More signs of life on Milwaukee in Niles

As I'd mentioned in a previous post, the Golf/Mil neighborhood bafflingly bucks the national chain restaurant trend:

* Pita Inn is a former Arby's
* Periyali is a former Red Lobster
* Woori is a former Ponderosa
* Senoya is a former Olive Garden

There's a new sign on the ex-Burger King next to Pita Inn, either El Sueño or El Suerte or El Somethinglikethat -- Mexican Cuisine it says below that.

Unless they're going for a higher-end format (and in an ex-Burger King it's not unthinkable, but it is more work to gut and replace), they'll have a hard time competing with the Tacos El Norte, Los Comales, and even Taco Hell all within a couple blocks.

Still, always happy to see new chow.

On our way to ABT Sunday to buy a new microwave, we stopped at El Sueño because it was the first place we saw. It's actually quite nice inside, with a stained glass window and large paintings; you'd never know it housed a Burger King.

We had an appetizer that I really wanted to like: shrimp ceviche over a chopped avocado, green olive, and caper salad which would have been really, really good if it hadn't been so incredibly salty. We also shared "El Gordo" from the Sunday brunch menu, which was like a plate-sized sope, divided in quadrants by different flavors of topping: chorizo, chicharron, mole chicken and black beans. We liked it a lot, but the heat level is definitely gringo-level; even Sparky didn't have a problem. There were lots of things on the menu that sounded interesting - I wish I'd tried the duck tacos, though they were $14/order. It's clearly catering to a non-Mexican population, but is more true to it's roots than many of its ilk - no pasty beans, chipotle mashed potatoes, or tiny portions.

It's not a destination, by any manner of means, but certainly beats the pants off of Taco Hell!