Maiz Anojitos Y Bebidas

Oh, Maiz. How I wanted more from you.

I've eaten at Maiz six or seven times now, and in the past year and a half, my experience eating there went from "Best-tasting and very generous margaritas, authentic, thoughtful Mexican recipes" to "Strange serving sizes, inconsistent cooking, poor drinks."

I loved it the first time I ate here. We came for the margaritas and oh, did we have plenty of them. The queso fundido was out of this world. The mole was the best I'd ever had. Even the chips and salsa were a hit. The next time I came, more of the same, with a lovely and well-balanced ceviche and a beautiful outdoor patio that oozes romance.

The next few times, it just got weird.

Once, the mole tasted like stale bath water was mixed into it. Another time, it was the end of a Groupon period and they had severely understaffed the place. That I could forgive, as it seemed like their first time in Grouponland. Then we went again near the end of a Groupon expiration and it was more of the same chaos, plus the margaritas were suddenly in a small rocks glass (formerly in a big goblet) and poorly mixed. The last time we went, the margaritas cost more than before and were almost undrinkable, and the pina colada--which had previously been a favorite of mine--was also suddenly served in a tiny rocks glass, overflowing with ice for $9. Downtown prices for essentially a shot's worth of liquid. And the owner was making the drinks that night. We left very disappointed that a place that has shown so much love for the cuisine and attentiveness from the staff suddenly seemed like it wasn't trying anymore.

I want the best for Maiz, but I'm reluctant to go back. It seems like it gets its mojo back every time summer comes along and pumps new life back in: the food gets better and the service more attentive. But that's not an excuse for poor food and drinks in the colder months. I'm sure we will get around to coming back there, as we can't get the exemplary food we originally ate there out of minds. But if we have another poor experience, it will probably be our last.

The fish ceviche was terrific!  I had the chile en nogada stuffed with chicken, and I thought it was really good.  I feel like the walnut sauce could have been a little thicker, but that was my only complaint about it.  My husband had the chicken mole enchiladas, and he really liked his dish.  The mole was flavorful and chocolaty.

Things that could have been better:
the margaritas, and the rice and bean side was a really tiny portion.
Also, while I appreciated the thick, hand-made tortillas, I think they should be able to be rolled up for dipping purposes.  I wasn't able to do that with the them; they broke apart instantly.  That's a flaw in my opinion.

p.s.  It was uncomfortably cold in there!

Good,  not great. Would move this up another 1/2 star at least for the terrific, very efficient server, Camille, who did everything right.

We started with a margarita for me (very good), a sangria for friend (also rated highly) and guacamole (decent). Chips were fresh.

The vegetarian choices here are interesting. You can choose which veggies you want from a list, so if you don't like what you get, mainly, it's your own fault. It's been a couple weeks since we ate here, so I can't remember exactly what I ordered, but it was enchiladas verdes with veggies. The verde sauce was good. The portion was a reasonable size.

My friend ordered the fish tacos. She liked them.

The restaurant is cute, but small. We arrived early enough so that we could sit down right away. It might get very crowded on a Friday or Saturday night. They do have an outdoor seating area, but that won't help you much in late October.

If all this sounds kind of halfhearted, well, it is. Everything was just fine. Nothing was above average, except Camille, the server. It was all okay.

The reason we went here was because we had a groupon. What groupon does is get us out of our comfort zone, out where we can find some hidden gems that were unknown to us previously. Maiz Antojitos y Bebidos is a bit of a drive for us. There are many similar restaurants closer to home.

Would I go out of my way a second time to visit Maiz Antojitos y Bebidos? No. If I was in the neighborhood, and someone said, hey, let's go to Maiz, would I object? Probably not. I'd be willing to eat there again, but I wouldn't put forth any effort to do so. And if someone said, hey, there's a great new place two blocks away from Maiz, I would probably say, let's try the new place.

Definitely an A-OK experience.