Located across the street from Aidan Gill and Juan's Flying Burrito, Maya's takes Latin cuisine and fuses it with other cultures. They even have a clever name for it: Latin Fusion. For example, shrimp coated in tempura and Jamaican Tostones share space on the appetizer list. The overall decor of the place reminds one of eating in treasure chest, the walls lined with Latin American art and the ornate pressed tin tile ceiling.Last Thursday, Lindsay and I headed over to Maya's to grab lunch. Bonus, Maya's runs a three course, lunch special for $12.99. Double bonus, we parked on Magazine Street, did not feed the meter, and did not get caught.
Soup or Salad? How about one of each. Had the garde manger used some restraint in the dressing of this salad it would have been quite good. The chicken tortilla soup however married yellow curry and chicken stock into a hearty soup. Oftentimes, tortilla soup arrives awash in acidic lime juice which overloads the flavors of the soup. Not here, but some more spice would have gone a long way.
For our entrees we settled on the ropa vieja and the chicken tropical. The former came out as a large nest of stringy brisket awash in a vibrant red sauce with rice underneath. Nothing special about the ropa vieja, nothing bad either. It was well-made, the meat tender, the sauce had a lot of flavors going on, but maybe ropa vieja is not for me.Maya's chicken tropical stacks earthy black beans, rice, a grilled chicken breast, and a chunky, spicy mango salsa with expert results. Each bite brings forth a different sensation and licking the bowl is not out of the question. The chicken breast, likely the least interesting thing in the dish, would have benefited from less cooking and a brine.
The tres leche at Maya's is delicious. Just soggy enough to make it creamy with a wonderful pastry cream (or perhaps Cool Whip) topping, it makes going back to work seem futile. The banana ice cream is less-good and a little icy. Just get the tres leches, trust me on this.Next time the lunch doldrums hits you and you can't stomach another sandwich from ______. give Maya's a try.
Maya's - Par.
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5 comments:
What are you going to give the lucky reader who can illicit a "birdie" or better on "Your Call"? Impressing these reviewers is tougher than the fairways at City Park North. I suggest trying Chick Fil A. Consistency is the key. They have Black Coke on tap. You cannot go wrong with waffle fries. Anywhere that allows you to apply your own mayonnaise is "birdie" material. New location on Veterans Highway in place of the former Steak & Ale.
Mmmmmmm, definitely hitting there soon. Thnx for the heads up. I didn't even notice that place was there!
"A friend" used to work there and said they buy the appetizers at a Cuban market in Kenner and microwave them to order (listen for the ding of the microwave), and that their "special house sauce" is that bottled sweet and sour sauce often found at Asian restaurants. However, at Mayas they throw it in a blender so it's not easily recognized as such.
They do use serve Sriarcha but I guess that is part of the "fusion" element.
I had the ropa vieja there around 2 years ago, and it was pretty mediocre. I wasn't impressed by the place at all, but that was a long time ago, and I've heard decent things since.
Also, I heard you wear women's underwear Louapre. True/False?
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