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Like a matador’s cape, a thick, brown drape is pulled back and glass doors open to reveal an upscale Mexican oasis in the heart of the French Concession. Welcome to Maya Restaurant.

A wide, angular, wooden bar and similarly shaped burgundy sofas set in a low-lit lounge guide you to an attractive dining room, Mayan paintings and motifs creating the atmosphere.

Maya’s top chef, Brad Turley, who has added his culinary touch to such restaurants as The Bund’s New Heights, perfects the Mexican experience of fine dining, heavy on the salsa, light on the calories, flavor that is Maya. And on this particular Friday evening, only four months after opening, with a steady stream of customers, Maya has shown that their impression will be a lasting one.

As with any proper Mexican restaurant, on the rocks or frozen, Jose Cuervo Gold poured by a bartender’s generous hand, Maya’s salt-rimmed glass makes the margarita the perfect toast to the approaching fiesta -viva Mexico! The tequilas range from silver, plata, blancos, to name a few, with plenty of rum for balance.

We began with an appetizer of gorditas ‘little fatties’ fried corn dough and three dipping sauces: Pico de gallo ‘rooster’s beak’, chopped tomatoes, onions, chilis and lime juice, tomato chipolte, Mexican dried chili peppers, and a verde ‘green’ salsa. The trio of sauces competed for our dipping pleasure as much as you and your party will for the gorditas.

One cannot forget a Mexican institution, guacamole. Maya’s mashed avocados, with a small sprinkling of chopped tomatoes as its cap, are as smooth and refreshing a topping as you can get for their in-house baked crisp nacho chips.

A great appetizer is the mini wonton fish tacos, talapia and baja slaw, with traditional toppings such as lettuce, salsa, and fresh quesa (cheese) fresca sprinkled on top, and a spoonful of guacamole on these delightfully delicate, but tasty treats.

Taco options go well beyond the usual chicken, pork, and beef, exploring tastes that deserve to be recognized in the quaint, Mexican taco shell. Blackened tilapia, lime beef, bean and cheese, snapper and coconut to name a few. We sampled one of the chef specials: beef tongue, the most tender piece of meat on a cow and surprisingly one of the tastiest.

Soup options are the chipolte corn and Gazpachio. A couple salad options are the Tijuana Caesar and the blackened chicken taco salad.
The entrees, heavy with South-East Mexican characteristics, are sea bass, snapper, and tuna steak. We enjoyed the Snapper Veracrus, a boneless, white fish, respectable in size, which was covered in a salsa-like blend of tomato, olive oil, and capers, all resting on a bed of soft rice. One I must try on my return is the Maya Casserole, baked prawn, chorizo, and chicken with a quesadilla crust. Also available is roasted chicken, marinated pork, and American beef.
Traditional side selections are refried beans, tamales, cheese quesadillas, and corn cakes.

For dessert we had churros, fresh from the oven, twisted donuts covered in sugar, with choices of chocolate, strawberry, and whipped cream for dipping. With each bite and every dip, you’ll realize what a great amiga Maya truly will become.
If the choices are overwhelming, Chef Brad can help with three, five, or seven course menus.

The Mayan’s introduced the calendar to the Western world, as well as the ‘zero,’ and the infamous cocoa bean (coffee, chocolate, you name it) and now in the Eastern world, their culinary offerings can be had by those longing for Mexican cuisine or those who crave something new at Maya Restaurant.

-by Kevin Smith

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