For years, Patricia Barrera-Kerhin missed her mom’s birria, a meat stew. The native of Guadalajara – the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco – also longed for the comfort of jericalla, a flan-like dessert. After 20 years in Milwaukee – five of them running, alongside her husband Richard, the Italian-inspired Aperitivo in the Pritzlaff building – Barrera-Kerhin has finally created a vessel for her nostalgia. That’s Las Gardenias, which opened next door to Aperitivo back in April.
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The cuisine reflects what she craved and couldn’t find here, those culinary reminders of home. Scratch-made everything is her motto – rich, flaky tortilla chips, fresh corn tortillas that almost mythologize a taco. Salsas, mole, tamales made like her mother would have. That commitment is Las Gardenias’ strength. Its weakness is that not everything lives up to expectations – mine, anyway.
But first, here’s the good: With their distinctive corn flavor, the fresh tortillas are marvelous – and the fillings I ordered were delightful: tender marinated skirt steak, plump shrimp in achiote, and chicken-cheese birria (tacos $7-$8).
When Electric Lime Taqueria closed its storefront on Milwaukee Street in 2022, the carne asada taco lovers among us whined: “What’ll we do now?” Well, whine no more. Relocated, since last spring, to stylish black, white and lime green digs in Cathedral Square (811 N. Jefferson St.), ELT is still making some of the best grilled skirt steak tacos around –served with cilantro, onion and salsa and tucked inside house-made corn tortillas. Don’t sleep on them.
The birria, a stew (typically goat, sometimes beef) that originated in Jalisco, uses fall-apart tender chicken – it’s what Barrera-Kerhin’s mom used. Reserving the braising liquid for a dipping consommé is traditional for birria tacos. Here, the broth is light and mellow, and while it doesn’t add much flavor, it does add welcome moisture.
I liked the dark-brown mole well enough the first time (with marinated skirt steak, $32), but it was remarkably bland on the second occasion, with bone-in chicken ($28). I may have expected a complexity that was never promised. A few other dishes had big flaws – the shrimp in the aguachile negro (a cousin of ceviche, $18) were so chewy, I couldn’t swallow them.
And despite three sauces served with the plate, the veggie tamales were bland ($24) – I wondered, had I ordered the meat option (chicken) if that would have made a difference. But the love in the essence of this place – visible even in the paper gardenia that centerpieces each table – will draw me back to give it another chance.
Las Gardenias
305 N. Plankinton Ave.
414-249-3738
Tues-Sat 4-9 p.m.
Starters $3-$18; tacos $7-$16; mains $24-$32; desserts $10
Service is green but friendly
Reservations accepted; walk-ins also welcome
