Maya del Sol (Oak Park)

This joint looked alive and hopping at 10:45 tonight (a rarity in Oak Park):

http://www.mayadelsol.com/
http://www.fastpitchnetworking.com/pr/p ... PRID=17898

144 S. Oak Park Avenue, and according to the release developed by University of Chicago business school grads. Driving past was the first time I've heard or seen anything about it, which surprised me both as a uchicagoan and Oak Park resident. Any reports?

Edit: the press release states that the chef is a Frontera veteran, which bodes well. It also states that the restaurant concept was inspired by a visit to a California restaurant, which could bode either way. Lastly, I like that manager Todd Gunderson "hales" [sic] from Pizza Capri.

Maya del Sol
144 S. Oak Park Ave
Oak Park, IL
708-358-9800

My next-door neighbors stopped by for a soft opening last weekend and said the cocktails were good. Yes, that is damning with faint praise...nonetheless, I do intend to go within the next few weeks. It sounds like they're going for a Latino fusion vibe -- Maya does not, in this case, mean they're serving Yucatecan chow.

From the press release, here’s something that ticks me off right out of the box: “Wild Mushroom Ceviche with oyster and shitake mushrooms.”

A running theme with the new Oak Park openings.

Definitely reeks of a lounge-cocktail-app scene. Which I can't imagine will do all that well in Oak Park... but who knows.

We were looking for a place to eat on Tuesday night and happened to notice Maya del Sol was open. Not too many people were there at about 5:30, but we took our chances, having not had great luck with the previous restaurant in that location, Slaton's. I asked to look at a menu; it is not so much a "fusion" of Latino cuisines (Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican) as an assortment, with a variety of price points ($5 for a generous taco to $25 for steak). The offerings were also pretty limited, which I actually thought was probably a smart move as they get the restaurant up and running.

The restaurant is divided into the bar area, where there are high-top tables, large-screen TVs, etc. and you can order off the regular menu, and the dining room that has booths and tables. The decor is pretty nice. In the back of the restaurant is a large "party room" and a patio. The party room, according to the owner Anan Abu-Taleb (he was the owner of Slaton's predecessor Vivaldi and owns Pizza Capri) used to be the kitchen; they moved the kitchen so they had more seating space. Kind of looks like the party room/patio is a work in progress. The chef is a Frontera Grill guy and the sous chef was recruited from Southern Cali.

Our waiter was great. They did a good job training the waitstaff to describe all of the items on the menu. We started with one of the ceviches (Yucatan I think). It was pretty good; had a strong citrus flavor that we're not quite used to having lived in San Diego for five years and being used to a bit of a sweeter flavor. My father-in-law had a ropa vieja taco that I thought was delicious, although I think he found the cilantro a bit overpowering. I had the vegeterian enchiladas that were filled with mushrooms and root vegetables (also good) (I almost ordered the Baja fish tacos). Hubby had the wood-fired salmon (he almost had the carne asada). It came out really fleshy in the middle and we asked for it to be cooked a little bit more. They were very gracious about it and explained that on a wood stove that is how the fish comes out (seared on outside, "tender" on inside) but ... it just didn't look done. I think they considered it a training point that they would forewarn customers about that cooking method in the future. They cooked him an entire new order, the chef brought it out himself, and the owner came by to make sure it was OK and then gave us a tour of the place, kitchen included, where we saw the wood-fired stove.

The desserts all sounded good: tres leches cake, chocolate mousse cake, leche flan and sorbet -- we were full but we tried the sorbet (passionfruit, mango or peach -- mango was good, passionfruit was a bit icy) and there was a "glitch" with the cash register so we didn't get charged.

We will definitely go back. They are working hard to cultivate their clientele, the food was very good, and the decor was attractive. We did not have any mixed drinks but they do have a nice selection.

My husband & I ate their last night & had a good meal. Service was great, the owner checked in with us a few times, and apologized if he was being overbearing (he wasn't) and said he just wanted to make sure his customers were happy.

We had the crab quesadilla for an appetizer. Crab was sweet, served with guacamole & mango salsa. Entrees, I had the fish tacos, huge serving, only ate 1/2 of it. Grilled tilapia, nicely seasoned served with salsa and a guacamole/sour cream sauce. Husband had steak tostada and said it was great (although he eats anything, and would say it was great!)

Check came to only $35. Nice atmosphere, great food, great prices. Yep, we'll be back.

Keli

In advance of an event I hope to post for a few weeks out (especially trying to get the Oak Park LTHers together for a relaxed evening of catching up, but all will be welcome), I did some low-level reconnoitering at Maya tonight.

I think the room is quite lovely; the well-staffed central bar offers quick drink access from anyplace in the space, and the earthtones and subdued perimeter lighting are welcoming. We got there quite late for drinks and chips, and they seemed very willing to stay open well past their posted closing time of 10 since there was still a very active crowd there. I hope they actually adjust to 11 so there's at least one option like this in town (other than Poor Phil's / Alehouse). It was conversation-friendly and warm; I remember former incarnations in that space being quite drafty.

Their standard margarita is very well priced at $6.50; it is shaken and served up and on the rocks with a salt rim unless specified otherwise, which certainly pummels the Icee (TM)-machine margs at Fuego Loco and fairly weak non-frozen preparations at La Majada, Cazadores, etc. Fresh citrus dominated, although there was one very sweet component that might have been pre-prepared syrup instead of cane sugar. A friend's caipirinha was very good, but $8.00 for a short tumbler.

Chips were fine and salsas were the overly-pureed type I don't love, but with good flavors. We asked to see a menu and I to my horror noted that the habanero salsa was listed as "mucho caliente" - even "muy caliente" is less preferable than "muy picante," so this is just wrong from a Bayless alum-run restaurant. But they gave us some to try on the house, and it was home-made and quite nice, slightly less hot and chunky than Xni-Pec's.

Plates we saw around us showed generous portions. People seemed to particularly enjoy a pulled-pork nacho preparation, which everyone seems to be doing lately, though I dig Kuma's pulled pork fries best. Even if just for a big quiet table and a few apps and drinks, it seems preferable for a gathering than most of the other central-Oak Park spots.

I like this place. We sat in the bar (the dining room was full) and though I found the flatscreen presence disheartening, I must admit to being pleased by the level of energy this Oak Park spot was able to generate on a weeknight. The cochinita pibil was very good -- in fact, everything we had was very good: two kinds of ceviche, a tenderly prepared salmon filet, and drinks: though a little pricey by Oak Park standards, the mojitos and other cocktails were...very good.

With Fuego Loco down the street, calling Maya del Sol Oak Park's Best Mexican Restaurant is kind of a World's Tallest Midget equation, but it is definitely a welcome addition and would be the place I'd direct visitors who are looking for a local spot to have dinner.

More: http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/food/200 ... hool-rick/

My singing calendar has been so packed that I never posted a Maya del Sol event (now I'm trying to get something together for Tio Luis between Thanksgiving and the holiday party), but I hope to see the Oak Park LTHers soon. I did go back to Maya del Sol two weeks ago for food and generally agree with David (have they corrected the menu with the "mucho caliente" line item?)

The cochinita pibil, and the sopes with chicken tinga, were very savory and had a nice amount of melty fat along with well cooked meat bits. I was disappointed in our ceviche, which was very bland (TimeOut agreed), but I hear the recipe has been spiced up (upspiced, if you're Churchill).

Santander wrote:The cochinita pibil, and the sopes with chicken tinga, were very savory and had a nice amount of melty fat along with well cooked meat bits. I was disappointed in our ceviche, which was very bland (TimeOut agreed), but I hear the recipe has been spiced up (upspiced, if you're Churchill).

The ceviche is, indeed, rather mild, and I think the general approach here is to dial-down heat, though the house-made habanero delivered a good flavor and a clean burn.

With Fuego Loco down the street, calling Maya del Sol Oak Park's Best Mexican Restaurant is kind of a World's Tallest Midget equation, but it is definitely a welcome addition and would be the place I'd direct visitors who are looking for a local spot to have dinner.

I've got to think New Rebozo is Oak Park's best Mexican....Oh my God!

dukesdad wrote:

With Fuego Loco down the street, calling Maya del Sol Oak Park's Best Mexican Restaurant is kind of a World's Tallest Midget equation, but it is definitely a welcome addition and would be the place I'd direct visitors who are looking for a local spot to have dinner.

I've got to think New Rebozo is Oak Park's best Mexican....Oh my God!

What have you had at New Rebozo that you really like?

The 5 different enchiladas mole.

Paco (Mr. OHMIGOD!), who I've mentioned elsewhere on the board, is almost worth the price of admission at New / Nuevo Rebozo. The fiesta mole is good, but not $18 - $22.95 good, especially compared to Sol de Mexico. I've had success with the chilaquiles, pork medallion specials (he does an almost cuban-like garlic-fried lomo), and the sopa azteca / tortilla soup, with comes with a very rich layer of pre-stewed black beans on the bottom. The little beer garden out back is lovely. I've seen mention elsewhere that in the early Bayless era this place really used to be something, but has become somewhat complacent and is not taking ingredient risks anymore.

I had one magical meal earlier this year at Fuego Loco, when they had the "Pilsen Specials / 5 de Mayo" menu, but that only lasted a few weeks. Since then, they've slid back into South Padre territory, although they still do serve five housemade salsas and fresh chips even if you just go in to order a chelada at the bar, which is what I do.

I was not thrilled with the carne asada at Maya last week - overmarinated and overcooked, and the tempura-battered, deep-fried onions, in contrast to grill-charred cebollitas asadas, were greasy and annoying. Other entrees I sampled (grilled shrimp, and a "crab" quesadilla concoction) tasted very Sysco.

I still do like the appetizers (especially the chicken tinga and pulled pork nachos) and drinks, which are mostly at good pricepoints. I wish they had a chunky, non-processed salsa, and worked a bit harder on the entrees, but for drinks and small plates, I can still recommend Maya del Sol. It's a nice room and open late for Oak Park on these cold nights.

Gave another shot to Maya del Sol today for brunch (Sundays 11-2), and I was impressed enough with their execution of my order that I may just return more often than every six months (though not much). Their Bloody Sunrise (forgive the phone-camera resolution):



That's lime, pepperoncini, olive, hunk of ham, cotija cheese block, fresh shrimp, and a very crisp, tangy dill pickle. Both their sangrita and rim salt/spice mix are made in house, and there was enough good tequila to incapacitate a cougar, along with a splash of Pacifico. The sangrita was richly pepper-flavored with good heat and body, and I see that they serve it in a michelada as well.



These were particularly delicious huevos benedictos, a take I hadn't seen before. Fried masa cups, filled with bacon-laced black beans and a poached egg, and topped with shredded cilantro, tomatoes, house-made chorizo, and a very rich and tasty poblano cream sauce. My wife's simple huevos con chorizo were unfortunately overcooked, but served with a good stack of chewy tortillas with which we attacked the extra poblano sauce.

Overall, this was a good brunch menu with a wide range of pricepoints ($5 for tortillas, scrambled eggs, and potatoes to $19 for skirt steak with fried eggs), and the fact they make their own chorizo and sangrita will draw me back again for this mealtime. This brunch stacked up well against Winberie, Wishbone, and Nola's Cup among the slim Oak Park pickings in the moderate pricerange.

Dinner for me last night at Maya del Sol was a bit of a mixed bag. On the plus side, the restaurant decor is very nice - colorful and vibrant. The staff was excellent in all respects. This was one of the better examples of good service I've seen in some time - perfect spacing of courses, a generously poured margarita with a little extra on the side, a proper follow-up to see how everything is, etc. And given that the restaurant was packed, the excellent service was even more appreciated.

Unfortunately, the food did not quite measure up to the service and atmosphere. To start, the chips and salsa should just be removed and not served. The salsas are too bland and boring, the chips barely fresh.

An appetizer of chicken empanadas was pretty tasty, but the doughy, oily exterior was a real letdown. Also, the dish offered a couple of celery components which slightly overpowered the other flavors.

Another appetizer of braised short ribs served in a miniature pumpkin atop a pasilla sauce seemed disjointed. The chef might have had a good idea, but he never really brought the ingredients together on the plate. Maybe the biggest issue with this dish was the dryness of the short rib meat. The pumpkin flesh was perfectly cooked, although bland. However, the pasilla sauce really stood out here . . . it was earthy, slightly spicy, and delicious and I'd be thrilled to be served this sauce at any Mexican restaurant.

My main course of grouper was perfectly cooked, but the serrano-beurre blanc was cloyingly sweet and all I could do was get it as far away from the fish as possible. If there was any serrano pepper in this dish, it escaped me. The fish was served atop poblano mashed potatoes which were pretty good, but could have offered more of the wonderfully earthy, smoky flavors of the poblano.

Overall, it was a pleasant evening at a nice, neighborhood restaurant. However, in terms of finding real quality Mexican food, that was not in the cards for me this evening.

Maya seems to have picked up its game in recent months, to the point where I actually look forward to taking people for brunch or cocktails without the risk of disappointment, although service still can be slow. But the food is what really matters, and I see more homemade (or at least doctored on-site) condiments, more specials, and more attention to balance and cooking-to-order in the dishes.

The house-prepared chorizo has always been good, and they give you a bucketful if you order it on the side, which I particularly like to do with their chilaquiles and sopes (and no doubt hasten my demise with). The sangrita kicks the micheladas and bloodys up a notch, the poblano cream and smooth habanero-avocado salsas tickle the tongue, and the steak seems more gently marinaded and conservatively cooked than shortly after opening. I had stayed away from seafood after some particularly bland preparations early on, but had some remarkably good fish tacos last month with homemade tortillas, which I had only seen (or noticed) at brunch before.

While it's easy to pick up a De Cero undercurrent (and I should say I did like a few things at De Cero), the more important vibe is the current confidence (if not always alacrity) of the staff and the calmness and contentedness of the people at the bar and the tables by the big windows. It's a space unlike most others in OP and one that I've ended up being glad has stuck around so far in an address not known for consistency or longevity.

Maya del Sol has been doing awesome in Oak Park. I go for their Sunday brunch with one of my girlfriends from college, and it's consistently good, although a bit pricey. The bloody marys (pictured in a previous post) are amazing!

Went here last night and never need to go back. Loud, tables too close together, reminded me of TGIFriday's. Had tilapia tacos with some sort of mango or papaya pico de gallo and a guacamole mayo that I requested to be served on the side, which they did. No flavor. Zero. And not because I used the mayo sparingly. Doused it with a red salsa that we had on the table and that helped a little. The tilapia was tender and cooked properly but the chopped up papayo and tomatoes or whatever it was limp and pathetic looking. The main "taste sensation" in my mouth was really that of chewy flour tortilla. Blech. My husband's skirt steak was cooked well but there was a certain je ne sais quois missing in the taste. The beans served with my child's quesadilla were just kind of a gross blob. The "sides" that came with the skirt steak (it was one of the specials) were sliced cucumbers and tomatoes that wouldn't be allowed into most farmers markets. Cucumbers? At their price points, I thought sides were meager and gross. Service, however, was pretty attentive and friendly.