Maya
1191 First Ave.(bet. 64th & 65th Sts.)
212-585-1818
Friday night it was out for Mexican at "Maya" a local destination that serves a youngish hip crowd that can get pretty noisy. A corner table and an early reservation got us in and out before the crush, (this probably means we're not youngish or hip). Paul and I, and our friends Steve and Charlene, had all been there before and agreed that the 'margaritas' hit the spot. We started dinner with the usual guacamole and chips--here the avocado and tomatoes are recognizable and the home made chips are crispy and just the right size for a small scoop. There was nothing not to like about this meal; we all enjoyed a mixed salad with crisp greens, goat cheese and a wonderful balsamic dressing. Charlene raved about her butterflied steak fillet served atop a cheese enchilada with chocolate sauce; Steve's flambe shrimp had just the right amount of spice and was served on a bed of chopped greens; Paul's adobo chicken served on a quesadila was crispy and prepared on the bone the way we like it. My 4 pink perfectly cooked lamb chops came with a mixture of sweet potato and a green sauce that was delicious without being sweet. With our plates practically licked clean none of us had room for dessert. One of the reasons that we like Maya so much is because they serve exceptional salads made with fresh greens, which like many of the items on the menu, are atypical of most Mexican restaurants. If you go and are fond of coffee, I would recommend you pass this up here because it was the worst we have tasted and quite cool.
O.G.
East Village 507 E. Sixth St.(bet. Aves. A & B)
O.G.
East Village 507 E. Sixth St.(bet. Aves. A & B)
212-477-4649
Should we drive, use public transport or take a taxi? This is always a question when going below 14th Street. However, when going to the East Village, finding a parking spot is especially tricky with no easily accessible parking lots. Our strong recommendation, is to leave the car at home. What started as a quick 15 minute drive, ended with Paul dropping me off and spending 45 additional minutes finding parking! Needless to say, by the time he got to the restaurant it was getting tense. They had told us they would only hold our reservation 10 minutes past the proposed time. Happily, the staff at this cozy, but crowded, spot never hassled us and sympathized with our plight!
Again, we were in the midst of a young crowd, perhaps because now it was after 8:00pm (where are all the people our age anyway?) The good news about waiting is that it gave me time to catch up with Bonnie and Les who we hadn't seen in many months. Like us, they have been bitten by the travel bug and I was eager to hear about their upcoming plans for this summer's adventure in Africa.
O.G. offers a creative Chinese menu focused on dim sum, and there are many items on the menu that look nothing like the fare one might expect at a typical Chinese restaurant. We began our meal with a tasting of dumplings (steamed-- spinach with goat cheese, fried--stuffed with pork). Each had a soy-based dipping sauce and Paul and I both preferred the fried ones. Paul and Bonnie both had the five-spice chicken and it was cooked to perfection. The skin was crisp, it was cooked on the bone and served with the most interesting and tasty little pancakes that are a house specialty. (Have you noticed how often Paul orders chicken?) Les and I picked a different fish; he a glazed barbecued salmon fillet served on a mixture of chopped green veggies; I had the special of the night which was sushi grade tuna served with a coconut dipping sauce accompanied by perfectly cooked broccoli rabe. Again the plates were clean and our only complaint was that the mixed steamed veggies we ordered arrived after the meal was over. We enjoyed them as a pre-desert partly because the dipping sauce again with a soy base was wonderful.
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