Maya

[rancho_gordo]

I just got the book Modern Mexican Flavors by Richard Sandoval and I find many of his cooking ideas intriguing and somewhat "do-able". His presentation is very architectual and fussy, with lots of squirt-bottle sauces and the whole thing seems so 1980s. I've been cooking from the book and it's been a gas as I ignore the presentaion advice. Plus, I prefer to serve family-style rather than "plate" the dishes. It just strikes me as more gracious.

Anyway, I'm curious about the restaurant Maya. I know two people who went. One loved it, the other HATED it with such passion I didn't knwo what to think.

Any impressions? Is it worth any thought?

[ludja]

Thought I'd bump this up as we were considering this for a dine about town options.

Has anyone tried this in the last year?

Thanks!

[ludja]

After posting I found some feed back on the SF 2005 Dine About Town .

Sounds mostly negative... any other opinons?

Did you ever end up trying this out rancho_gordo?

[Absonot]

I just dined here last Friday for the first time. We didn’t follow the DAT menu scheme, because it didn’t occur to us and because our server did not mention it. I don’t think we would have felt too constrained to do so however, because there seem to be many DAT options according to their website.

The dining room is nice, and the service was unobtrusive and solid. But the food? Eh.

**Guacamole:

The guacamole is made to order, and they ask whether you want it mild, medium or spicy. We asked for spicy, but it ended up being quite mild. It was fine, but I expected more heat…and I’m a lightweight in the heat department. The guac itself was good, with huge chunks of avocado. I personally like a more creamy style, but that’s just me and I assumed the chunkier was more authentic anyway. The chips were excellent.

What was distracting was the two-tier contraption in which they serve the guac. The bottom is basically a molcahete full of chips, with a silver post that rises out of the center of it to support a silver bowl full of guacamole. But the post was loose, so every time you tried to scoop guaca, it would lurch to the side precariously. It never tipped over, but it also never stopped lurching. Maybe it was just the one they gave us, who knows.

**Ostiones Fritos

~ blue corn meal crusted oysters / chipotle, huitlacoche, celery root purée / cucumber~mango salad / chile de arbol vinaigrette 10.

6 fried oysters rested on a splattering of all these sauces, their many colors making quite an impact, but their paltry volume (just a squirt of everything, basically) made their flavor virtually undetectable. I’d been dying to try huitlacoche, but I couldn’t quite discern its flavor from all the other sauces splattered all over the plate. It was a process of flavor elimination, which was an interesting exercise.

**Salmon Enchilada

~ open faced pan roasted salmon enchilada / soft corn tortilla/black bean puree/ mole rojo / cotija cheese / crema fresca / marinated red onions 19.

This dish was fine, with high quality ingredients, but there was nothing intriguing or new about it. The marinated red onions were lovely, though…and made an excellent textural and flavor contrast to the creamy, earthy beans and mole rojo.

**Carnitas Maya ~ grilled pork tenderloin / braised pork shoulder / corn tortilla / avocado puree / red onion~orange habanero escabeche 18.5

This was what my dining companion ordered, so I only had two or three tastes. The meat was incredibly tender and juicy, but the flavor under whelmed me. I am a huge pork fan and appreciate its mildness, but this was nearly flavorless. The escabeche and avocado puree was essential to make it work at all…which may have been the intent?

We drank margaritas with dinner (grapefruit- delish) and chose to skip on the desserts.

All in all, I was under whelmed. I was expecting new flavors in interesting combinations. I definitely liked what I could discern of the huitlacoche, so that made the trip worthwhile. I will definitely look for it elsewhere. But not going to go back for dinner anytime soon. I hear they have an excellent happy hour, though. One note: we left around 8:30 on a Friday night, and the dining room wasn’t even half full.

[ludja]

Thanks a bunch absonot (and Krys on the DAT thread) for your detailed reviews...

Sounds like I have to pass on Maya (except *maybe* to check out the happy hour). Your description of the precarious guac ensemble made me crack up!

I like the flavor ideas of a lot of the dishes you describe but the actual flavors sound blah and as one of you mentioned, "dumbed down".

Too bad, as the menu sounds promising...

(grapefruit margaritas sound interesting though...)

[rhiannonstone]

I haven't eaten there since I moved back to the Bay area, but when I lived here before Maya was one of my favorite restaurants. I worked nearby and had lunch there at least once a week (and I was so happy when Maya Next Door opened and I could get their wonderful guacamole on the go!), and it was always the first place I took visiting friends for a moderately priced tasty dinner and a few pitchers of sangria. I admit I never really tried more than a few dishes there, but the guac, the sangria, the enchiladas mole, the rajas potato gratin, and the mango sorbet all stood out to me as simple, well-done dishes. We always got great service there, too; after just a couple visits, the staff started recognizing us, and more often than not, they'd bring us a free app. They even recognized us after we moved away and came back to visit a year or so later. I'm very much looking forward to going back sometime soon.

[ludja]

The plot thickens, thanks for your review rhiannonstone. Will be interesting to see how it compares for you now...

[winesonoma]

The one in Sonoma (different owners) is for sale and you can make it exactly what you want. Ever want to own a restaurant? Nows your chance.

[Krys Stanley]

I haven't eaten there since I moved back to the Bay area, but when I lived here before Maya was one of my favorite restaurants. I worked nearby and had lunch there at least once a week (and I was so happy when Maya Next Door opened and I could get their wonderful guacamole on the go!), and it was always the first place I took visiting friends for a moderately priced tasty dinner and a few pitchers of sangria. I admit I never really tried more than a few dishes there, but the guac, the sangria, the enchiladas mole, the rajas potato gratin, and the mango sorbet all stood out to me as simple, well-done dishes. We always got great service there, too; after just a couple visits, the staff started recognizing us, and more often than not, they'd bring us a free app. They even recognized us after we moved away and came back to visit a year or so later. I'm very much looking forward to going back sometime soon.

←

I heard that the take out was the better value and the food was better. Did you find that true?

Edited January 22, 2005 by Krys Stanley (log)

[rhiannonstone]

I heard that the take out was the better value and the food was better. Did you find that true?

←

Most definitely. It's a good way to get your guacomole fix for cheap (and without the precarious arrangement), and it's taqueria prices for way-better-than-taqueria food. I just noticed they've expaneded the takeout menu considerably since I was last here, too--my only complaint about it when it first opened was the lack of variety.

[Jambalyle]

I've eaten at Maya several times in the past year and have always walked away happy and satisfied... must be the reposado!