Maya

Sunday - February 13, 2011

(photo: Mike and I at our early Valentine's Day dinner together!

Maya
1191 First Avenue (b/w 64th & 65th Sts)
New York, New York 10065
212-585-1818
www.richardsandoval.com/mayany/index.htm


WHAT WE ORDERED:


Appetizers:

Queso Fundido ($10, $11 w/chorizo)

This dish was really delicious! The tomatillo sauce was also excellent. We have become what we consider "queso fundido connoisseurs", this particular queso fundido was very good, I think what we messed up on (and this is by no fault of the restaurant) is that we forgot to order it with Chorizo ... party foul on our part. I think it would have been comparable to Rosa Mexicano's had we ordered it with chorizo. It was still very good and I would recommend this dish for couples and dates. It's a dish that's not only delicious but one that you can have fun with. =)

Ensalada de Papaya ($10)

This was a very refreshing salad! It consisted of papaya (ripe), strips of green apple, avocado, cilantro, panela cheese and pommegranate seeds with a tequila-papaya vinaigrette. I would definitely recommend this salad as a shared salad prior to your entree. I'm not sure I would recommend it as an entree by itself. The taste of the salad is delicious but also very distinct, I told Mike that as a prolific salad eater, there would be no way I could stomach eating this salad as an entree, I think it's definitely a meant-to-be-shared salad.

MAIN ENTREES:

Mike: Langostas y Camarones ($31)

I really should let Mike write this part of the review since it was his dish, but I have to say that the shrimp and the lobster were both cooked perfectly. Not undercooked and not overcooked where it becomes like rubber. Now, I have to say that i'm not really a very big lobster fan just because I really haven't had any lobster that's really "wow'd" me, but I would say that this lobster was very, very good. I actually really enjoyed it. All of the sauces with the pea leaf salad below was wonderful! The green drizzle tasted like a pea-onion blend. It paired superbly with the rest of the dish. Now, I noticed that this particular dish isn't on their normal menu that's provided online so this might have been a special dish for Valentine's day or Resto Week. Either way, if you are a seafood lover and looking for a new twist on seafood, I would highly recommend this dish!

Sherry: Pernil (Lamb) - ($28)

I would like to make mention that this particular item is also not present on their regular menu and may be potentially a specialty item for Valentine's or Resto Week (btw - now extended through February 27!) This pernil was PHENOMENAL!!! The meat fell right off the bone, it was super tender, it came with a cactus veggie blend which was amazing with the meat. There was nothing about this dish that I didn't like. I even brought the bone home for my dogs to savor (only a little and under intense supervision!). Pernil is traditionally made with pork shoulder and so this lamb was a tremendous departure from the usual. Maya is supposed to be modern mexican and I have to say, perfect! Order this! You will NOT be sorry!

DESSERT:

Tres Leches ($8) - A sponge cake made with 3 types of milks and raspberry mousse, dressed with fresh raspberries on top. When I say this dish was mouth watering, I am not lying! Mike and I could NOT get enough of this dish, it was so wonderful! I'm glad we passed up the ice cream! =) Sorry - no photo available, we attacked and finished it before I realized that I hadn't taken a picture, ha!

THE FINAL REVIEW:

Michael and I both love, love, looooved our meal here together. The flavors, the uniqueness, the time spent and creativity in blending unusual flavors together was tremendous. I have been to Maya on numerous occasions for their happy hour (7 days a week!) from 5PM - 8PM. Just in case eating here isn't sweet enough for you, they have a great happy hour! Their margaritas (tamarind being my personal fave!) for half off $6, they're normally $12. They have a botanas menu that goes all night long for $3 per item. I will definitely return to Maya, if not for dinner, then their happy hour. I highly recommend this restaurant, you will not be disappointed at all. The ambiance in the restaurant is mostly romantic and the staff is extremely friendly and accomodating.