Maya - Modern Mexican Kitchen and Tequileria

A.MAZ.ING. That is what Maya: Modern Mexican Kitchen and Tequileria is to me.
A Richard Sandoval Restaurant, located at 1191 First Avenue (between 64th and 65th Avenue), you experience the Chef's expert blend of native Mexican flavor with modern technique to bring you perfect and unique dishes.

The Friendly Hostess brought us right to our table on a busy Saturday Night, and within minutes we were sampling a delicious bacon guacamole (chicharron, pickled chile, cotija cheese) and sipping a white sangria and a signature MAYA Margarita (agavales blanco, tamarind puree, citris, with a chili piquin rim). Off to a fantastic start!

Next up, at our waiter Isrrael's recommendation was "Tres Antojito's Tasting", which is made up of a good sized sampling of chile relleno, rock shrimp quesadilla, and chipotle chicken tamale. The rock shrimp quesadilla was simply unbelievably delicious (my personal favorite of the night). Wrapped in a flour tortilla is smoked bacon, shrimp, chipotle salsa and avacodo espuma. The chicken tamale was filled with shredded chicken and had a fantastic avacado crema fresca sauce. The chile relleno was a truly unique combination of shrimp, calamari, scallop, black bean puree and crema fresca in a stuffed poblano chile. It was the perfect combination of spicy and simply wonderful.

I could go on for hours about the "Queso Fundido" (another waiter recommendation). A hot skillet arrives at the table filled with melted cheeses, chile morita salsa and chorizo. You scoop onto flour tortillas. It was unbelievable. I want to order this again and again and again.

Up next (can't believe we had room) was one of Maya's signature "cazuelas", or traditional Mexican meats with flour tortillas, rice, and crema fresca. We sampled the Roasted Chicken, a delectable combination of sweet and spicy, with mole poblano and plaintains. We were also treated to "Chipotle Camarones", or shrimp, gouda, and black bean puree topped with chipotle sauce and a frisee salad. It was served so artistically, you almost didn't want to eat it - but no worries, we couldn't resist!

For dessert, the "Cinnamon-Sugar Churro's" and the "Flan De Coco" were the perfect ending to a truly perfect meal. The churros are served with both caramel and chocolate dipping sauces (both yummy). The creamy flan was served with a pistachio gelato and fresh mandarin oranges and was delicious, refreshing, and light.

MAYA offers Happy Hour specials, a bar and lounge menu as well a "Bottomless Margarita Brunch on Saturday from 10:30am - 3pm and Sunday 11:30am - 4:00 pm. Maya is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm. Dinner hours are Sunday 5:30-10:00 pm, Monday - Wednesday 5:00-10:00 pm and Thursday - Saturday 5:00-11:00 pm.

For more information or to make reservations and/or book a private party, please call 212-585-1818 or visit http://richardsandoval.com/mayany.
MAYA is also on Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and Foursquare.

A truly fantastic experience. A MUST!