El Guapo’s Winning Makeover in Whitefish Bay

Berkeley’s Café,located in Whitefish Bay, seemed to have the right idea for the rightlocation, serving breakfast, light lunches and an interesting internationaldinner menu in a North Shore village. Afterabout a year in business, however, the café underwent a radical makeover. Thenew name is El Guapo’s and the focus is Mexican. Interior improvements includea warmer color scheme (the bar stools are no longer an icy white) and theethnic charm of Mexican artifacts. The carryout counter at the entrance isgone, making room for an expanded bar. The changes seem to work: Lunch once wasthe domain of health-conscious women, but now the customer base is more diverseand you see more families eating here.

The menu is Mexican with a bit of Tex. The flavors are conservative as far ashot peppers go, but they also can be rich and invitingcall this NorthShore-Mex cuisine. A prime example is the salsa, which not only arrives warmand often with a wisp of steam, but also carries the richness of roastedtomatoes with undertones of chile pepper. It is excellent with the crisp corntortilla chips. Who needs guacamole?

A salsa like this hints that the kitchen has a knackfor soups, and it does. The roasted tomato soup ($4.75) lacks the chile pepperbut has flavors of herbs and basil oil and is topped with a bit of rosemarycream. Let the triangular crostini absorb the broth of this fine soup. Thetomato soup never says Mexican, but the guajillo turkey chili ($4.75) does,with assorted beans, tortilla strips and warm flavors of chile pepper. The soupservings are large.

Entrées consist of plates revolving around tacos,burritos, enchiladas and fajitas. This is healthier Mexican fare, as nothing isfried. The burritos ($8.50) come in a pair with your choice of filling:chicken, pork, ground beef or bean. The chicken and pork are both shredded (theground beef is best skipped altogether). The presentation is inviting and theentrée arrives with tasty rice, refried beans and pico de gallo. At first thebeans appear to be topped with chopped cilantro and cheese, but, in a noveltwist, it turns out to be flat-leaf parsley and cracked wheat. The enchiladas($8.75) are offered with three sauces: a rioja with tomato flavors, a somewhatwatery mole with the richness of chocolate, and a salsa verde that is mildlyspicy with the tartness of tomatillos. Chicken again seems to be the bestfilling. A few combination plates are available, and all of these items aresold a la carte.

Hungry diners will find a few more substantialentrées as well. Chicken ($12.75) is served with the mole or a barbecue sauce.This is a half chicken served in pieces with the bone in. The barbecue sauce isvery American, with a sweet, tangy flavor that is well suited for chicken.Sides consist of cabbage slaw, complemented by red onion and flat-leaf parsley,and polenta that has whole kernels of white cornItalian grits! Barbecue shrimpare sold as an entrée ($15.75) or appetizer ($8.50). Order the sauce on theside, as only a small amount is needed.

Patrons seem to enjoy the bar more at El Guapo’sthan at Berkeley’sCafe. One major reason is the margaritas made with fresh lime juice, which hasbecome a very welcome trend. The basic margarita costs $6, and the price topsout at $15 when prepared with the best tequila. There are only a few wines,listed on a chalkboard, but the smallish beer list is sound.

It appears that the conversion of Berkeley’s Café to El Guapo’s is a success.The new space proves that a creative makeover can win over the hearts ofcustomers. n

El Guapo’s

342 E. Silver Spring Drive

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(414) 897-8624

Credit Cards: All Major

Smoke-Free

Handicap Access: Yes