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The Girls of Java Journal Go South of the Border!
by Marian Rein
Pan-Latin cuisine may not be high on your list of frequented experiences, but one visit to Maya Café could cause you to amend your list!
Recently, I spent an evening at Maya Café with Java Journal creative guru Pamela Wickard. Upon arriving, my first impression of the restaurant was that I was about to embark on a culinary experience that could go either way — a great experience or a mediocre meal. Why? Maya Café is not what I would consider strong on upscale décor. However, it is quite charming and comfortable. I had been to Maya Café on one other occasion, and I was quite delighted with the experience. But was it a fluke? Could they produce the same high-level cuisine a second time? The answer is a resounding yes!
Evaluating alcoholic beverages is not my strong suit, but a Pan-Latin experience seemed to be one that invited a taste. And that I did! For me, the margarita was perfect! Not too much alcohol and strong on taste — a perfect complement to their delightful chips and salsa.
As an appetizer, Pamela and I shared Empanadas de Plátanos y Chorizo (Cuba), pastry dough turnovers stuffed with plantains, chorizo, Chihuahua cheese, red peppers and green onions that is fried and served atop a pool of black bean soup and topped with sour cream and cilantro — an elegant presentation and very good taste (pictured top right).
During my first visit to Maya Café, I tried the Oyster Nachos (Caribbean). I was extremely disappointed during this second visit when I learned — they were out of oysters (a popular dish). Maya Café’s Oyster Nachos are out-of-this-world delicious — four oysters breaded in cornmeal, flash fried and served on a flour torilla chip with melted Chihuahua and Cotija cheese, with a side of black bean corn salsa, chipotle sour cream and guacamole.
For our first entrée (we shared!), we had Puero con Café y Chile Marrón (Argentina), slices of pork loin rubbed with coffee, chiles and brown sugar, grilled and topped with black bean and corn salsa and served with white rice and grilled asparagus (pictured bottom right) — absolutely wonderful.
Our second entrée was Carne Asada con Chimichurri (Argentina), grilled seasoned flank steak, sautéed with sliced yellow onions, green and red bell peppers, finished with chimichurri sauce and served over white rice. For beef lovers, this is a must-order entrée. Tender, flavorful and a plentiful portion. I don’t know about you, but when I experience perfection in a culinary dish that I love, I want the recipe. Watch out Maya Café, because the chief barista at Java Journal is in hot pursuit of both your pork loin and flank steak recipes!
And now for dessert — Empanada de Chocolate (broad Latin roots), pastry filled with Khalua and mocha-flavored cheesecake, fried and served with cinnamon ice cream. This was a delightful topper to a wonderful meal.
It’s hard for me to put Maya Café in a price/value category. While it seems slightly on the pricy side, consider this — Maya Café is not a typical Mexican restaurant (I’ve heard it described as Mexican). In fact, it’s not Mexican at all. Everything that I had there was exceptionally tasty and nicely presented. But for a better idea, the appetizer Oyster Nachos were $8.95, and the flank steak was $14.95. You decide if this is within your budget.
Service is extremely important to me — not too much, not to little, not too fast, not too slow. And that’s precisely what we received — perfect service for what I would consider a wonderful meal.
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