Milwaukee’s South Side surely doesn’t lack for Mexican restaurants. Even so, the idea of two of them operating across the street from each other—at the intersection of South 13th and West Burnham streets—may at first seem like overkill. That notion gives too little credit to the diversity within the cuisine and the power of cultural adaptation.
Taqueria Los Gallos (1800 S. 13th St.) dips further into the cultural melting pot. Traditional offerings such as tacos share a menu with fusion dishes such as a carne al pastor burger of ground beef and pork in a bun, plus American items like chicken wings and a bacon-wrapped hot dog. Gallos’ pinnacle of uniqueness may be its carne asada fries. Over enough shoestring fried potatoes for two or three diners to easily share are slathered a combination of grilled, marinated and shredded beef, white cheese, chopped tomato and shredded lettuce. Consider it a Hispanic poutine, perhaps. The grilled mushroom quesadilla, resembling a loosely assembled burrito and spiced with red chilis, is arguably even more fulsomely delicious.
El Tlaxcalteca Restaurant (1300 W. Burnham St.) hews closer to heritage offerings, but not without its own proprietary delicacies and items rarely found elsewhere in the city. A branded take on the breakfast staple of chilquiles places steak, onions, eggs and sour cream amid tortilla chips, red sauce or green sauce and cheese. A complex palette of beefy, tangy and citrusy flavors emerges when skirt steak and onions are combined with cactus for a traditional plate lunch. Soups include beef and chicken varieties chock-full of corn, multiple squashes, carrot, potato and cabbage. Chickpeas and greens complement a lamb consommé served similarly to menudo, with complements of chopped onion, cilantro and lime, shakers of oregano and red pepper as well. Of El Tlaxcalteca Restaurant’s few desserts, the one most worth the splurge may be fried plantain slices daubed with strawberry preserves.
