New Mexican restaurant touts authenticity, home cooking

Five El Sinaloense staff members, including two owners, helped in the restaurant's Grand Opening June 17 in Twin Lakes. (from left) Owner Hector Osuna; Osuna's wife, Liz; Owner Luz Ma Serrano; staff member Jaime Reyes; and Serrano's daughter, Janet Serrano (Jason Arndt photo/The Report).
Five El Sinaloense staff members, including two owners, helped in the restaurant’s Grand Opening June 17 in Twin Lakes. (from left) Owner Hector Osuna; Osuna’s wife, Liz; Owner Luz Ma Serrano; staff member Jaime Reyes; and Serrano’s daughter, Janet Serrano (Jason Arndt photo/The Report).

El Sinaloense debuts in Twin Lakes

By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer

Hector Osuna had a vision to open an authentic homestyle Mexican restaurant for several years.

The vision coupled with a long vacant storefront in the heart of Twin Lakes came to reality in the June 17 grand opening of El Sinaloense.

Osuna and Luz Ma Serrano, his aunt and business partner, began developing the 201 E. Main St. property eight months ago, noting the location was appealing.

“We always thought this was a prime location, it is right in the middle of town, right in the middle of the fork,” Osuna said. “It is the main street of town and it was empty for so long and we finally had a chance to get it.”

Osuna, who raises a family in Twin Lakes, stated his father, Miguel, once thought it was an ideal spot a decade ago, but could not secure it.

Singer Blanca Tapia serenades Shelly Ericksen and Christine Sura at the June 17 grand opening of El Sinaloense in the Village of Twin Lakes.  (Jason Arndt/The Report).
Singer Blanca Tapia serenades Shelly Ericksen and Christine Sura at the June 17 grand opening of El Sinaloense in the Village of Twin Lakes. (Jason Arndt/The Report).

“The dream has always been there, my wife, my aunt has always wanted to run a restaurant,” Osuna said. “My dad looked at this location about 10 years ago.”

Osuna’s wife, Liz, brings 14 years of food service experience into the business that promises to deliver a menu inspired by his family’s roots in the Northern Pacific region of Mexico.

In addition to tacos, the menu touts seafood choices, including a wide array of fried fish and shrimp dishes.

The restaurants also features Mexican-inspired steak and pork chop entrees.

“Our family is from the city of Mazatlan, where seafood and pork has a history,” Osuna said.

Following the main meal, El Sinaloense offers fried ice cream, adding churros as an option, to the mix as a dessert.

“It is a very unique menu choice, a lot of Mexican restaurants say they are authentic, but they are very Americanized,” Osuna said. “It is like we are cooking at home, the way we cook at our house, is what we will serve here.”

While the restaurant just opened, Osuna stated the community has been supportive and expressed enthusiasm.

“We haven’t gotten anything but great vibes from the community about this restaurant,” Osuna said. “We have had people stop in, ask questions about it, and are excited about it.” The reason may be the interior designs, beautiful décor, and the usage of advanced restaurant technologies that might have attracted the diners to the restaurant.

Serrano agreed, noting the community has always been welcoming.

“I am very happy, it has been my dream for many years. It is a very nice town, and I lived here before,” said Serrano, who commutes from Racine.

Osuna acknowledged that while they cleared the first hurdle, opening the restaurant, the family has grand plans to add more services that include delivery, and they may even seek out one of the restaurant consulting firms out there to help them work out how they might be able to achieve this.

The restaurant, open 10 a.m.-9 p.m., offers carryout and dine-in.

“Right now, we only do carryout and dine-in,” Osuna said. “But with time, once we settle in, and get in the groove, we hope to delivery.”

Serrano, a 1998 Wilmot Union High School graduate, attended Riverview School and has three children who attend Randall Consolidated School.

His children are 11-year-old Allan, 7-year-old Brandon and Joselyn, who is 4 years old.


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One response to “New Mexican restaurant touts authenticity, home cooking”

  1. Christopher Brown Avatar
    Christopher Brown

    Such a good place! We went there last week, and will be back for sure!