Review: Maya Restaurant

The Temple of Tequila is in central focus of the bar at Maya, in Sonoma. (Jeff Kan Lee/PD)

The first thing you see on entering Maya Restaurant in Sonoma is the Temple of Tequila.

This shrine to the blue agave is a stepped pyramid tapering to a platform on top where a statue of the figure Chac Mool reclines, his head turned toward you, holding a tray on his belly. If you’ve been to Mayan archeological sites in the Yucatan, you’ll instantly recognize the iconic Mexican statue. While Chichen Itza’s pyramid steps were once thronged with worshipers, The Temple of Tequilas are crammed with 150 bottles of tequila; and Chac Mool’s tray was once a platform for human sacrifice.

Here all you sacrifice is your inhibitions. That’s why the dozen bar stools surrounding the Temple are often filled with young tourists schmoozing, canoodling and enjoying the restaurant’s excellent margaritas.

Chef Manuel Arjona’s cooking is based on the foods of the Yucatan, which in turn are compiled from Mayan, European, Caribbean and even North African influences. But they range well beyond just typical Yucatecan cooking. What chef in Sonoma County can resist the wonderful ingredients of all kinds that we have here?

For instance, panuchos are a typical dish of the Yucatan, consisting of a fried tortilla stuffed with refried beans and topped with shredded chicken, lettuce and onion. Chef Arjona’s panuchos are more elaborate. The tortilla, fried tostada style, is stuffed with black beans, topped with roast chicken, steak, carnitas or al pastor pork (or with vegetables if that’s your preference) and accompanied by cabbage, pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream. A dinner-sized portion is also $9.50 — a price you wouldn’t find in the mom-and-pop eateries away from tourist spots like Cancun, or in the taquerias of Sonoma County.

You can get a single panucho during Happy Hour (Mondays through Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m.) for $4.50 if you want to try one. Bargains abound on the Happy Hour menu. The Maya Margarita is just $5, compared with $7.50 at other times. The bartender uses tequila, Triple Sec, and fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juices, shakes it with ice and serves it up in a martini glass. You can ask him to hold the salt. For $1.50 more, order the “top shelf” margarita and you’ll take a step up from the well tequila, get Cointreau instead of Triple Sec, and a splash of Grand Marnier to make it special. All the tequilas are available as half shots if you want to mix and match.