Cendio belongs to a tight-knit family of local restaurants that each seem to originate from different gene pools – even more so than when you compare the myriad eateries spawned by local restaurateurs David and Leslie Cohen, who thread into their dining rooms stylish, colorful themes that seasoned diners ultimately recognize.

Miller Enterprises Inc. is the company that recently added Cendio to its small posse of restaurants. Gringos and Moondoggies are the clan’s rambunctious frat brothers and JRDN at Tower 23 Hotel reigns as their high-heeled blonde sister. And now a sexy dark-eyed bro with a taste for creative Latin and Caribbean cuisine contributes international flair to the tribe.

Additionally, the La Jolla restaurant is probably the only place in town where you can tote in a group of six people and feast on whole suckling pig, complete with an apple in its mouth and cherries plugged into the eye sockets. The kitchen will truss the porker into any position you want (hooves crossed, arms extended out, etc.) and then bake it in the oven for a dramatic supper that requires 72-hour notice.

Dublin native Diane Stopford heads up Cendio’s innovative menu of equatorial fare, which embodies both Latin and tropical influences in zesty preparations that radically depart from Ireland’s meat-and-potatoes stereotype – not to mention the largely American fare found at Cendio’s sibling restaurants.

After leaving Dublin’s famed L’Ecrivain restaurant, Stopford moved on to kitchens in Greece, New York and Paradise Point Resort in San Diego. At Cendio, she dusts meats and fish with deliciously unique combinations of spices and ingredients, just enough to pique the palates of pedestrian consumers.

Parmesan, Gouda and smoked Jack cheeses conjoin to form delicate, finger-shaped Chorizo Croquetas, battered in egg and bread crumbs and served with roasted tomatoes and chipotle salsa for dipping. Because the chorizo was impossible to detect, we chalked them up as fine, gourmet cheese sticks worthy of a mango martini or Havana rum drink. I vouched instead for a Caipirinha, but the high-octane Cachaca cane liqueur that goes into this refreshing South American cocktail wasn’t crammed with enough limes to scream, “Brazil!”

We also started with Jerk Chicken Skewers, served impressively with the skewers piercing upright from a fat slice of grilled pineapple. The tender, charred chicken was safely spiced, offering a gingery aftertaste complimented by pickled cucumber and fennel salad. The biggest winner in our appetizer lineup, however, was an open-faced pork tamale made with soft, rich masa and the kind of savory pulled pork we banked on finding inside. The tamales are made fresh daily and rank among the restaurant’s pride-and-joy dishes judging by how enthusiastically they were touted by our waitress and how quickly we devoured it.

A trio of soups was less exciting. The gazpacho tasted a little acidic and lacked the classic burst of green pepper and cucumber. The black bean soup revealed no surprises, although I liked that the beans were whole and cooked just past the al dente stage. And the corn chowder was simply too sweet for my palate.

Salads, on the other hand, are quite inventive. They incorporate everything from quinoa and papaya to dates and almond-crusted Manchego cheese. We chose an arugula medley tossed with candied pecans, goat cheese and a fair dose of cubed butternut squash that meshed as lovingly with the inclusion of Medjool dates as it does when you throw brown sugar and butter at it. A lemon-tarragon dressing neutralized the honeyed components of the salad and turned it into a marvelous-tasting dish.

Stopford’s entrée menu thoroughly excites the stomach by merely reading over it. We wished for supernatural appetites that would’ve allowed us to try everything: Dark Rum and Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon, Grilled Beef Sirloin with chimichurri, Almond Mole Chicken and Cuban Style Paella. I held no regrets deciding on the Grilled Pork Chop coated thinly with coffee demi glaze that imparted a delectable bitterness to the meat. The plate included three thick slices of grilled sweet potato finished off with a touch of mascarpone cheese and butter.

My companion’s main course, Seared Mahi Mahi, fell victim to the salt shaker, unfortunately, and not from his own hand. This is the third time in a month that I’ve encountered fish riddled by sodium on at least one side. I say give the option of salting food back to the people! In this case, fresh mango and papaya salad on the side helped battle the briny flavor when eaten in unison with the mahi. The entrée was presented prettily, wrapped like a gift in ribbons of banana leaves and glistening in cilantro-lime butter.

Cendio’s layout appeases with a commodious outdoor patio in the front that looks down onto what has become a livelier Prospect Street these days. Inside, the dining room and bar are divided by Mayan-style metalwork. Tabletops resemble wooden butcher blocks, oversized booths run along one side of the room and a trendy lounge with zany décor hides in the back.

If you’re scouting for original and reasonably priced food in downtown La Jolla, or just a fun place to throw back some juicy cocktails, look no further than Cendio to meet the standard.

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