Culinary Quest

I had the pleasure of dining at Maya, New York on Cinco de Mayo.  For this festive event, the restaurant presented its customers with a special menu for a special price.

I arrived for the Cinco de Mayo festivities at 6:00, early for my reservations, finding the restaurant already very busy.  My date and I browsed the Tequila menu and admired the bar's offerings prior to asking to be seated.  When the matron'd led us to our table, she made apologies for the small table awaiting us.  As she sat us, she handed us our menus.  We found the table comfortable and cozy, however, and the room in which we were seated very charming.  The walls were done in faux stucco and were decorated with a few Mexican weavings and tasteful pieces of art.

We were first approached by a server who took our water order:  still, sparkling, or tap.  We ordered the still water.  We read the wine list with interest, noticing that Chef Sandoval featured his own wine, a Mariatinto, combining tempranillo, barbera, and syrah grapes, from a winery in Ensenada, Mexico, vintage 2002.  We considered tasting this with our meals.

Our waters arrived, and our server soon followed to ask if we would like to try the restaurant's guacamole.  We readily agreed, asking to have it prepared on the spicy side.  We queried our server whether the Mariatinto would accompany the Plato Botanero--a tray of hors d'oeuvres served as part of the meal.  She responded that the wine would also go well with the guacamole, so we ordered a glass to share, expecting to order wine with our meal as well.

Very shortly, our guacamole was served along with our wine.  Served on a two-tiered tray--guacamole on top, house made chips on the bottom--this dish combines avocado (both mashed and cubed), diced tomato, onion, and cilantro, as well as chiles to add spice.  To say that the guacamole was divine would be putting it lightly.  The avocado chunks augmented the flavor and provided a texture like I have never experienced with a guacamole before.  The chips put Doritos to shame.  They were crisp and did not break when used to scoop the guacamole.  Their flavor was definitely that of corn, without being greasy or salty. 

While we were enjoying the guacamole and chips, the plato botanero was served.  This included:  chicken flautas, cheese-rajas quesadillas, Mexican-style pulled pork sopes, octopus escabeche tostadas, and chile chipotle refried beans.  The chicken flautas were similar to miniature chicken enchiladas with cheddar cheese.  The cheese rajas quesadillas were miniaturized cheese quesadillas.  The pulled pork sopes were spicy pork wrapped in a soft corn taco, spiced with a mild chile.  The octopus escabeche tostadas were my favorite.  The octopus had a very delicate flavor, enhanced by the vegetables accompanying it on the crisp tostada.  This was an unexpected treat.  The chile chipotle refried beans had a smoky flavor and just a mild spiciness to them, augmenting the flavorful beans.  These appetizers were all delicious and beautifully presented.

The Mariatinto wine complimented the Plato Botanero and the guacamole magnificently.  The nose was of fresh berries, the color a deep maroon.  The wine was dry, with a very long finish, tasting overwhelmingly of berries.  It was full-bodied and fresh.  This well-balanced wine would go well with any full-flavored food.

During the marvelous experience my date and I had with our appetizers, our server and the semollier had checked on us twice each to make sure that everything was to our liking.  We were especially pleased with the sommelier’s concern with our experience with Chef Sandoval's wine.  He took the time to explain the wine's creation for us, and answered all of our questions with a wealth of knowledge.

For my Plato Fuerte (entree,) I ordered the Salmon con Piloncillo, and asked my server for a suggestion as to which wine would compliment my meal.  She suggested The Seven Brothers, Sauvignon Blanc, from Robledo Winery, in Lake County, California, 2003, explaining why this would be her first choice.  I appreciated the details and took her suggestion. 

The wine was brought to the table about five minutes before our meals.  When my entree arrived, my mouth watered.  The salmon was served atop Peruvian corn, shitake mushrooms, and asparagus with a piloncillo chile de arbol emulsion.  The salmon portion was enormous!  It had been cooked medium, prepared to the perfect temperature.  The vegetables were fresh and colorful.  I had never enjoyed Peruvian corn before and was surprised by how sweet and large the kernels were.  The kitchen has used small shoots of asparagus, ensuring their tenderness and flavor.  The mushrooms were large and tasty.  I was thoroughly enjoyed the combination of sweet and spice in the piloncillo chile de arbol emulsion.  Tasting the flavors of the salmon with the vegetables and the emulsion together made my eyes wide with excitement and my lips smack with joy.  The Sauvignon Blanc was straw in color, displaying aromas of lemons and another fruit that I could not quite put my finger upon, with grassy undertones.  My palate was awash with the flavors of a crisp Granny Smith apple and juicy figs. The finish was vibrant lemon lime, refreshing, and clean.  My server had chosen my wine wisely.  The sommelier came to our table to make sure that the wines were to our liking, at which point we complimented our server's acumen.

After our plates had been cleared, we were left to await the Postre (dessert.)  Ordinarily, I would have given a choice between the Chocoflan--a dark chocolate cake topped with caramel flan and candied pecans, or Arroz con Leche--a Mexican style rice pudding; however, since I was dining with my date, we would have the opportunity to share the two desserts, thus tasted them both.  We were offered espressos, cappuccinos, after dinner drinks, and dessert wines, which we politely declined, and awaited dessert.

The desserts were served on a beautiful platter surrounded by caramel sauce and nuts.  The chocoflan's dark chocolate cake was a thick pastry topped by the traditional Mexican caramel flan and the candied pecans.  Ladled liberally over this was the caramel sauce, providing a sticky dessert for our enjoyment.  The whole concoction was easily three inches thick and a circle three-and-one-half inches across.  When I cut into it with my fork, I met with some resistance; this was not a simple flan.  The cake was dense.  I took a bite.  Oh, sheer heaven!  The chocolate cake carried me away to another dimension of culinary joy!  This was no ordinary chocolate, my friends.  This dark chocolate was a Mexican chocolate using a higher percentage of cocoa than we are used to here in the states.  I am sure that this dessert was quite healthy for my heart given that fact.  (Or so I will tell myself on my next trip to the ER.)  The flan was creamy and light, very much an opposite to the cake.  This counterpoint of textures was a delight for the mouth.  Combining these flavors with the caramel sauce and the candied pecans completed the adventure.  I became so involved with the chocoflan, I forgot about the Arroz con Leche and my date, until she asked me if I liked the dessert.  I believe I moaned in delight, eliciting a giggle from her. 

Next, I had to taste the Arroz con Leche.  I was a bit hesitant about this dessert since I am not a fan of American rice pudding.  But the Mexican rice pudding had an entirely different look to it.  It appeared to be an oversized scoop of vanilla ice cream with nuts on top.  It was smooth on the outside, showing no evidence of rice whatsoever.  I tentatively took a forkful and tasted it.  This was an absolute delight on the tongue.  It was sweet and creamy.  I did not taste rice at all.  It did not taste vanilla, either, so it was not an ice cream as it appeared to be.  I could enjoy eating an entire serving bowl of this Arroz con Leche.  The crushed pecans on top complimented the rice pudding without overpowering the dessert's flavor. 

Having enjoyed this meal from start to finish, both my date and I were full beyond words.  The restaurant had become even busier since we arrived two hours earlier, but we did not feel rushed to finish or to leave.  Our server checked on us to make sure that everything was satisfactory and made sure that we had enough to drink.  This had been a spectacular dining experience.

Here is where I get to grade my dining experience.  I grade on 5 factors:  Atmosphere, Service, Presentation, Taste, and Value.  These areas are scored on a 0 to 10 scale with 0 being the lowest and 10 being the highest.

This is going to be very difficult to do here, because Maya places off the 10 point scale in most of these categories.  But let me try to work within my limitations.

Atmosphere:  10   Maya, New York takes the dining experience to a new level.  The understated decor combined with the New York state mandated No Smoking requirements make this a very pleasant restaurant in which to dine.  The feel of the dining room was cozy and inviting, with warm colors on the walls.  The temperature was comfortable.  There was enough space between tables to be able to walk around should you see an acquaintance or need to leave  your seat for some reason.  The lighting was soft. 

Service:  10     I feel  uncomfortable giving my server and the semollier ONLY a 10 for their attention and service.  Although there were hundreds of other patrons in the restaurant, my date and I felt that we were the most important people there.  There was nothing that we wanted, needed, or desired that was not seen to right away.  We received explanations about wines and their food pairings so that we would understand what was being suggested for us, thus allowing us to change our minds if we so chose to do so.  This also demonstrated proficiency on our server's part that goes above and beyond what an average restaurant requires of its staff.  The semollier came to the table not once, but three times during our meal to make sure that our wines were to our liking.  Truly impressive.

Presentation:  10    Everything looked absolutely fabulous.  I could taste the various dishes with my eyes long before I got my fork into the food.  And the way that the  plates were dressed to make the food appealing to the eye went far above the norm.  Even the Plato Botanero appeared delicious long before I had a chance to taste any of the various hors d'oeuvres. 

Taste:     10    It is truly sad that my scale does not go as high as a 15, for then I would give Maya, New York a 16.  I have never, ever enjoyed a meal as completely as I did on Cinco de Mayo.  My date and I are still talking about this meal, raving about the guacamole and chips even!  Chef Sandoval not only helped to create Modern Mexican cuisine, he created an entire gastronomic experience.  I strongly  urge all of you to make a trip to the Maya nearest to you (New York, San Francisco, or Dubai) to give your taste buds the ride of their lives.  They will love you until your dying days for it.

Value:     Since the Cinco de Mayo meal was specially priced, it is difficult to properly assign a rating to the Value.  As a holiday special, I would give the meal a 10 on Value.  The priciest thing, oddly enough, was the water.  Even the wines were very reasonably priced.  Examining the normal menu and taking into consideration the fantastic experience I enjoyed, I would venture to guess that the Value is, again, a 10; however, my review is a snapshot.  There is always the possibility, as miniscule as it may be, that I could return to Maya, New York, and have a bad experience.  This would affect the Value score, of course.  Nevertheless, I am not going to score Maya, New York for Value at this time given the nature of the meal that I enjoyed.