Charro Changes Up Choices

I had been hearing a lot of chatter lately about Charro’s revamped menu. The previous menu included meals typical of any Mexican restaurant. The new menu, however, features traditional dishes from countries throughout Central and South America.

I was interested in trying some typical Latin American cuisine, so, on a Saturday night, my husband and I decided to visit the restaurant's Brookfield location, at 17800 W. Bluemound Rd.

On our way to our table, we noticed staff making tableside guacamole and knew immediately we wanted to start our meal with it. We asked to have the guacamole made spicy and with everything on the cart, which included tomatoes, onions and crumbly Mexican cheese ($8). It was fantastic. We elected to have the guacamole with plantain chips instead of tortilla chips. The chips were great — crispy, lightly salted and fresh tasting.

For drinks, my husband ordered one of his favorite beers, Negro Modelo ($4.25), and I ordered a house margarita ($6), made with a mix the manager, who seated us, told us was made fresh daily. It was tasty and definitely not a store-bought bottled mix.

Choices on the dinner menu include small plates and entrees from Mexico, Argentina, Columbia and Guatemala, among other countries, as well as soup, salad and an Ecuadorian style ceviche.

For our meals, my husband ordered the Venezuelan specialty, the asado negro—brisket braised in brown sugar and red wine, served with roasted poblano and polenta-style cornmeal ($19). The dish was tasty, with many good flavors, but, unfortunately, the beef was chewy rather than tender. 

I ordered the Brazilian vatapa — shrimp with cashews, parsley and cherry tomatoes, served with a coconut milk sauce over a bed of rice ($15) . The shrimp were nice and big, and cooked well, and I love anything made with coconut milk. The flavors were good, but the dish didn’t pack quite as much punch as I had hoped.

As for service, while our server was friendly and helpful, it took him a while to get to our table. The manager who seated us brought a drink menu to get us started. When we were done eating, it again took a while for our server to clear our dishes and bring boxes to pack up our leftovers. 

Overall, the food was good, but not great, and the entree prices were a little high given the quality of food we were served. Although I would go back and try something else on the menu (there were plenty other dishes that sounded great), I wouldn’t make  a regular dining spot. 

To learn more about Nicole Adrian's tastes — whether dining out or at home —  check out her blog, at  http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com.