It’s easy to lose track of the restaurants Dudley Nieto has had a hand in over the decades. Adobo Grill, Zapatista, Xel-Ha, Zocalo, New Rebozo, Chapulin, Chapultepec, La Canasta, Eivissa, Mezcalina, Barbakoa—to name a few. There are so many that it’s almost easy to look right past Rojo Gusano, the latest, a taco-focused Albany Park joint with a somewhat labored Sammy-Hagar-staggering-around-on-the-beach-vibe. But after Ixcateco Grill, it’s the second midscale Mexican joint with a pedigreed chef to open in the neighborhood, and as such it deserves a look.
The restaurant does manage to get it together at brunch, with a menu featuring a number of compelling hangover sponges like posole; an egg sandwich piled high with cochinita pibil, bacon, and sunny-side up huevos; and fried chicken and blueberry waffles drizzled in agave syrup. The chilaquiles are particularly noteworthy for their gimmick-free competence: a fried egg sitting at the peak of a mountain of crispy tortilla chips showered in queso fresco and asadero cheese, slowly softening in a blanket of tangy salsa verde.
