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An avocado taco at Tortilla Bar in Orem on Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald

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A hangar steak taco at Tortilla Bar in Orem on Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald

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Leandro Ramos prepares food at Tortilla Bar in Orem on Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald

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It is our theory that almost any situation in real life can in some fashion be related to “Seinfeld.”

So it was that as we found ourselves sampling the fare Saturday night at tortilla.bar (yes, the letters are lowercase), a new Orem restaurant, that we could not help thinking about a scene from Season 5 in which Kramer describes the taste of Estelle Costanza’s paella as “an orgiastic feast for the senses.” In retrospect, we can’t think of a more apt description of what we experienced at tortilla.bar.

If you are seeking traditional Utah County Mexican food, as can readily be found at dozens of area restaurants, then tortilla.bar is not for you. If, however, you want a completely unique Mexican-based dining experience, from the interior itself to the over-the-top service, from the presentation of the meal to the out-there distinct flavors of the food itself, then we can’t recommend tortilla.bar enough.

We even enjoyed the upbeat Spanish rock music playing as opposed to the typical schmaltzy Spanish music at most local haunts.

The uniqueness of the restaurant begins with the building itself, a small, old edifice located at 1454 S. State St. in Orem. The dining room is tiny, with room for only four or five tables (there might have been two shifted together during our visit) and a handful of stools at the bar — which overlooks the cooking area.

All the tables were taken, but we were enthusiastically greeted by a server who said, “If you’re adventurous you can sit at the bar.” Never let it be said that our party of three was not adventurous. Turns out there was adventure at every turn on the tortilla.bar menu.

It is hard to imagine being more exuberantly welcomed at any other restaurant. “I don’t recognize you, have you been here before?” our server asked. When we told him it was our first time, he explained all about the restaurant, its goals and its menu with a gusto usually reserved in these parts for when Greg Wrubell announces another Cougar touchdown or a 40-foot Jimmer bomb to end a half.

The main chef also made the rounds several times during our meal, checking up on everything and asking our thoughts about the food.

As explained by our server, the tortilla.bar attempts to use fresh ingredients, getting daily orders from area gardens and farms. The restaurant’s menu may not be extensive, fitting, as it did, comfortably on one sheet of paper — but it is not simple. The combination of flavors and ingredients truly was an adventure.

The meals all came delightfully presented, providing a visual interest that was well appreciated.

Making eye contact with the approaching meal also created a second visual response. Mainly: “That’s it? Did part of the order get lost?”

We have a feeling many first-time diners at tortilla.bar experience this exact same thought. There’s no getting around the fact that the portions are rather small for their price point — at least by local standards. But what we can say is that the unique flavors and tremendous service help make up some of the difference.

Another confession: The flavor combinations were so different than anything we’ve previously encountered, we were somewhat surprised and taken aback with our initial bites. However, by the middle of each order, we found ourselves enjoying each sample more and more. We just needed a bit of a feeling-out process with each one.

Take a couple of the house specialties, the Hanger Steak Taco and the Avocado Taco as an example. The tacos were small, but packed with interesting flavors. The Hanger Steak Taco featured steak, very thin radish slices, thin slices of jalapeño, salsa fresca, florentina sauce and julienned cucumber. The avocado version featured plenty of its namesake, goat cheese chunks and thin beet slices. Whatever oils and sauces were added to both tacos really made them pop.

We also sampled the Molotes, which are deep-fried polenta dumplings that came topped with grilled pork (you can also choose steak or chicken), drizzled in sauce with jalapeño-infused cabbage on the side. Very interesting indeed.

Another favorite was the Black Bean Soup, which in addition to black beans also featured diced butternut squash, radish slivers and sour cream. It had a slight kick to it, which we enjoyed.

Our 5-year-old son loves eggs, so he ordered the One Egg and Chorizo. The chorizo was a tad spicy, which he didn’t like, but his dad did. He loved the egg, however. One caveat was the egg yolk arrived slightly broken — but our server pointed out that it was supposed to be a perfect over-easy. Due to the slight break, he brought an order of Churros on the house, much to the delight of our son.

One reason for the exotic tastes, as our server explained, was that while the menu is Mexican in nature, it features French- and Japanese-infused flavors. Whatever the reason, we can state with certainty that a visit to tortilla.bar will be quite unlike anything else you experience in the area.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Where: 1454 S. State St., Orem

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday

Prices: $3.50-$8.75

Info: (385) 259-2014, www.facebook.com/oremtortilla