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.

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’ st

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