Although some foods are great, others are bland, and the service could be improved
Location plays a big role in Los Mayas Restaurante’s success. For 10 years, this downtown restaurant has served up guacamole, sangria, food and live music to a steady clientele of visitors and some locals. Los Mayas is about a block from the Hilton and Eldorado Hotel — an easy walk.
The Wednesday night of our visit, the dining room was about 80 percent filled. One large group, college students in town for a photo workshop, had great fun taking pictures of one another, the guitar duo on stage, the beautifully plated food and the romantic ambiance. On Thursday, the patio will be uncovered, allowing for starlight dining. The friendly staff is eager to please and the owner often personally greets his customers.
First, I’ll talk about the winners. The house-made guacamole ($12.95) was delicious, beginning with avocados that had real flavor. The server who mashed it up table side added garlic, onion, tomato, and jalapeño to our request. The result had distinguishable bits of soft avocado and fresh tomatoes, served with a basket of fresh corn chips.
Our other appetizer was the most “gourmet” offering of the evening, Los Mayas’ version of the classic Mexican chile en nogada. This combination of a stuffed pepper in a smooth walnut sauce is rich and sweet. The large, mild, thin-skinned poblano chile contains a stuffing of ground pork and beef. The sauce, a mixture of peach, pear, cream and walnuts, was pure elegance. I thought it pricey at $13.95 — but certainly a yummy way to start a meal.
The menu features both Mexican and New Mexican choices. You’ll find chicken blue corn enchiladas, a stuffed sopaipilla, calabazitas — a combination of yellow squash, zucchini, corn, tomato, onion and cheese — and eight combination plates. Ranging from $13.95 to $16.95, they come with Spanish rice, pinto beans, a bit of guacamole and a sopaipilla. Our table of old-time Santa Feans again thought the price was steep for the quality of the New Mexican food, but the popularity of Los Mayas says ours must be a minority viewpoint. We sampled tres compadres ($16.95). The rolled enchilada stuffed with fresh, nicely seasoned, moist chicken was the best thing on the plate. The same chicken was just as good in the taco (my friend asked them to substitute that for the beef taco). I missed the standard lettuce and tomato garnish, but the blue corn taco shells were a great touch. The chile relleno, however, was a major, tasteless disappointment. The posole was a tasty hominy salad with plenty of onion and oregano; the rice average and the refried beans bland.
The pescado al mojo de ajo, fish with garlic sauce, featured a filleted rainbow trout, gently sautéed, served with white rice and a wedge of avocado ($18.95). The fish was first-rate and the garlic-olive oil sauce provided a nice relief from the blandness. A few asparagus sprigs or a spoonful of the calabazitas would have given this dish more visual appeal.
The paella valenciana ($22.95), recommended by the owner, was our most expensive choice and the most disappointing. The serving consisted of overly salty rice with octopus, squid, clams and oysters present in garnish-size quantities. I enjoyed the mussel, served in its black shell, but the chicken leg was dry, the shrimp tough and I didn’t notice any chorizo. There was plenty of salty “krab,” the seafood sticks that look somewhat like shelled crab meat.
Service was good-natured but disorganized. We asked three different servers for water before we got some and never got a refill. Our waiter was attentive until he served our dinner; then we had a long, lonely wait. When pointed out that he’d abandoned us, he brought a complimentary piece of tres leches, the classic, moist Mexican white cake. It was good.
For people staying in downtown hotels, Los Mayas offers a convenient place for an atmospheric dinner. The kitchen puts out mixed results but the live music is a pleasant bonus.
Los Mayas Restaurante
WHERE: 409 W. Water St., Santa Fe, 986-9930.
FOOD: Classic Mexican and New Mexican cuisine. Beer and wine available.
SERVICE: Mixed.
HOURS: Open 5 to 10 p.m. daily.
PRICES: Entrees $13.50 to $27.95.
