Not sure if dates/venues have been discussed 'back at the ranch' for the next dinner, but would anyone be up for checking out Maya? That's Brad Turley's Mexican joint on Julu Lu.

Brad served up some tasty food at 239 and Maneo, as well as a mean Chili at the first Cook Off, so I'm happy to try his food wherever he lands...

hmm sounds interesting...but would need to get someone to work out a deal...

What happened to Maneo anywayz?

Nothing official has been set up under the auspices of SHEX but I would still be up to try Maya if anyone else wants to go. If you are interested send me a pm by 2pm tomorrow (Tues) with your contact details (ideally a cell phone #) and I will make a reservation for about 7pm.

yeah sorry, this past week passed by too quickly so didnt set up the dinner for today, but will do one next Tuesday.

So I went to check out Maya on Saturday night. 6 of us at 8:30pm. The place was buzzing and packed. Its was a bit noisy, but we were all enjoying the 'escapism' aspect of the restaurant. In that we almost felt as if we were outside of China for the night. So kudos for the vibe and decor.

However, there were several service issues mainly stemming from not enough servers/waiters and inexperienced ones to boot. So, while the food was great, I would probably hold off organizing a big group dinner there for a little while.

There was an expat Maitre'd there, but I think there were too many issues and too many people for him to keep a handle on.

What did you eat? Prices? I've got a Mexican jones!

Ok, since you asked We ordered a bunch of tacos and I think the beef was the best of the bunch. They were 25rmb or there was some deal for the sampler order of 3. The snapper ceviche was excellent, flavored with coconut milk and lime. A big miss, however, was the quesadilla, which turned out to be 4 tiny wedges with not so much cheese. That was not worth the 28rmb (or maybe it was even slightly more?)

Entrees ranged in the 120-180rmb range, so like everything else a bit on the pricey side. I shared the Chicken Casserole, which while tasty was not a 'casserole' in my definition, but more like a stew. It had shrimp and chicken in a chipotle adobe sauce with a few quesadillas on top. The 180rmb entree was the grilled steak. I can't remember if it was supposed to be a rib-eye cut. But, my friend ordered it medium-rare and it came out pretty bloody. So, he had to send it back to have it cooked longer.

We also ordered a handful of side dishes. Very small! The cumin spinach, refried beans dish (more like a meat chili), and 'potato of the day' (mashed potatoes with chopped olives) were all delicious. The 'picked vegetables' were pathetic though. A few chunks of boiled potato and cauliflower in a vinegary brine.

Using the Enjoy card for our 10% discount (which surprisingly was also off the two pitchers of Sangria), dinner for 6 was about $225 per person.

I'll definitely go back, despite the service issues. The food was good enough to warrant that (now that we know some dishes not to order). As 'authentic' Mexican as you can get in these parts...

yeah sorry for dropping the ball on this but I ad to head out of town a bit so ... sigh. Hope someone can put a dinner together. Otherwise it wil be next month before i get back.

Sounds liek a decent meal there though...looking forward to trying it!