Booths and tables withimitation red leather tablecloths fill the interior, and fans occupy spots onthe ornamental tin ceiling. One wall attempts to resemble the porch of ahacienda overlooking the desert countryside. At the far back is a small barwith the usual drinks.
The buffet is popular,but only those who are extremely hungry or in a rush should use it. The menu isbetter, and its prices are reasonable.
At first the menuappears to be just like dozens of others in the area, with fajitas,chimichangas and the usual cast of characters, but you’ll also find items likemenudo, pozole and a decent mole. Even simple items like guacamole ($5.75) areabout as good as they get. The perfectly ripe avocados offer maximum flavor.Chips and salsa arrive free of charge; the tomato-ey salsa is on the mild side,with just a hint of hot pepper.
Besides the menudo andpozole, a number of other soups are available as well, including beef, chickenand shrimp options. Most of the soups are served in large bowls, with theexception of sopa azteca ($3.50). Along with a chicken broth base and plenty oftortilla strips, there are small pieces of avocado, queso fresco and a bigdollop of sour cream in the center. The soup is already mild in flavor, so skipthe sour cream. For a spicier option, try an item called costa brava ($10.99).It is a shrimp soup featuring eight jumbo crustaceans peeled with just the tailremaining. Larger shrimp often lose flavor, but these prove to be theexception. The broth contains carrot, potato and celery, and a plate withchopped cilantro, onions and lime wedges comes on the sidethe usual setup. Thedifference here is the addition of whole chipotle peppers, which add a mild tomedium spicy kick to this delicious soup. It is an effort to finish all of it.
Lomo de res en chile dearbol ($9.25) is billed as “very hot.” This entrée includes pieces of steak ina red arbol chile sauce. Arbol chiles sometimes approach the heat of habaneropeppers, but that is not the case here. This sauce rates as a medium, though itstill has the hint of sweetness of arbol chiles. It is served with goodorange-hued rice, decent if runny refried beans with cheese, and lettuce with atomato slice. It’s a big platter of food.
Pollo con mole poblano($9.50) is chicken with the most common mole found locally: poblano. The molepoblano is made here at Azteca and has a rich chocolate flavor with chilepepper undertones. It is too bad that the chicken is not meatier. A thigh andleg portion with the bone in disappeared too quickly, leaving the remainder ofthat delicious sauce for the flour tortillas.
If you live in thenearby area, the above-average Mexican fare of Azteca is well worth a visit.The menu is good enough for those who want to venture beyond the ground beeftacos of the lunch buffet. It also is a good place for families. In fact, thisis probably the perfect Mexican restaurant for this quiet suburbfriendly andaffordable.n
Azteca
901 Milwaukee Ave.
(414) 766-0450
$
Credit Cards: MC, VS, DS
Smoke-Free
Handicap Access: Yes
