maiz , better than ever

i caught up with bob s.'s post on maiz today. i, too, have been eagerly awaiting carlos reyna's return to the restaurant world. he reopened at 1047 n. california the end of march. i just found out about it this week and went last night. the space is small, simple, bright and very attractively decorated with painted tiles and an aztec looking border painted on the wall. one day there will be serene patio dining out back in the fenced in backyard.
the menu is expanded, but the only downside i can see is that the wonderful quesadillas used to be smaller so one could order a variety of fillings. (i remember flour tortillas??). now they are burrito sized, made from homemade masa (a little flour included). thicker than tortillas, but tasty and tender.
i started with the tostada ceviche which was so phenomenal i'll probably have 2 for an entire meal on my next visit. they are made with tiny cubes of tilapia, a bland fish i would never order for an entree, but it worked beautifully with the fresh, citrusy marinade and the creamy slices of avocado piled on top.it couldnt be better.
i was glad i hadnt indulged in the enormous(and delicious) margarita my friend had, as i ended up being too full to eat my side of soupy beans. the owner looked distressed, asked if i disliked them. i said they were wonderful but needed a doggy bag. (he refused to charge me for them).
my quesadilla was steak and poblano with pico de gallo and sour cream on the side. the meat was tender and topped with some hot homemade salsa was heaven on a plate.
for those allergic to wheat, carlos will happily make some masa minus the small quantity of wheat(the results will, i think, be not so flexible, but still tasty) if you call in advance. that way you can indulge in the entrees of sopes, huaraches or quesadillas. the other choices are tacos or fajita tacos(this mean adding grilled onions and peppers), which are made with corn tortillas.
the place was pretty empty while we were there. i want to urge people to support this reasonably priced family run restaurant so it survives and thrives. MAIZ, 1047 n. california, (773)276-3149,. closed mondays, open for dinner at 5 only.

I just ate dinner at Maiz for the second time and I thought I'd report back. I enjoyed my meals there, but I have to say, I was surprised to find the walls covered with extremely positive articles from Chicago Mag, the Trib, etc--I didn't feel quite as enthusiastic about my experience.
The aspect of Maiz I like the most is that the menu is focused on a la carte street food from all over Mexico. I've seen the various foods around Chicago at restaurants, stands, Maxwell, etc, but never all in one sit-down place. The menu features typical items like tacos, fajitas, sopes, huaraches, but also street foods that are hard-to-find at restaurants like elote/esquites, various types of tamales, empanadas, gorditas...
All of the masa dishes are made in-house and they specify on the menu when non-homemade flour tortillas are used.
Unfortunately, they didn't have take out menus, but the list was fairly extensive. They also have Mexican hot chocolate, Cafe de olla, atole, a nice variety of desserts (including crepes with cajeta--goat milk caramel).
The ingredients are very fresh and they offer great choices for toppings--shrimp, al pastor, barbacoa, huitlacoche, nopales, lots more. They have several choices for vegetarians. But I felt some of the dishes were a little light on the seasoning. The al pastor meat was tender, lean and accompanied by nice pineapple chunks, but it was a bit lacking in flavor. I have to say that for nearly every dish, I was left wishing for a bit more oomph.
Everything is offered a la carte. The menu seems inexpensive at first glance, but the portions are quite small. Our tab for 2 for a 'light' meal with one beer (served Michelada style with salt rimmed glass, lime, on-the-rocks) was over $40. The interior is very attractive and the presentation was nice, too, but the restaurant is pretty informal. If we had eaten a full meal, we could have easily spent another 10-15 bucks. Coffee and hot drinks were about $4. I think horchata was $3. Given the great options for Mexican food around Logan/Humboldt, I felt the prices were a little high.

During both trips, I was waited on by the same woman who seemed to have a Russian accent. She was very friendly, if a little bossy. She forgot to bring one of our dishes and when we mentioned it, she replied "Why don't you see if you can finish everything you have on the table and if you're still hungry, I'll bring it out for you." There was something slightly amusing about being waited on by a Russian woman at a Mexican restaurant in a heavily Latino neigborhood, but she was quite knowledgable about the menu and we appreciated her guidance about what to order.

Overall, I had two very nice meals there. Maiz is an especially nice option for vegetarians and for people who are somewhat health-conscious (everything tasted very light and non-greasy) but I'm not sure I would rank it among my favorite Mexican places.
If anyone is heading over there to check it out, keep in mind that it's cash-only.

Maiz isn't terribly far from Ukrainian Village, so that might explain the waitress.

I was very, very underwhelmed on my (single) visit to Maiz. Same problem with the pastor you described -- virtually lacking in flavor. Most of the other dishes had the same problem, and at absurdly high prices.

The huarache we had (with the pastor) was bland, lettuce on it was watery, masa was soggy. Compared to the darned-near-perfect huarache de carne asada I had recently at CdS, it was darned-near-offensive.

I went to Maiz this past weekend with some friends and had a thoroughly lovely time. I'm already looking forward to going back.

I really liked the dining room. Rustic without looking too kitschy, it was comfortable, even if the banquet seating was a little high. We were seated in the front, not far from the guitarist. We never found him too loud or annoying, and the (unexpected) live music was a nice touch.

Two of us started with margaritas while a third opted for "The Bull", a mix of beer, rum and lime juice. I thought the margaritas were a bit heavy on the lime juice, but they were huge and pretty strong. The Bull was really tasty, though, and unexpectedly so. I'll definately try that next time.

We split a plate of green salsa chilaquiles, which were very good. A little spicy for one friend but still good, I thought. Two of had a sope (sopa?) for an entree, one with mushrooms and the other with potatoes and chorizo, and the third had a huarache with steak. All was very good, certainly fresh and pretty filling. The potatoes, though, did taste a little underdone, but the chorizo was surprisingly (in a good way) not greasy.

Which brings up my only word of warning -- portion sizes. The antojitos are certainly traditional "appetizer" sizes and could be split easily. But if you don't order enough, when you pick an entree, it may be too little food. And this isn't a knock against the restaurant at all -- I just didn't quite now best how to navigate the menu. I think that between the three of us, we should have ordered more antojitos to share, at least two, maybe even three. Next time I'll know better.

The service was quick and polite, and it was a genuinely nice, fun place to get dinner. With the California Clipper so close, it's easy to make a great night out of Mexican food and honky-tonk & conutry-western (Hoyle Brothers will be there 06/30/07!). I look forward to going back.

I'm going with a group of 4 people (total) to Maiz tonight and need help on how we should order.

From the looks of the menu, and the most recent person to post, I'm a little befuddled.

Do the "entrees" come with any side dishes? How many antojitos would be enough for 4 people?

Any stand outs?

TIA!

dont worry. carlos (the owner) or your waiter can answer any questions and help with your order. if you look at the menu http://chicago.menupages.com/screenmenu ... &areaid=28 you will see that there arent really any big plates (ie; a large entree with sides). the categories are all smallish plates meant for sharing. i love sharing food (so i get to try more things), but sometimes am frustrated with just a small taste and feel i dont really do the dish justice, so you might get doubles on a few dishes so the 4 of you can really get enough for a proper taste. if you are still hungry, just keep ordering. it's all fast, simple food. its not like ordering an entree and then having to wait to order another.
may i recommend one of my favorites, the tostada ceviche? if it hasnt been changed since my last visit, it's made with marlin. very light and delicious, served on a crispy tortilla round. justjoan (btw, its CASH ONLY, i'm pretty sure)

justjoan wrote:dont worry. carlos (the owner) or your waiter can answer any questions and help with your order. if you look at the menu http://chicago.menupages.com/screenmenu ... &areaid=28 you will see that there arent really any big plates (ie; a large entree with sides). the categories are all smallish plates meant for sharing. i love sharing food (so i get to try more things), but sometimes am frustrated with just a small taste and feel i dont really do the dish justice, so you might get doubles on a few dishes so the 4 of you can really get enough for a proper taste. if you are still hungry, just keep ordering. it's all fast, simple food. its not like ordering an entree and then having to wait to order another.
may i recommend one of my favorites, the tostada ceviche? if it hasnt been changed since my last visit, it's made with marlin. very light and delicious, served on a crispy tortilla round. justjoan (btw, its CASH ONLY, i'm pretty sure)

Thanks justjoan! I'm not big on sharing, but I've been trying to be more open to it. I always hate tapas style eating when things come out in odds when you have an even amount of people. Also, I think people tend to take as little food as possible and are hestitant to take the last portion. I think your suggestion about doubling up on certain things is a really good idea.

Thanks also for the suggestion on the tostada ceviche. I'll have to see what the other diners think of seafood, since my boyfriend isn't a big fan...=).

hi carlywood, ordering food in a couple of 'waves', works well at maiz. i think you're exactly right about people(at least the sensitive caring ones!) who are afraid to take too much when sharing a dish. consequently, when you get home the whole meal feels a little like a vague memory. i need more than 1 or 2 bites to really feel confident that i've 'tasted' a dish. so even though i do love to share food, i think 4 people would not be happy sharing just a single serving of any of the wonderful plates at maiz. justjoan

justjoan wrote:hi carlywood, ordering food in a couple of 'waves', works well at maiz. i think you're exactly right about people(at least the sensitive caring ones!) who are afraid to take too much when sharing a dish. consequently, when you get home the whole meal feels a little like a vague memory. i need more than 1 or 2 bites to really feel confident that i've 'tasted' a dish. so even though i do love to share food, i think 4 people would not be happy sharing just a single serving of any of the wonderful plates at maiz. justjoan

There's nothing worse than leaving a restaurant feeling hungry!

It's good to hear that Maiz is the "hold on to your menu for more" type of establishment.

I just wanted to comment about our dinner last night at Maiz.

We got to sit in the cute back patio, which was nicely situated and behind the restaurant, versus off the street, which I always like.

I had a margarita: a little too watery and not enough tequila. My friend tried a Michelada with Sol, which he didn't like for unspecified reasons. In other words, the drinks weren't their forte, much to our dismay.

The guacamole was really good, the stand out being that it was fresh and that I love mine with tomatoes. Also, there wasn't an overwhelming flavor of either onion or lime; again a preference of mine.

We decided to share everything and ordered the following:

1) Queso fundido with chorizo-one of the best dishes, mostly because it was served with their out of this world tortillas.
2) Two quesadillas, one with potato the other with steak-both delicious and again because of the tortilla. I really liked the hint of garlic in the potato one. It was helped with a little bit of salsa spread on top.
3) Tamal de Elote-I liked the sweetness of the tamal, while our friends were kind of on the fence about them.
4) Two Sopes, one with steak, one with asado. Two of us commented that the steak was probably the biggest disappointment. It was really bland and didn't do much for the sope. The asado, on the other hand, while not like "traditional" asado I've had in tacos, was well seasoned and helped with the pineapple.
5) Two Huaraches, one with chorizo and potato, one with zuccini. Both were good, though the one with zuccini didn't have quite enough umph to pull it off, though I did like its lighter consistency.

We were all disappointed that the sope and huarache were almost identical. I know they are very similar, but the only difference we could tell were that the sopes were smaller in size. This was more of us making a mistake not trying something completely different.

We all agreed we'd be back, mostly to try other things. My boyfriend commented that he'd like to order by himself next time.

All in all, a great, different Mexican food dining experience. You could go for the tortillas alone...amazing.

As the question of expense/price was raised upthread a bit, it's worth pointing out that Maiz, for whatever reason (presumably lack of business and/or customer complaints), has reduced their prices considerably. For instance, the same order of chips and guacamole that is $7.75 in the menu linked at Menupages above is now $4.50, the tacos that were previously 2 for $6.75 are now priced at 2 for $4.00, etc. I'd say it's a good 30-40% price reduction across the board, which is more in keeping with what one might expect from a neighborhood Mexican joint. If anything, I think the prices now represent a very good value for a place that is a bit more upscale than the typical neighborhood taqueria, and I've found the quality of ingredients to be higher than that of many taqerias. So if the prices kept you away in the past, it's possibly worth checking out again or for the first time.

I had a very nice meal there last night with my wife, very good queso fundido (chorizo and potato, which was a bit greasy from the cheese and sausage, but very good), chicken enchiladas with salsa verde, and tinga flautas. The queso fundido came with excellent handmade corn tortillas, which also were utilized in the enchiladas. The aforementioned guacamole was excellent, although I like it better in the fall when they include pomegranate in the mix as well for a nice sweet tangy burst accompanying the typical guacamole flavors. All that, plus a beer, came to just over $30 with tax and a healthy tip, and was bordering on too much food for the two of us.

Unlike some other Mexican restaurants that focus on a more regional cuisine or have more limited offerings, Maiz has a fairly wide-ranging menu but one that arguably has few if any "best of its kind in Chicago" type dishes. That said, it's a very good, comfortable, "safe" place to get an introduction to various Mexican antojitos and dishes -- particularly in introducing those who might not be as adventuresome in seeking out the delights of Mexican street food a la Maxwell Street or even some of the offerings of neighborhood taquerias. Once folks become familiar with the cuisine, it may encourage them to seek out some of these options in other places or give them boldness when ordering elsewhere.

For us, it's a place we frequent with some regularity, because we find the food very good, it's not too far from home, it's a good place to eat with a child and has a pretty comfortable and relaxed vibe generally, Carlos (the owner) has always given us nice personal attention in a way that reflects that he knows who we are and cares how we feel, and it's a good place to take guests who might not be comfortable with eating in some of the more hole-in-the-wall joints. The new lower prices, coupled with a nice backyard patio that is open now but was still under construction when we left a year ago for a sabbatical in Boston, make it likely that we'll continue to visit with some regularity.

Good to hear about the price falling more in line with other taquerias and mexican restaurants around town. The food was ok on my visit, but it was such a poor value.. small portions, big prices, and not any better than the other places around town that make their own tortillas (and in some cases worse, usually an issue of things being underseasoned).

Maybe we'll pay them another visit.

Agree Matt, I may be biased sine I visit Maiz more than any other restaurant in the city, but I love the back patio, the drinks, the laid-back service, the fantastic food, the occasional live music... I think the lack of accompaniments made the entres look spartan, but I never felt jacked after leaving.

Last time they had the huitlacoche, which made for a fantastic quesadilla along w/ their great tamales.

I'll plug the "Bull" again - their tremendous beer/rum/lime juice concoction. Love that thing.

The back patio is definitely worth checking out before it gets cold - very very relaxed urban paradise.

Maiz got a mention in the latest Gourmet, albeit erroneously mentioned as residing in "Logan Square"

ab wrote:Maiz got a mention in the latest Gourmet, albeit erroneously mentioned as residing in "Logan Square"

Everything is in Logan Square these days, it's a very hot neighborhood.

At least they didn't say it was in "West Bucktown".

geli wrote:At least they didn't say it was in "West Bucktown".

Well, that's because West Bucktown is not hip, Logan Square is.

i had an unusual and delicious dinner at maiz tonight. the patio is one of the most attractive and serene in chicago (no small thing when throwing a few tables and chairs out on the sidewalk allows a restaurant to claim they have a garden cafe). i was so occupied with holding my friend naomi's 7 month old son and keeping him away from my dangling earrings that i didnt pay enough attention to the name of the unusual tamal i had, but it was different from any i've had before. unlike most tamales it wasn't masa based. rather it was a banana leaf topped was a soft handmade tortilla piled high with al pastor pork and pineapple. i'm sure it was authentic, since maiz is all about authenticity. a dark red sauce and a sprinkle of cheese were also components. it was wonderfully tender pork and very well seasoned. i also had an enormous, tart margarita and exceptional guacamole, chunky and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. this is one of my favorite places to eat and hang out in chicago. the patio was only half full on this beautiful evening and the lovely inside was empty. i always worry about business here, since its location at california, between division and augusta is still off the beaten path for many. justjoan

MAIZ
1041 n. california
773-276-3149

I've been a handful of times this summer (all great meals btw), and I think its doing okay. They get a nice crowd on the weekends, and the weekdays are never completely empty either.

Have you checked out his other spot near Armitage and Western, Tamalli?

After several failed recent attempts to get decent guacamole (Agave, Garcia's, Cermak - all dreadful), I had just about given up on eating it anywhere but home and some known standbys. Thankfully, I decided one more try was in order, and Maiz really delivered. Maiz's guacamole was all that I want this simple dish to be: a little chunky, a little limey, and tasting primarily like its main ingredient, avocado. The pomegranates sprinkled atop were a very nice addition. Enchiladas en mole were as fine a rendition as one can find around town - the mole a little fruitier and sweeter than others, but very well balanced by heat, lime, and who-knows-what other complexity-adding ingredients. Jicama-mango salad had a delicious, creamy-textured, very garlicky dressing that I loved. Margaritas had plenty of real lime and were better than decent, though they did use a bit of my nemesis: triple sec.

The food at Maiz seemed on par with places around town that have much higher prices. Dinner for two with a big margarita each came in at around $45. It had been too long since my last visit, and I plan to be back soon.

Any recent visits? Is it a good value for quality?