restaurant review
A decade ago, when dinosaurs walked the earth, Mexican food in Ann Arbor was all about the giant wet burrito and deep-fried chimichanga, and national chains like Chi-Chi's and Taco Bell ruled. But over the past few years an interesting new landscape has developed, where the national chains have largely gone extinct and lots of idiosyncratic, locally owned shops have sprung up to take their place.
In the recent era, a handful of solid and inexpensive taquerias (like Tmaz, La Casita, and Taco King, to name a few) have populated the "low" end of the price range, while the new chef-driven Isalita has taken charge of the "high" end, creating something of a vacuum in the middle. Rushing in to fill the gap is the new Maiz restaurant on Washtenaw Avenue.
Calling itself a "Mexican cantina," Maiz has taken over a 220-seat former steakhouse (and more formerly smokehouse), on the highly trafficked strip between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. While their website touts the fact that "Maiz has the largest full service bar on Washtenaw Ave.," the front of the menu claims in large print that "Maiz Mexican cantina brings the bold flavors and colors of the traditional meals you would find across Mexico. Our food is prepared from scratch daily using many local suppliers for our ingredients."
More after the jump…