Botanas Restaurant   

Milwaukee's red-hot Fifth Street is home to several Mexican restaurants, but Botanas' blend of spicy food and specialties from the owner's home city of Guadalajara set it apart from the rest. While you are waiting to be seated in the cozy dining room (complete with a artificial aviary overhead), sit outside and enjoy a jumbo margarita on the patio. Start off the meal with the zesty ceviche (chopped fish served as a dip or spread) or dip some tortillas into the restaurant's authentic stout guacamole. For a mainstream entree, try the shrimp ala diabla, cooked in a hot chile sauce, or an enchilada and tostada combination. For a bona fide Guadalajaran dish, take a crack at the shrimp soup, chicken mole, bistec machacado (for steak lovers) or shrimp tequila (guess what the secret ingredient is?). Vegetarian appetites can be appeased as well, substituting beans and vegetables in any of the entrees. Botanas prides itself on its abundance of sauces, fiery flavors and dishes that are unique in the area. -- Mike Huberty