the best food news of *my* summer

Just got a terse but happy email from a friend:

Carlos just reopened Mais at 1041 N. California!!! Same menu, looks like same prices.

Been waiting years for that news. I'll be there at least once this weekend. If I can plan more than a couple hours in advance, I'll post a heads-up in case anyone's up for a spontaneous get-together.

Mais? Tell us more.. I've never heard of the place...

Carlos just reopened Mais at 1041 N. California!!! Same menu, looks like same prices.

I noticed the new Maiz several months ago on my way to Hot Doug's. I couldn't tell if it was open (it probably wasn't yet) and wasn't sure if it was the same place. I have tried several times over many years to eat at Maiz. When it first opened on Roosevelt in Cicero I visited to find it unexpectedly closed. Then, after it moved to Division & Damen, I stopped by when they had some plumbing problem. A little after that they had the fire. Maybe I'll finally get my chance although I'm afraid I can't make it this weekend. I'm looking forward to the report though.

I only ate there once, long ago (I think it was the first place I ever saw huitlacoche on the menu). The idea was pre-Columbian Mexican food, basically--no tomatoes being the most obvious thing. I don't think I was wowed, but what did I know then-- anyway, a unique menu, to be certain.

P.S. Wait, no tomatoes would be pre-Columbian Italian food, wouldn't it? Hell, I don't remember what they had, but it was pre-Columbian or, as Bob says below, Mayan/Aztec etc.

It did occur to me (even shortly after he closed) that there's always that possibility that You Can't Go Home Again -- it may have been the time and the place. But I can't wait to find out.

Ed, Mike explained it pretty well. Carlos has done a lot of research on Mayan, Aztec, and pre-Hispanic Mexican foods; I recall the menu having a lot of expository text on it, so I'll get to freshen up my memory soon. Huitlacoche was a regular on the menu back then, though I don't yet know if it's still there. (And I'll probably continue my streak of getting other things, truth to tell. His al pastor and tenga were my introductions to those flavors and they were usually my first instinct back in the day.)

An odd coincidence is that his agua fresca de pepino is the best I've had and, after my first batch this summer turned out kind of dull last week, I was going to post looking for a recommendation on where to get some so I could refresh my memory. I'll still take any guidance there, but I'm glad I'll be able to check out theirs again.

Bob:

That sounds very interesting. Gracias for the tip.

***

Mike G wrote:I only ate there once, long ago (I think it was the first place I ever saw huitlacoche on the menu). The idea was pre-Columbian Mexican food, basically--no tomatoes being the most obvious thing. I don't think I was wowed, but what did I know then-- anyway, a unique menu, to be certain.

P.S. Wait, no tomatoes would be pre-Columbian Italian food, wouldn't it? Hell, I don't remember what they had, but it was pre-Columbian or, as Bob says below, Mayan/Aztec etc.

Mike:

In part, you're right both ways. They did have tomatoes and happily consumed them in Mexico before Señor Cortez showed up but (I say the following having spent a fair amount of time looking into this very topic) it seems that the varieties most commonly used everywhere these days were largely developed in the Old World (or developed from such varieties developed in the Old World).

Mexico --> Spain, Italy --> elsewhere, including back to Mexico

So at Maíz they should only be using a couple of odd, archaic varieties that probably aren't too easy to find around here (if anywhere).

Antonius

I vaguely remember his dishes having tomatoes, some at least, but can't honestly say; it's been nearly three years, after all, and I'd long ago assumed he'd moved on, so those brain cells were reassigned. But given that he's working from a model more than half a millennium old, I'm cutting him some slack, at least; I've got no way of knowing whether his handmade huaraches look or taste like those of 550 years ago anyway, and I'll lay odds that ground beef wasn't as common then as it is now, but if it gives him something to offer the timid but curious so they'll be encouraged to explore on later visits, I'm not going to be the one to scold him, because that's exactly the process I went through there.

Bob,

Do you get to reassign your own brain cells? I find that now for every new bit of info retained, something must exit, but I have no choice in the matter whatsoever. This was made excruciatingly clear to me when I was required to take statistics and micro-economics in my late 40s

I would gladly have dusted out the corners of my brain that held almost everything relating to my employment from the mid-70s to the early 90s, as it had been rendered useless by advancing technology. Alas, it is still there.

I've been wracking my brain (that overtired organ) trying to remember if tomatoes were used at Maiz. I also tried to find them in Cicero/Berwyn, and finally went when they were on Division. I thought the concept and the food were really good, obviously well-researched. I was really pretty broke at the time, it was a birthday dinner and I remember thinking that you paid a premium for the research and a slight step up in refinement for things that were available in similar versions at places like Maxwell St. and some of the neighborhood taquerias that did food of a particular place in Mexico.

If I get a job soon I would definitely revisit. Bottom line, the food was really good.

By the way, leafing through the phone book for other purposes I noticed that there's a restaurant calling itself Mayan Palace at 2703 N. Halsted. Anyone know it? Anything to the Mayan-ness, or is it just a standard Mexican place like the address suggests?

Given the neighborhood, my initial guess is: basic mexican, and probably not very good. But I'm biased..

Here's their website:

The Mayan Palace

Wow, tacos, enchiladas and burritos!

Don't forget the cevshe. And that they're on Halstad, not Halsted.

Oh, and the chiles rellenos are baked.

Mike G wrote:Wow, tacos, enchiladas and burritos!

You know, I had a mouthful of a Billy Goat breakfast sandwich when I read that.

Emphasis on had...

annieb wrote:Bob,

Do you get to reassign your own brain cells?

I used to know this. Wait a minute... um, what were we talking about?

annieb wrote:I've been wracking my brain (that overtired organ) trying to remember if tomatoes were used at Maiz. I also tried to find them in Cicero/Berwyn, and finally went when they were on Division. I thought the concept and the food were really good, obviously well-researched. I was really pretty broke at the time, it was a birthday dinner and I remember thinking that you paid a premium for the research and a slight step up in refinement for things that were available in similar versions at places like Maxwell St. and some of the neighborhood taquerias that did food of a particular place in Mexico.

My friend and I actually considered the place crazy cheap back in the day -- I do remember we were surprised the one time we broke the $20 mark combined. A birthday dinner's likely to have been a little more outgoing than a generic meal, though.

This one's a tough one. You know how you just hit a groove with a restaurant, go there a lot, learn your way around the menu, then something happens and it goes away, and you've got these great memories, and you take those and move on? And then suddenly something else happens and there it is again and you wonder, will it at all be the same, and even if he's still where he was, maybe you aren't, and you just have to be ready for that.

I'm a little curious as I read the menu, which is much larger than the old one, and, unfortunately, much less explanatory, although it does still offer some background on the combinations of ingredients that each dish offers. Still, I'm seeing shrimp -- was that big in the Mexico of the 1400s? You can see that it hasn't become just another burrito joint, but clearly things have been updated. Was it going to be as good as the old days?

It wasn't the same. It was crazy good, it was close your eyes and pound the table with the first bite good. I was so caught offguard. However he spent the last three years, Carlos has really attained a new level. Rather than try to mimic the foodways of a half a millennium ago as closely as he had before, he's learned from them, taken inspiration from them, put himself in them.

Carlos suggested that we start with some of his appetizers, which aren't on the menu; each set of appetizers for the four of us, incidentally, was $9.75, by far the most expensive offering. We started out with small quesadillas with chihuahua cheese, the first clue that something was going on there, the two sole ingredients playing off each other perfectly, and the masa especially assertively corn-flavored, fresh and vivid. Empanadas con picadillo, spiced ground beef, were next, the spices subtle and complex, the three or four bites exactly what you needed to bring out the layers of the dish. From there, memelas came with tinga (chicken, chipotle, chorizo), easily the highlight of the night -- when I hadn't seen tinga on the menu, it notched up my concern, but the other Ma

Just got back from dinner at Maiz and I have to say we were both VERY impressed.
Kept it simple and ordered an horchata to drink, zucchini blossom quesadilla for me and mushroom hurache for my date. Food came and turned out the quesadilla had regular zucchini rather than the blossoms. When the mistake was brought to Carlos' attention he told us to split the regular one and he'd bring the blossom right out.
As my date mentioned as well, these were the best tortillas either of us have ever tasted; they really took center stage in the meal. I also think the fillings/toppings were very suble in flavor, nothing too bold so that each element could be enjoyed and noted.
I also like the portion size as the two of us were comfortably full sharing three menu items, which allows for a bit of variety.
We will be back soon for sure, this is a great addition to our neighborhood.
Jamie

On a side note, when the bill came I asked that we be charged for the "mistake" quesadilla since we enjoyed it but were refused, so we just left a 50% tip on our modest $20 tab. The food was definately worth it.

Were the blossoms fresh ones?

Now I am not familiar enough to know the difference between fresh and not fresh zucchini blossoms as I have only had them a handful of times. These were more cooked down inside the quesadilla, appearing as if they had been sauteed first so I am not sure what state they started in.
They didn't appear to be something out of a can to me though and menu lists them an item not always available so that has me leaning towards fresh (along with Cuitlacoche).
Jamie

I've been meaning to add a couple quick thoughts from a Maiz dinner a couple weeks ago...

Everything is very fresh, simple and tasty. The service, as has been noted, is outstanding, and the atmosphere is familial and relaxed.

We had a ceviche tostada, a ground beef huarache and a chicken sope. The tortillas are quite fantastic, they have a fresh-corn flavor and really set the tone and directed the meal. They dominated the flavor of everything we tasted.

The drinks - as someone who really appreciates new ways to take my alcohol, I loved the Bull (Or was it called Toro? I forget now). It was beer, sweet rum and lime juice, chilled/shaken and served in one of their huge magarita-style glasses. It was a panacea for the heat of the evening and was unlike anything I'd ever tasted.

The only semi-negative note I'll make is that the masa/tortillas were very filling. In fact, it was almost as if our stomachs had an odd reaction to eating so much of the tortilla (and we didn't gorge ourselves)... I felt bloated shortly after eating. I'm sure a bit more experience eating at Maiz and we'll figure out our masa-limits. We'll certainly be back this summer.

I've been to Maiz twice now since it has opened up and I have mixed feelings. The food was good, the drinks were good, but I left hungry both times, and spent WAY more than I had planned to both times.

The first time we the appetizer combo, which was a great way to go, in terms of getting a taste of several different items. But we were charged $19.95! Afterwards I was convinced that our very nice but somewhat nervous server had made a mistake. So next time we went we ordered individual appetizers, and I realized that no, the combo probably really was $19.95, since the tiny-portioned appetizers that we got were all between $4.75 and $6.25. I guess I'm not used to paying almost $5 for a single chicken taco, and it's painful for me. Granted, it's a good taco, but is it $3.50 better than a less gourmet (but still tasty) taco down the street? We had four appetizers, one main course, and three beers and our bill came to $60.00. Could it be that we just had bad ordering juju both times and there are much better values on the menu?

Am I crazy? Is this what I should expect to pay for better-than average mexican food in Humboldt Park? I really like Maiz, but I'm almost offended at their price-to-portion ratio. Maybe their prices are why it's been 90% empty both times I've gone in...

(The next night I went to the Crepe and Coffee Palace on N. Clark and my faith in the existence of high-quality reasonably priced food was restored...)

I have to concur, at least a little bit, with that last post. Maybe, however, it requires an adjustment of expectations. I went on Saturday, and while I loved everything I had (the empanada, in particular, was stellar--crispy and light, yet somehow earthy), I left hungry. That's because each menu item doesn't include the rice and beans we come to expect from a Mexican restaurant, which helps fill you up.

I had an unusual experience, leaving Maiz--I had that feeling of lightness and wellbeing that I have heretofore only had leaving Japanese restaurants; that's not necessarily a bad thing. Still, it was only $20, for a stellar meal (for the record, we had a vegetarian tamale and beef empanada for appetizers, and I had a potato and chorizo masa, and my friend had a steak quesadilla; we split a piece of mocha tres leches cake--delicious, but highly overpriced at $5.95, I think, for a small slice).

The upshot is, I will go back, but I will think of it as more like a tapas place than a typical Mexican place, and order (and plan to pay) accordingly. Was it that much better than the taco stand down the street? Well, for me, it certainly was, but maybe you know a better class of taco stands than do I!