Maria's Will Warm You Up

Jalapeno infused tequila shot

Until last night, I'd never stopped in to Maria's just for drinks; it was always the lunch special, brunch special, or guacamole (yum!) that brought me there. Now I've been introduced to the nightlife - Maria's Bistro Mexicano style. And it was good.

We (five Sunset Park moms sans strollers, partners, kids) sat at the bar and had a grand old time. Troy (manager/barkeep) let us know that there was a seasonal margarita available: Pumpkin. None of us were too excited about that idea. Pumpkin? He said that it's made with real pumpkin puree. It didn't sound particularly appetizing, but a woman in the dining area ordered one - perhaps as a dessert drink? - and it came with some whipped cream. She seemed quite pleased with the result.

After we got our order of sangrias, beer, and wine, Troy gave us a shot of the pumpkin margarita to taste. And you know, it was really, really good. It wasn't super sweet, and it still tasted like a margarita - just with pumpkin. Somehow it went well together. One of our group got it as her second drink, and she said it was very tasty (she didn't have whipped cream). So, I suggest that if it sounds good to you, try it...perhaps as an after dinner drink.

The sangria is always a solid go-to choice, but if you're looking for something a little different, don't overlook the shelves behind the bar. There are three bottles with various tequila infusions. Blueberry, strawberry, and jalapeno tequila. Two of us got the jalapeno, and while the bite was slight, there was a nice flavor that followed the tequila. Troy said that when it was first made, the jalapeno flavor really screamed for attention. Maybe he'll make a new bottle soon for those who want some pain with their drinks.

With karaoke on Saturday nights (10 PM), excellent bar food (I saw fried avocado on the menu, but didn't try it), and lots of light and more serious drinks to choose from, Maria's will definitely help to keep Sunset Park warm this winter.

Maria's Friends Come Out of the Cybershadows

So one of my little email updates comes to me in the form of Yelp reviews in Sunset Park. Occasionally a place like Ba Xuyen or Tacos Matamoros or Pacificana will receive more than one review on the same day, but it's rare. Imagine my shock to see that Maria's Bistro Mexicano received four 5 out of 5 reviews and one 4 out of 5 review on the same day. Yes folks, April 6th was a busy day for Yelp regarding Maria's. You know I had to check out these reviews.

Sure enough, all of the aforementioned reviews except for one were by people who had (as of Tuesday) only written one review: Maria's Bistro Mexicano. This is always suspect, at least to me. Whether the review is good or bad, it's never truly trustworthy when it's the only review a person has written.

My unscientifically arrived at guess would be that someone who is a friend or associate of Maria's Bistro Mexicano saw a review by Marcus V. that resulted in one star ; Marcus arrived at that score never having been to the restaurant. He was actually only opining on an inspection in February that resulted in 47 violation points. (The March inspection lowered that to 16 points.) That's not a valid review. But then, neither are reviews that are merely written to counter a negative review.

I'd like to think that Maria's has improved of late; I've made no secret of my disappointment with it. However, I've also had some delicious and sociable brunches and dinners there. Has anyone been to Maria's lately? Will their happy hours and outdoor garden draw in more clientele?

Direct Marketing: BOOZE

Will this bring in the Maria's customers? The board was already out at 11 AM. Their garden is ready and waiting for the warm weather. The reviews of their food have fallen off lately (except the Chile Relleno, that's still good, apparently), but what about the drinks?

The Bad News: Disappointing Delivery from Maria's

We've had very positive experiences when we've gone to Maria's for lunch/dinner. Well, perhaps just positive. When they first opened here in Sunset, it was excellent. It was worth the extra dollar or four added to the items on the menu (compared to other local establishments). Now that they've been here more than a year, it seems that some things have been slipping. The brunch is still a darn good deal if you get a bloody mary or mimosa. The pozole with the tostada is an especially good deal.

What kept me going back, however, and what kept me ordering in from them, was the guacamole. The last three times we ordered delivery were guac disasters. The first (of the last three) time there was more onion than avocado. Really. It would have been good as a spread on a burger (veggie for me, thanks), but as guacamole? Just too crunchy and, well, oniony! Still, one terrible guac encounter didn't deter me from trying again. The next time we ordered in with Maria's, the guac was better, but not amazing. We also noticed that their prices had climbed considerably. I understand raising prices a little. Really, I do. But to add three (or was it four) dollars to the vegetable enchiladas? What? Also, my maduros were as dry as tostones. I think someone got mixed up in the kitchen. Well, okay, but at least the guac was tasty. So we ordered a third time (this is over about six weeks, by the way). The guacamole was back to being chunky onion salsa with some avocado added. The tostadas were still good, and the pork burrito was "really good," according to my husband.

The other problem that they have had recently is a staff attitude problem. Some formerly friendly, talkative, sociable staff members have become apathetic, error-prone, and - at least on the phone - hard of hearing. If there's no time to take my order, maybe there shouldn't be delivery. The only person we've still had positive interactions with has been the man who delivers. He's awesome. My many years of experience in a restaurant tell me that when staff start making lazy errors and stop caring about even pretending to be friendly, there's something wrong at the top. Perhaps the working conditions have changed dramatically? Perhaps some changes in management?

Three chances is all I'll give a place. Despite the past successes we've shared with Maria's, I think that will be it for their delivery.

Besides, the tacos and burritos are cheaper and just as tasty at Matamoros...and the Mole at Nuevo is really good.

39th and 5th Subway Under New Management

When the Subway here closed down (quite a while now), we wondered who would be leasing the space. Well, now we know. A few weeks ago the Subway opened up again. Perhaps the new $5 Footlong advertising blitz spurred confidence in a strong customer base. Who knows. It's good to have one less empty storefront there, but the lunch deal at Maria's, just a few doors down, gives the sandwich deal a run for its money. It's a couple of dollars more, but it's a lot of food (and the pozole is excellent).

Maria's Has a Banner Day

I know, I know. Corny title to the post. It looks like Maria's wants some more sidewalk visibility. They were putting up a new banner/flag today just before opening for lunch. Maybe it will bring in more people for the lunch specials.

They've gotten mixed reviews on Yelp, but I've always been happy with the brunch. And even if everything else was horrid, the guacamole would still get my vote.

No Dine-In Brooklyn for Sunset Park

Apparently, from March 24th through March 31st, Brooklyn is having its own version of Restaurant Week. When I surfed to the official Visit Brooklyn website, I thought how cool that would be for Sunset Park. I mean, there are so many places on 4th, 5th, and 8th Avenue that I'd love to try. Sometimes a little incentive is what I need to leave my familiar trail of elotes and "#7 spicy" sandwiches. I entered Sunset Park into the menu bar, and waited. It reloaded, and then stopped. I figured the page had to load or something. All I saw was "2 for $23 at the following restaurants." Above it was Windsor Terrace, and below it was a list of the places that had what was promised: 2 for $23. Nothing from Sunset Park! Not even the new-ish Maria's Bistro Mexicano was listed. Its original location is participating, however.

At first I was annoyed. Then I realized that most of the places around here don't need to offer $23 (or even 2 for $23) special menus for three courses. Go to Tacos Matamoros on 5th, and you'd have to eat 10-15 tacos to reach the $23 price. Stop in at Nyonya on 8th, and you can already get an appetizer, meal, and dessert for around $23. Well, unless you order the Curry Fish Head or Jumbo Prawns. I suppose Nyonya would have been a good candidate.

And so, Dine-In Brooklyn munches on without Sunset Park. Our gentle neighbors to the north and south have the largest number of restaurants listed. Not too far a trip for someone who wants to support Brooklyn's nod to Restaurant Week.

Considering that we ordered in Maria's tonight, and despite the large amount of food, it was considerably less than $23 per person, I'm satisfied that we're getting a better deal here than everywhere else in Brooklyn will get with Dine-In Brooklyn going on. Eat up, Sunset!

*edit: According to the insert in the Spring 2008 Brooklyn! issue, Maria's Bistro Mexicano on 5th and 39th is indeed participating in Brooklyn's Restaurant Week.