Maplewood now arguably sports more cool restaurants than any other place in the Western world. Seriously, you can’t swing a bottle of Château Margaux without whacking the kind of eatery that makes you proud to call this area home. Some come and go. Others become institutions. And sometimes, they just change names.
Maya Café recently did just that, reopening as Casa Maya. The restaurant has new ownership, with chef and partner Juan Gutierrez at the helm, and no association with previous longtime tenant Jay Schober. Yet much remains the same. An antique blue fishing boat still rests out back, a comfortable place to dine as patio season draws to a close and the fresh air somehow makes everything taste a little better. (Fun fact: The color scheme and decoration is a tribute to peyote.) The interior is warm and vibrant; it’s like sitting in a sunset. The pressed-tin ceiling reminds patrons of the building’s history. One wonders what the original inhabitants might think of the giant inflatable taco on the wall, the flat-screen playing Univision, and those mongo-sized platters coming from the kitchen. As surprising as it might’ve been, we’re betting they’d have enthusiastically tucked into the food here.
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Little on the menu will surprise you. It’s a wide, familiar array of Mexican fare. Chips and salsa are, of course, de rigueur. The standard salsa is mild—ask for the other two (available upon request), one with a zing, the other a creamy green tomatillo slurry that’s piquant and peppery.
A visit to Casa Maya presents an opportunity to consider the Mexican mixed plate paradigm. Few other cuisines afford the dining patron the plethora of “combinations” in which integers, from enchiladas to tacos, are mixed and matched with the inevitable rice and beans. It’s an easy way to please, but it does tend to make Mexican restaurants a blur. The enthusiast, however, discerns subtle differences. Noticed at Casa Maya, for instance, are the nibbles of boiled potatoes mixed into the rice, which add a pleasant texture. The beans have a smoky undercurrent and a smoother consistency than those at many other places.
Enchiladas are superior, some shellacked with a creamy house-made cheese sauce. Half a dozen offerings satisfy; probably the most iconic and certainly one of the best is the platter of cheese-, chicken-, and beef-filled tortillas blanketed in green sauce. (If you’re tempted to just make ’em all cheese, then this is the place to do it. The consistency, freshness, and gloppy loveliness of all that queso goodness are delightful.)
Casa Maya’s carnitas are a bit different. The pork, a beautifully fatty cut, is braised until the meat is easily shredded; the result bursts with tender, porky flavor. But there is no crust—carnitas are usually quickly roasted to develop the texture. Instead, the dish will remind you of a Yucatan pibil, and it makes the most of that patient preparation, with the meat moist and juicy.
Ranchero dishes are a specialty, demonstrating the luxuriousness of the restaurant’s preparations. They feature shrimp, chicken, a seafood medley, even a vegetarian version. Try the steak. It’s wonderful, thinly sliced, marinated, and grilled to perfection; each bite is flavored with a citrusy tang and the smoky smack of the grill. It’s a hefty portion, plated on a drift of Mexican rice next to a fragrant heap of freshly grilled green peppers, onions, and tomatoes, spackled with a mild cheese sauce. It’s generous enough to be shared, and every bite invites another.
Choose from nine different burrito options. (Hint: Go with the shredded chicken, topped with a pungent red sauce.) Tacos are what you’d expect, with both corn and flour tortillas; go with the maize versions, packed with steak, chorizo, barbacoa, carnitas, or chicken. The molcajete is a must, with grilled steak, shrimp, peppers, and onions, served in a stone bowl and topped with tomatillo salsa, along with a salad, tortillas, and rice and beans.
One other note: Casa Maya’s tangy, rich chile verde is stellar. Beef and pork tips are both traditional; consider, though, the chicken, which is sliced thin, sautéed, and blanketed in that velvety salsa. Along with rice and beans, it was the best dish we sampled—and the one that will have us making a return visit soon.
The Bottom Line: Mexican comida is served in a bright setting with some splendid salsa verde.
