Imagine going to see your favorite band only to discover the singer has laryngitis. Or he’s so innebriated he badly slurs the lyrics to songs. Or he’s so distracted he forgets the lyrics altogether.
Maria Maria, an upscale Mexican restaurant from legendary musician Carlos Santana, is similarly disappointing.
After its grand opening at Tempe Marketplace last March, I raved about the nuevo cocina-style cooking of acclaimed Mexico City chef Roberto Santibanez. His sophisticated and complex flavors eclipse most of the Sonoran and New Mexican fare so prevalent in the Valley.
Sure, there were some problems with execution and service at the time. What restaurant doesn’t deal with those on its first day? Once the kinks were worked out, I figured, Maria Maria would rank among the Valley’s best restaurants.
But eight months later, that potential is yet to be realized. Four visits over the past three months reveal the execution and service have, if anything, gotten worse.
• Click here to see an abbreviated version of the Maria Maria menu (pdf)
The first of my most recent visits starts with a 40-minute wait for appetizers. When they arrive, duck tacos with a roasted tomato-habanero cream sauce ($12, pictured at left) are delicious, but crispy chicken flautas ($9) are a cold, soggy mess.
My guess? The flautas were ready to go when someone discovered the tacos had been forgotten. So the former sat around while the latter were prepared.
Still, this botched beginning is much better than my next visit, when our appetizers are completely forgotten. When entrees arrive — delivered by staffers other than our server — they simply shrug their shoulders.
After desserts, our server reappears with the check. When I point out we never got our appetizers and ask to have them taken off the bill, he instead offers to go to the kitchen and have them made.
Um, no thanks.
There are many more service mishaps — more than can fit into a single review. But let’s get to some food. When the kitchen and front-of-house staffs get their act together, the results sometimes can impress.
Chicken and mole casserole ($15, pictured at right), almost like a pot pie, is a wonderful mix of flavors and textures. Braised short ribs ($21) are tender and tasty. A large skillet of carnitas ($16) is nicely seasoned.
But beware the chicken enchiladas suizas ($15), a house specialty that comes with a dark brown tomato sauce that’s overly sweet. And the few desserts — such as lime pie (pictured below), flourless chocolate cake and flan (all $7) — are ho-hum.
Substance doesn’t seem to be as high of a priority as style at Maria Maria. Attention to food may be lackadaisical, but nothing is spared in creating a stunning atmosphere.
Flickering faux-candles adorn the branches of two giant trees in a relief carving above the bar, as well as a wall of cubbyholes that separates a cavernous dining room from a smaller dining area.
Outside, a wrap-around patio is a favorite gathering spot for a see-and-be-seen crowd willing to pay $5.50 for a bottle of Pacifico beer.
Santana and his Grammy-winning music may be the inspiration for Maria Maria, but what the restaurant ultimately conveys is Britney Spears or ‘90s boy band.
It’s pretty to look at, but has a long way to go before it will be taken seriously.
Maria Maria
Where: Tempe Marketplace, 2000 E. Rio Salado Parkway
Open: 11:30 a.m. to close Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to close Sunday.
Prices: Appetizers $6.50-$15, entrees $13-$21, desserts $7
Info: (480) 449-3663 or mariamariarestaurants.com.
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That really looks like bugs. Ew.
I was very disappointed with my visit to Maria Maria. The restaurant is beautiful. Elegant but not stuffy. But they have two huge projector screens playing Santana music videos which are awkward.
The service was terrible. The waitress offered no guidance on entree selection other than the chicken enchiladas suizas which “like are made with cinnamon and like really good.”
I ordered Duck Tacos and the Carnitas with a side of rice and beans. The Tacos were good but the Carnias and rice and beans were so salty. My dinnermates also complained of their food being overly salty except for one who ordered the fish tacos.
After the waitresses recommendation we never saw her again. So once our salty entrees arrived, we ended up having to walk back and forth to the bar about twice to refill our waters. I wish I could say I would go back because it’s a beautiful place and the patio is a great place to sit and eat. But I think I’d find somewhere else in the area for food next time.
Enjoy while you can, they’re closing. Word from the inside is they owe a lot of money to their vendors and haven’t paid rent in a few months. One rumor is their liquor distributors have black-listed them so they won’t be getting any more liquor in, only what they have in stock. Looks to be bad management from corporate down to local level. If you have agift card use it soon.
I went there a couple weeks ago to celebrate a friend’s birthday. We were a part of four and the restaurant was almost completely empty, yet when we were seated, the host put us right next to another party on a shared bench seat about a foot away from the other party - a pet peeve of ours. We asked to be seated elsewhere and were given a table that allowed us to chat without feeling like we were encroaching on another party’s dinner.
Across the board, the feeling was that the food was decent, but not a good value for the money. You can eat just as well elsewhere for the equal or less money (Los Dos Mollinos, Tia Rosas, for example).
On the bright side, if you do go to Maria Maria, get the seafood guacamole - it was a hit. And, our waitress was very friendly, which made up for the poor showing from the host.