my best advice these days would be to head to Palm Beach Gardens.

In recent weeks, two Mexican eateries have set up shop in the city, each offering an interesting approach to the south-of-the-border cuisine. First up: Cabo Flats Cantina & Tequila Bar (11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave. in Downtown at the Gardens, 561-624-0024, caboflats.com ). Situated in the space formerly belonging to Rosa Mexicano, this is a concept far removed that eatery’s upscale, regional-minded take on all things Mexican. Instead, Cabo Flats is Mexican-meets-rock ’n’ roll — a kind of juke joint in a Tex-Mex (or California-Mex) vein that also happens to serve very good but fairly basic (and reasonably priced) Mexican fare.

Signature dishes include soft tacos (fish, steak, chicken, ground beef — $3 to $3.50), “ginormous” burritos (try the Bob Marley with chicken for $10) and several varieties of ceviche (like “Mexican sushi, but better” says the menu — choices are $10 each). To wash it all down: a vast selections of margaritas and tequilas, served in unique, oversized Mexican stemware. The basic frozen margarita ($8) may be the best I’ve had in South Florida.

Cabo Flats comes courtesy of failed golf pro-turned-veteran restaurateur Paul Ardaji, who made a splash a decade ago on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach with Sforza and My Martini. He’s also worked with the P.F. Chang’s chain and developed a few eateries with famed Iron Chef Morimoto.

He took inspiration for Cabo Flats from Pink Taco, a hipster Mexican eatery in California, and from House of Blues, the music-meets-barbecue chain. And sure enough, Cabo Flats has that cutting-edge vibe (note that the front doors are actual garage doors — very East L.A.). It’s also got a smart musical lineup, with a mix of everything from mariachi to cover bands playing on almost any given night. In all, quite a lively place.

The other new Mexican in town is a Palm Beach Gardens location of the growing Tijuana Flats chain (11608 U.S. 1, 561-622-4555, tijuanaflats.com ). This is casual Mexican in the same spirit of such chains as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Moe’s, but with a few tasty and amusing touches.

For starters, each location boasts its own individual look (the Palm Beach Gardens one has something of a superhero theme). Plus, the restaurant really does put an emphasis on fresh, made-to-order fare, with burritos, quesadillas, rice bowls that can be customized to your exact taste. (Another nice plus: there’s a menu of under-500 calories items.)

But the especial appeal of Tijuana may be its outstanding array of hot sauces — more than a dozen, from the mild and sweet to the almost lethal. Mix and match to suit your style. Oh, and I love the restaurant’s “manifesto,” which encourages patrons to “accept all kinds of people, even those who use mild sauce.”

Of Italian wines and Memphis-style barbecue …

It’s been a busy month of chowing down at a range of noteworthy food and wine events throughout Palm Beach County. Here are two worth mentioning:

A wine dinner at Forte (225 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 561-833-3330 ) showcasing the latest offerings from the Livernano and Casalvento wineries: This was very much a family-and-friends-style affair, since the owners of the Italian wineries and Forte are one and the same — longtime Palm Beachers Bob and Gudrun Cuillo. The Cuillos got into the wine biz as something of a hobby, but their first-class slate of reds and whites, including the Livernano “L’Anima” chadonnay (yes, an Italian chardonnay) and Casalvento Classico Chianti, are garnering serious attention among oenophiles.

The wines were indeed terrific, but the real surprise of the night was how nicely the restaurant has come along under the stewardship of Maurizio Ciminella, a partner with the Cuillos for the past year. Among the stellar dishes served at the wine dinner: an appetizer of paper-thin swordfish crudo (more like carpaccio, actually) with Sicilian blood oranges, lemon zest, Italian parsley and capers and a dessert of coconut tapioca, caramelized pears and blueberry compote. Bravo!

A barbecue lunch, courtesy of the Morgan Keegan financial firm in Jupiter: On the surface this was just a thank-you event for clients of the company. But what made it significant from a foodie’s perspective (and what scored me a precious invite) is that the event served as a showcase for an award-winning Memphis pitmaster, Stephen Smart, who’s renowned for his pork shoulder and side dishes (especially beans). So what brought him to Jupiter?

It turns out that in his “real” life, Smart works for Morgan Keegan, which also happens to be based in Memphis. When Jupiter branch manager and ’cue fanatic Jonathan Cohen got word of Smart’s skills as a chef, he invited him to South Florida. A great yearly tradition was born. Now, if we could only persuade Smart to open a ’cue joint here …