Rachel J.
Yelp
I'm breaking this review down into different components so it is easier for the reader to digest and understand my scoring.
This restaurant focuses continually on the essence of embodying the spirit of Oaxaca, Mexico; which it falls short on in so many different areas.
Oaxaca holds a special place in my heart, as I traveled the state for 5 days taking in the culture, the beauty and most importantly its culinary experiences. I was so excited to possibly find a restaurant that housed the beauty and vibrancy that is Oaxaca closer to home. Sadly, that is not the case with Maiz y Agave.
Ambiance: Outside of its architecture, Maiz y Agave is lacking in what is truly representative of Oaxacan culture. The restaurant appears to be reminiscent of Los Danzantes, a very popular Oaxacan restaurant in Oaxaca, but the vibe is quickly shifted to a more modern possible Tex-Mex motif once inside with overpowering, high-end Home Goods style Mexican decor.
Service: I highly recommend booking a reservation as the dining area is quite small. The service is questionable. Our waiter was extremely attentive to my husband in offering his recommendations and keeping with the conversation. However, every time I tried to speak or add to the conversation, I was ignored or the conversation was reverted back to my husband. When I attempted to order our entrees after the appetizers, the waiter interjected and told me he would not put our entrees in until we finished our appetizers because it's "a lot" of food. After finishing our appetizers, he returned to the table to solely engage with my husband, again. He could recall what my husband's entree order was and casually looked at me and asked me what was mine, but not before leaving before I could finish the entire dishes' name. At the start of our meal, I asked for the same drink as my husband and the waiter instead brought me what he recommended for me. So, it should have been a sign of what was to follow.
Side comment: Women are more than capable of ordering for themselves these days, it's 2024.
Food: I have heard one of the newest trends in 'fine dining' Mexican cuisine is to infuse the culture's traditional dishes with outside elements that most would find unusual. For example, serving mashed potatoes as a side-dish, but labeling it something fancy like 'pureed golden crusted potatoes'. ::sigh::
When it comes to Maiz y Agave's dishes, they are extremely far from any traditional Oaxacan flavor profiles, from the aguachille, to the mole, to the seasoning of the steak, the wagyu beef tartare, even the salsa. Flavor profile aside, the food was mediocre. My rice was cold. My short rib was short of seasoning. My husband asked for his steak medium-it was well done and he had some sort of spinach dip on his plate that looked like it was plopped out of a Tostito's can. Oaxacan it is not. Fine dining? Absolutely not.
The roof top is decorated more like Isabella Madrigal's room from the Disney movie Encanto; side note: that movie is based in Colombia so I'm not sure where the wires crossed with the decor there, however the drinks are good, the bartenders' service is impeccable and the food seems like much of an after-thought that was thrown on the menu to keep you full and steady so that you're able to rack up a bigger bar tab.
Short and sweet. Pollo Tropical has more essence of Cuban culture than Maiz y Agave has anything of Oaxaca's lively, effervescent culture.