{"id":42098,"date":"2017-09-07T13:09:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-07T19:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098"},"modified":"2026-03-31T13:59:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T19:59:39","slug":"maya-cuisine-albuquerque-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098","title":{"rendered":"Maya – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
Maya for the Finest in MesoAmerican Fusion Cuisine From Chef-Genius Dennis Apodaca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My precocious niece doesn’t miss a beat. Ever attentive to adult conversation, she often stumps my brother and me with her surprisingly deep and thought-provoking questions. Case in point, when she overheard me telling my brother Mario about the Mesoamerican-inspired cuisine at Maya, she asked what I have against Americans. Perplexed by her assertion, I gently asked what she was talking about. “First you said Americans are ugly (obviously remembering a discussion Mario and I once had about the “ugly American syndrome”) and now you’re calling them messy, too.” From the mouth of babes…<\/span><\/p>\n

Her comment got me thinking about the last time we saw a great chef who wasn\u2019t a bit on the \u201cmessy\u201d side. No, not like the Charlie Brown character Pig Pen, but with a light dusting of flour or a splash of sauce bespattered on their white coats or aprons. Hands-on chefs–those who not only conceptualize their menus, they prepare everything themselves\u2014don\u2019t always embody the axiom that cleanliness is next to godliness. These do-it-all chefs are veritable whirling dervishes in the kitchen\u2014chopping, shredding, grating, slicing, dicing, mincing, broiling, boiling, simmering, frying, saut\u00e9ing, plating\u2026 It\u2019s inevitable that a smattering of sauce or a sprinkling of crumbs will land on those immaculate whites.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chef Dennis Apodaca and Partner Cecilia Schmider<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Practicing chefs wear those little stains like edible badges of honor, emblematic of the noble profession. When Chef Dennis Apodaca stepped out from the kitchen at Maya, it made us happy to see a small chile stain on the sleeves of his jacket. It meant he was in the kitchen preparing meals for his guests. Cooking, as savvy Duke City diners know, is something Dennis does better than just about anybody else in New Mexico. Even though having been featured on the Food Network\u2019s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives program has made him more of a public persona, it\u2019s in the kitchen where he\u2019s most comfortable. It\u2019s where he plies his craft with incomparable skill and dedication.<\/span><\/p>\n

My friend Carlos once described Dennis as \u201ca five-star chef in a one-star kitchen.\u201d That\u2019s an apt description for how Dennis has been able to coax incredible flavors at Eli\u2019s Place<\/strong><\/a> (formerly Sophia\u2019s), a timeworn, ramshackle eatery with no freezer, oven or even burners. Not surprisingly, \u201cfive-star chef\u201d was also the term used by Cecilia Schmider in describing her partner in Maya, the downtown venture that promises to blow the lid off the Duke City dining scene. If you loved Dennis\u2019s culinary skills at Eli\u2019s Place, you\u2019ll be blown away by what he\u2019s doing in the more expansive digs at Maya. <\/span><\/p>\n

Salsa and Chips with a Side of Guacamole<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cecilia explained that the name Maya was inspired by the bright, vibrant cuisine prepared by the dynastic Mesoamerican civilization and their descendants. Bright, vibrant and colorful are apropos terms for Maya, but so are inviting and homey. While Dennis conceptualized the menu\u2014a fusion of New Mexican, Mexican and neo Latin cuisine–Cecilia took the reins in designing the 1,500 square-foot milieu. The restaurant environs are a perfect home for Dennis\u2019s inspired cuisine. Surprisingly, this is Cecilia\u2019s inaugural foray into the restaurant world, having previously worked in retail jewelry and before that as a speech pathologist.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maya is situated on the first floor of the commodious Imperial Building on Second and Silver. You might recognize the mixed-use Imperial Building as the home of the Silver Street Market, Downtown Albuquerque\u2019s only grocery store. Immediately next door and in partnership with Maya is The Monk\u2019s Corner which features libations brewed at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu. A reciprocal arrangement between The Monk\u2019s Corner and Maya means guests of either may partake of both\u2014Maya\u2019s diners can enjoy their cuisine with libations from The Monk\u2019s Corner and vice-versa. <\/span><\/p>\n

Burrito Ahogado<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Maya\u2019s menu is hung on framed slate boards on the wall behind the counter where you place your order. It\u2019s an uncomplicated menu devoid of the overly descriptive ingredient lists which seem to characterize contemporary menus. Weekly specials for each day of the week are listed first then appetizers. On the second slate board you\u2019ll find ensaladas, a section called \u201cNuevo Mexico\u201d which showcases culinary fare from the Land of Enchantment (prepared in the inimitable Dennis Apodaca manner, of course) and finally sides such as papas, fries and slaw. Tortas with salsa headlines the third slate board along with tacos. Three smaller slate boards are dedicated to desserts, \u201cto warm you up,\u201d and specials. It\u2019s not a huge menu, but you\u2019ll have a hard time deciding just which of the beguiling dishes to order. <\/span><\/p>\n

2 January 2017<\/strong>: Long-timers among us fondly remember Dennis\u2019s stint as chef at the long defunct Fajitaville where he got us addicted to chips and salsa<\/strong> <\/em>so unlike those offered by New Mexican restaurants. He\u2019s still at it. Chips and salsa are always a good bet at one of his restaurants, but you\u2019ll want to make it a threesome with guacamole<\/strong><\/em>. One of the salsas is akin to a pico de gallo with fresh, chopped tomatoes, red onions and jalapeno. The other is a smoky fire-roasted salsa with a terrific flavor. Neither is especially piquant, but both are addictive. The guacamole is thick, creamy and redolent with the freshness of avocados in-season. <\/span><\/p>\n

Guajillo-Pecan Mole Chilaquiles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2 January 2017<\/strong>: As we mulled what entrees to order (knowing they would all be fabulous), we asked Dennis for advice. He recommended either of the specials. Both sounded so good we couldn\u2019t select just one. First to hit our table was a Burrito Ahogado<\/strong> <\/em>which translates to smothered or drowned burrito. It\u2019s unlike any burrito we\u2019ve had at any of Dennis\u2019s other restaurants. Though vegetarian, it\u2019s a burrito carnivores will love, too. The burrito is engorged with collard greens and corn swimming in a spicy tomato broth with a garnish of pickled carrots and red onions and a sprinkling of cobija cheese. My Kim, who\u2019s never been a fan of collard greens, absolutely loved these. The spicy tomato broth will tantalize your taste buds with a pleasant piquancy and nice acidity. This is one special which should be on the daily menu.<\/span><\/p>\n

2 January 2017<\/strong>: Of course that could be said about the other daily special, Guajillo-Pecan Mole Chilaquiles<\/strong><\/em>. When Dennis makes mole, you\u2019re well advised to order it. His mole has a profound earthiness and a discernible depth of complex flavors working together very harmoniously. The use of guajillo bespeaks of the authenticity he pursues in his cooking. Guajillo, the dried form of the mirasol chile, is a mild, slightly sweet chile with notes of berries and tea. It\u2019s an excellent basis for mole with which he covers tortilla chips. As you enjoy the mole, you\u2019ll find it\u2019s been garnished with finely chopped pineapple, cobija cheese, shaved radishes and more, all of which combine to give you different flavor profiles in every bite. This mole dish is served with papitas and the best refried black beans we\u2019ve had. This is a mole worthy of Oaxaca.<\/span><\/p>\n

Duck Cubano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2 January 2017<\/strong>: While there isn\u2019t a protein Dennis can\u2019t make interpret into its self-actualized best, one of his favorites has long been duck. Duck enchiladas, you might recall, is one of the dishes with which he wowed Food Network glitterati Guy Fierri. When my Kim saw Duck Cubano<\/strong> <\/em>on the Tortas menu, she couldn\u2019t wait to see what delicious liberties Dennis would take with the traditional Cuban sandwich. True to form, the pressed sandwich was stuffed with roast beef, ham and cheese but it also had bacon and instead of yellow mustard, it was constructed with pickled mustard seeds and spicy mayo. To say it\u2019s one of the tastiest Cubanos we\u2019ve ever had is an understatement. There\u2019s deliciousness in every morsel. The duck is plentiful, rich and delicious with nary a hint of sinew or excess fat. The Cubano is served with a side of housemade chips and a tangy tomatillo-avocado dressing. <\/span><\/p>\n

5 January 2017<\/strong>: A former Intel colleague from Las Cruces used to chide me about being a “Norte\u00f1o,” a term she used to label Hispanics who grew up in Albuquerque or north thereof. She insisted that other than me (and she thought me weird), she’d never met a Norte\u00f1o who liked mole, perhaps the most Mexican of all dishes. While it’s true that very few Norte\u00f1os grew up eating mole, Mexico’s legendary multi-ingredient sauce with its nuanced complexity and deep flavor profile, I was sure her contention was ill-founded and absolutely fallacious. Unfortunately aside from myself, I couldn’t think of a single born-and-bred Norte\u00f1o who enjoyed mole. To this day, only a handful of my Norte\u00f1o friends, all of whom have red and green chile running in their veins, admit to enjoying mole.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Kale & Collard Greens Enchiladas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While not a Norte\u00f1o by ethnicity, my friend Ryan “Break the Chain<\/strong><\/a>” Scott grew up in the Duke City where he was weaned on red and green chile, attended Albuquerque High and counts several Norte\u00f1os among his many friends. Although I knew he didn’t like mole, I thought surely he’d like Dennis’s mole. Alas, he’s more Norte\u00f1o than I’d thought (an maybe I’m just a little bit weird). To his credit, he did sample a forkful of the special of the day, kale and collard greens with guajillo chile mole<\/strong><\/em>, and didn’t spit it outt or disparage my taste buds (which are besotted with the guajillo chile mole which manages to make even kale (never did jump on that kale bandwagon) palatable). <\/span><\/p>\n

5 January 2017<\/strong>: Ryan did like the Caramelized Onion and Poblano Raja Queso<\/strong><\/em>, another special of the day. This is a wonderful departure from the de rigueur con queso served in many New Mexican restaurants. It has a perfect degree of meltedness. It scoops easily and there are no foot-long cheese strings to get passed before you can eat it. The chips are thick, crispy and have a just-right amount of salt. This would make an excellent party dip.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Fried Snapper and Fried Broccoli on Sweet Corn Rice with Mole<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

7 September 2017: <\/strong>The genius of Dennis Apodaca is such that he can coax deliciousness out of ingredient combinations perhaps no one else would consider. Inventiveness has always been one of the many traits he’s always exemplified. So, when you see something on the Maya menu that doesn’t immediately whet your appetite, try it anyway. You might happen upon a surprisingly wonderful hodgepodge of ingredients that work very well together. Such was the case when my friend Bill Resnik and I enjoyed yet another Apodaca original: fried snapper and fried broccoli on sweet corn rice with mole lightly sprinkled with cotija cheese. Though my preference would be for enough of Dennis’s mole in which to to swim, he served just enough of the enchanting elixir to allow the other ingredients to display their own deliciousness. The fried snapper and fried broccoli are coated in a light batter and are perfectly prepared, the broccoli a crisp al dente. The sweet corn rice would be a star on its own.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

7 September 2017: <\/strong>When two fellow gastronomes whose opinions on food I trus, st explicitly rave about Maya’s Wagyu beef<\/em> green chili<\/em> (SIC) cheeseburger<\/em>, the question isn’t “when are you going to try it?,” but “why haven’t you tried it already?” First, the sage epicure Sarita listed it as one of the best dishes<\/a><\/strong> she enjoyed in 2016. Then Larry McGoldrick, the professor with the perspicacious palate, ranked it sixth best<\/strong><\/a> among New Mexico’s green chile cheeseburgers. In all honesty, wagyu beef burgers have never done much for me, but that’s probably because it takes a chef of Dennis’s caliber to coax optimum deliciousness out of the mouth-coating unctuousness and nearly obscene richness of this beef. Prepared to your exacting degree of doneness and served virtually naked save for white Cheddar and green chile, this is a magnificent burger which emphasizes all the delicious qualities of beef paired with a flavorful (but not piquant) chile. There’s no mustard, tomatoes, onions or other miscellany to impede your enjoyment. If you love beef, you’ll love this burger.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Wagyu Beef Green Chili (SIC) Cheeseburger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2 January 2017<\/strong>: There are only four desserts on the menu, all of which would tempt Job. My Kim, who\u2019s got the sweet tooth in the family (which stands to reason considering she\u2019s so much sweeter than me) wanted the cinnamon doughnuts<\/strong> <\/em>which are served with a chocolate ganache and a crushed cherry compote. Because the ganache wasn\u2019t ready, we were given cajeta (sweetened caramelized goat\u2019s milk caramel) instead. What a great stroke of fortune! The cajeta proved magnificent, absolutely delicious with the slight sour component found in goat\u2019s milk complementing the sweetness of the caramel. The cherry compote provided a tangy component which cut the sweetness of the doughnuts. In all, this is an excellent dessert. <\/span><\/p>\n

5 January 2017<\/strong>: Maya is open seven days a week. From Monday through Saturday doors open at 11AM and close at 10PM. Featured fare on Sundays (10AM – 2PM) is brunch, long a staple of Eli’s Place…and if you’ve frequented Dennis’s flagship restaurant, your mouth is probably salivating at the prospect of pancakes. No one in New Mexico makes pancakes quite as good as Dennis’s masterpiece orbs. Whether it’s blue corn, lemon-ricotta or pumpkin, he’s a true griddle master. It surprised me to hear that in the three months Maya has been open, only a couple orders of pancakes have sold. Dennis will soon be introducing Dutch Boy-style pancakes<\/strong><\/em> (though they’ll have a more apropos name). The sample he gave us was terrific with a sprinkling of confectioner’s sugar and a tangy cherry compote on top.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cinnamon Doughnut with Cherry and Cajeta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our inaugural visit transpired on a national holiday when only one other couple was at the restaurant at the time. As they walked out, Gil and Julia Clarke introduced themselves, indicating they are long-time readers of Gil\u2019s Thrilling\u2026 They were as nice as could be. Gil kidded that one of the drawbacks of me getting to be well known is having to eat cold food. Meeting readers has always been a huge\u2014and humbling\u2014privilege for me. It is a thrill to hear from you\u2014whether it be in public at a restaurant or through your comments on this blog. <\/span><\/p>\n

The next time you visit Maya, check Dennis\u2019s whites for the chef\u2019s badge of honor and relish the opportunity to enjoy the magic and creativity of one of New Mexico\u2019s very best hands-on chefs. Maya is a find!<\/span><\/p>\n

Maya<\/strong>
\n205 Silver, S.W., Unit F
\nAlbuquerque, New Mexico<\/strong>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 7 September 2017
\n1st VISIT<\/strong>: 2 January 2016
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 3
\nRATING<\/strong>: Outstanding<\/strong><\/span>\u2013A stand-out; delivers a memorable dining experience through a harmonious blend of exceptional food, attentive service, and consistent quality
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Guajillo-Pecan Mole Chilaquiles, Cinnamon Doughnuts, Chips and Salsa, Guacamole, Duck Cubano Torta, Burrito Ahogado, Caramelized Onion and Poblano Raja Queso, Kale & Collard Greens Enchiladas, Wagyu Green Chili Cheeseburger<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My precocious niece doesn’t miss a beat. Ever attentive to adult conversation, she often stumps my brother and me with her surprisingly deep and thought-provoking questions. Case in point, when she overheard me telling my brother Mario about the Mesoamerican-inspired cuisine at Maya, she asked what I have against Americans. Perplexed by her assertion, I gently asked what she was talking about. “First you said Americans are ugly (obviously remembering a discussion Mario and I once had about the “ugly American syndrome”) and now you’re calling them messy, too.” From the mouth of babes… Her comment got me thinking about the last time we saw a great chef who wasn\u2019t a bit on the \u201cmessy\u201d side. No, not like the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440,725,262,587,57,141,561],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albuquerque","category-closed-in-2019","category-closed","category-latin","category-mexican","category-new-mexico","category-rating-outstanding"],"yoast_head":"\nMaya - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maya - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My precocious niece doesn’t miss a beat. Ever attentive to adult conversation, she often stumps my brother and me with her surprisingly deep and thought-provoking questions. Case in point, when she overheard me telling my brother Mario about the Mesoamerican-inspired cuisine at Maya, she asked what I have against Americans. Perplexed by her assertion, I gently asked what she was talking about. “First you said Americans are ugly (obviously remembering a discussion Mario and I once had about the “ugly American syndrome”) and now you’re calling them messy, too.” From the mouth of babes… Her comment got me thinking about the last time we saw a great chef who wasn\u2019t a bit on the \u201cmessy\u201d side. No, not like the…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-07T19:09:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-31T19:59:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Maya11.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"456\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=42098#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=42098\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf\"},\"headline\":\"Maya – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-07T19:09:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-31T19:59:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=42098\"},\"wordCount\":2649,\"commentCount\":14,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=42098#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/Maya11.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Albuquerque\",\"Closed in 2019\",\"Gone But Not Forgotten\",\"Latin American\",\"Mexican\",\"New Mexico\",\"Rating: Outstanding\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=42098#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=42098\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=42098\",\"name\":\"Maya - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=42098#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=42098#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/Maya11.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-07T19:09:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-31T19:59:39+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=42098#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=42098\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=42098#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/Maya11.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/Maya11.jpg\",\"width\":720,\"height\":456},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=42098#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Maya – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"description\":\"Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico's Sesquipedalian Sybarite. 1,522 Restaurant Reviews, More Than 14,900 Visitor Comments...And Counting!\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\",\"caption\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf\",\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Gil Garduno\"},\"description\":\"Since 2008, the tagline on Gil\u2019s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog has invited you to \u201cFollow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico\u2019s Sesquipedalian Sybarite.\u201d To date, more than six million visitors have trusted (or at least visited) my recommendations on more than 1,300 restaurant reviews. Please take a few minutes to tell me what you think. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I'd love to hear about it.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/%20\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/nmgastronome\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/nmgastronome\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Maya - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Maya - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","og_description":"My precocious niece doesn’t miss a beat. Ever attentive to adult conversation, she often stumps my brother and me with her surprisingly deep and thought-provoking questions. Case in point, when she overheard me telling my brother Mario about the Mesoamerican-inspired cuisine at Maya, she asked what I have against Americans. Perplexed by her assertion, I gently asked what she was talking about. “First you said Americans are ugly (obviously remembering a discussion Mario and I once had about the “ugly American syndrome”) and now you’re calling them messy, too.” From the mouth of babes… Her comment got me thinking about the last time we saw a great chef who wasn\u2019t a bit on the \u201cmessy\u201d side. No, not like the…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098","og_site_name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/","article_published_time":"2017-09-07T19:09:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-31T19:59:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":720,"height":456,"url":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Maya11.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Gil Garduno","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gil Garduno","Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098"},"author":{"name":"Gil Garduno","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/person\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf"},"headline":"Maya – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)","datePublished":"2017-09-07T19:09:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-31T19:59:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098"},"wordCount":2649,"commentCount":14,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Maya11.jpg","articleSection":["Albuquerque","Closed in 2019","Gone But Not Forgotten","Latin American","Mexican","New Mexico","Rating: Outstanding"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098","name":"Maya - Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED) - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Maya11.jpg","datePublished":"2017-09-07T19:09:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-31T19:59:39+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Maya11.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Maya11.jpg","width":720,"height":456},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=42098#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Maya – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/","name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","description":"Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico's Sesquipedalian Sybarite. 1,522 Restaurant Reviews, More Than 14,900 Visitor Comments...And Counting!","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization","name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/person\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf","name":"Gil Garduno","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","caption":"Gil Garduno"},"description":"Since 2008, the tagline on Gil\u2019s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog has invited you to \u201cFollow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico\u2019s Sesquipedalian Sybarite.\u201d To date, more than six million visitors have trusted (or at least visited) my recommendations on more than 1,300 restaurant reviews. Please take a few minutes to tell me what you think. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I'd love to hear about it.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/%20","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nmgastronome\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42098"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78399,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42098\/revisions\/78399"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}