Conventional
views on reincarnation postulate that if you've led a good life,
your reincarnated state will be at a higher form of life. When we
first moved to Albuquerque in 1995, one of the very first restaurants we
visited was Tio Pepe's, a lively Old Mexico dining establishment whose
capsaicin laden chile packed the punch of nitroglycerine. Tio
Pepe's house specialty, the fire tacos, brought sweat to my brow and I
pride myself as being among the most resolute of chile fanatics.
Alas Tio Pepe's closed shortly thereafter. Eight years later, it
has now been reborn as Maximito's, named for chef Eddie Stern's father.
Time
will tell if this incarnation will be as a higher form of life--in this
case, a better restaurant than a predecessor which was always packed.
One immediately apparent improvement was in location. Maximito's
resides in the former digs of Cafe Broadway, a comfortably homey,
hard-wood floored restaurant just south of the burgeoning downtime area.
Almost
immediately after being seated, four different salsas of varying piquant
degrees are brought to your table. The two tomato-based salsas,
one of which was mild and the other relatively piquant, were rather
ordinary, but the guacamole based salsa and the chipotle salsa were
quite good. A salsa menu includes several other innovations we'll
have to try.
Maximito's
menu makes ordering your meal a challenge. The aforementioned fire
tacos and their intense heat are an option as are various sopas (soups),
quesadillas, nachos, queso fundidos, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas,
chimichangas (including one made with chocolate and ice cream),
tostadas, a specialty menu and daily specials. It's like choosing
from among the stars in the skies.
Ultimately,
I settled on the camarones al mojo de ajo, a shrimp lover's favorite
which features a generous serving of shrimp pan sautéed with lots of
garlic. While it was good, it paled in comparison to any of the
shrimp dishes we've had at Mariscos Vallarta. Kim's fajitas made a
good impression, but not a lasting one.
Maximito's
has too many tempting entrees and those intriguingly innovative salsas
not to succeed. Here's hoping this incarnation stays around.
