Maria's New Mexican Kitchen

Reviews

• ★★★★½ Carne Adovada Visited Jan 18, 2020

  2nd Visit Here - Carne Adovada Was Spicy But Flavor Was So-So.

  This was my 2nd visit to Marias, and this time I decided to try the carne adovada, Which is baked pork cubes in a red chile sauce. I had hoped that this would be better than my previous visit, as this is pretty much an item specific to New Mexico. The red chile sauce, is definitely something that is a staple of New Mexican style food.
  
  The food came out after a short wait. This visit we were seated in a side room which was roomier, and a different feel than the last time where I was near the kitchen.
  
  I tried the carne adovada, and the meat was semi-tender, the chunks of meat were dense though, and the chile sauce hadn't fully permeated it. The sauce was semi thick, and pretty much coating the outsides of the chunks. It was a bit bitter, and had a decent amount of heat. About 1/2 way through the plate I had to wonder if I was going to finish it, due to the spice level, and the fact the flavor wasn't appealing enough to try and push through the rest of the plate.
  
  The meal was ok, but again I felt like the flavors were a bit lacking. People rave about how good New Mexican food is, so at this point I wondered if I was just partial to Tex-Mex, or if this place was serving food that was like the restaurants in our touristy spots and not a true representation of what the local food really tastes like. Maybe I needed to try another place next time.

  — Paul

• ★★★★½ Marias Combination Sopapillas Visited Oct 27, 2018

  Last Minute Pick - Was A Decent Meal, But Was Lacking Flavor

  This was a last-minute stop during a visit to Santa Fe. I was looking for somewhere that served Indian fry bread, and while searching Google, this restaurant came up. Since I hadn't had much experience with New Mexican food. I was curious to see what they had to offer, and how it compared to the Tex-Mex I'm familiar with back home in San Antonio.
  
  One of the first things I noticed was that I had run across a few restaurants in New Mexico that seemed to use the terms fry bread and sopapillas interchangeably. The sopapillas I received here were quite different from what I'm accustomed to seeing in Texas. They were large and fairly thick, and the restaurant brought only one per person to the table when we asked about them.
  
  I ordered the Marias Combination, which came with an enchilada, taco, tamale, rice & beans. While looking over the menu and ordering, I also learned something new about New Mexican terminology. When you order a plate with both red and green chile sauce, it's called "Christmas style." I had seen "Christmas" listed on menus at other restaurants during our trip but never really understood what it meant. I asked if I could get my plate with both red and green sauce, and the waiter simply replied, "Christmas style." That's when it finally clicked.
  
  Another menu item that caught my attention was something called "Soupy Beans." I'd never heard of them before, so I started to ask about them. There was even a large pot in the kitchen with a sign identifying it as "Soupy Beans." I initially assumed they were probably borracho beans, but apparently they're something different. It was one of several things on the menu that made me realize how different some of the regional food traditions are from what I'm used to back home.
  
  Our food came out fairly quickly, and the portions were a decent size. The food had good flavor overall, although I felt the prices were a little high for Mexican food. I wasn't sure if it was because this was a more touristy location. Its somewhat in central downtown, so I had my doubts about the food having authentic flavors as well. It definitely wasn't like the Tex-Mex back home, and I felt the flavors were more muted.
  
  Overall, this turned out to be an interesting last-minute stop. The food was decent, the portions were generous, and I learned a few things about New Mexican cuisine along the way. The prices were a little higher than I expected, but considering we were eating late, trying to get back on the road, and were in a touristy part of Santa Fe, it wasn't entirely unexpected. More than anything, I enjoyed getting to try some regional dishes and learning a little more about the differences between New Mexican food and the Tex-Mex cuisine I'm familiar with in San Antonio.
  
  **Update**
  I found New Mexican food with flavors I really liked in later trips to New Mexico. I also noticed later many items here were labeled gluten free. Which makes me wonder how much the flavor was affected by using gluten free ingredients.

  — Paul