The staff, dressed in traditional Mexican garb that errs on the side of a gimmick, aren't especially attuned to the customer's dining experience. Plus, the food, presented on beautiful, handcrafted plates, is not on par with the prestige the restaurant claims.
On its website and menus, Maíz y Agave, just shy of three months old, vehemently and repetitively declares its allegiance to Oaxacan cuisine and culture.
The menus present a eulogy to authenticity, letting diners know, "Each plate was handmade by Oaxacan artisans. In every corner, you will see traditional crafts made by more than 100 families." The site expounds on this attention to detail, explaining the meaning behind every visual feature, from the handmaid tablecloths to copper elevators, clay brick walls, artisanal metal charms, mystical figures, bagasse-made lamps, and even a lush green wall meant to signal a "living tribute to Oaxaca's Ethnobotanical Garden." This would be all well and dandy if Maíz y Agave was operating as an Oaxacan heritage museum.
Unfortunately, the quality of food seems to rank low on their priorities, creating a confusing disconnect between an ultra-calculated atmosphere and completely underwhelming fare.
Three Floors, Three Unequal Dining Experiences
The confusion first began upon trying to make a dinner reservation.The staff on the phone seemed almost reluctant to help me nail down a time to give them my business, reiterating their completely booked status without offering waitlist options. Unclear if this was a ploy for enviable exclusivity, I was determined to try the food regardless and finally settled on a late lunch option on the first floor. Only upon arriving did I understand that the menus, as well as the dining experiences, differ between floors. (None of this was explained to me beforehand.)
It wasn't until after I dined at the restaurant that l found out that the first floor is referred to as "El Patio" and exists as a more casual dining room with basic fare (quesadillas, tacos, and guac). The second floor, "Los Balcones," is a more upscale experience with an expanded menu boasting five varieties of Oaxacan moles and multiple premium meat options. On the rooftop is "La Azotea" with a limited food menu of just tacos and appetizers alongside a laundry list of cocktails and spirits.
Confusing layout aside, the monumental facade gave way to surprisingly small and cramped dining spaces. The most appealing space is, of course, the rooftop, which offers scenic views of the Gables and verdant pink bougainvilleas, perfect for photo opportunities. La Azotea is perfect for drinks with friends as very "Miami" reggaeton music creates a fun vibe accompanying its attractive happy hour offering of $10 cocktails, $5 beers, and $7 tequila and mezcal shots. If I were to return, that's where I'd hunker down. It's hard to say what the second-floor experience would be like, but as a lowly first-floor patron, I was disappointed with the food and perplexed at the apparent disregard for the customers. While my server was personable and informative, it was hard to ignore that at one point in the meal, staffers decided to start dusting a section of the roof right above diners' heads. I watched, shocked, as dust inevitably fell onto one table's food. Luckily, I was just out of the crossfire.
Intricate Decor and Costumes Can't Save Lackluster Food
As for the food, a couple of standouts weren't enough to carry the overall blandness of the dishes I tried.First up were the esquite and guacamole appetizers with margaritas. Each dish was just okay. Nothing special and not much more than you'd expect from a more fast-casual Mexican place. The esquite in particular lacked any sort of kick. Then, I ordered fish tacos, a mahi mahi filet entrée, and cochinita pibil, which is a traditional slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatán peninsula. The fish tacos were the best out of the three dishes I tried, with perfectly cooked and breaded mahi mahi and flavorful toppings that included watercress, cabbage, carrots, and a rich aioli. However, in another strange choice, the flour tortilla dampened my enthusiasm for the taco, as it tasted as if it had been purchased in a supermarket taco kit. Thankfully, the corn tortilla paired with the pork was much more enjoyable. The pork was cooked well and offered a much more refined and complex palette than the tacos. Unfortunately, the mahi mahi entrée was overcooked, oversalted, and, frankly, hard to chew. That dish came with fried sweet plantains that were a delicious reprieve. But, then again, we are in Miami (and it's kind of hard to mess up a fried plantain in these parts).
The best part of the meal was the dessert. I opted for the most unique item offered — a mamey cheesecake. I imagined a light, sweet treat that was equal parts fruity and fluffy; what was served did not disappoint. Each bite was a subtle indulgence, and the dish was paired perfectly with berries and whipped cream.
For a restaurant with such prime real estate, it's surprising the emphasis wasn't placed more on the quality of food, especially with such illustrious Mexican options in Miami already, like Talavera right down the street. Miami's younger crowd might flock to the new locale for its cocktails and idyllic rooftop scenery, but I wonder how long Maíz y Agave will last if it doesn't enhance its food offerings. We'll always appreciate honoring cultural roots in Miami, but costumes, artifacts, and visual homage can only take you so far. In this town, the proof is in the pudding.
Maíz y Agave. 375 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables; 305-723-9898; maizyagave.com. Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Rooftop Sunday through Tuesday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Wednesday through Thursday 5 p.m. to midnight, and Friday through Saturday 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
