| rev:text
| - I was here a few weeks ago, looking for some lunch between meetings, and we decided that Maize was the perfect fit. It's interesting, local, affordable, and quite possibly the perfect lil' lunch stop in Champaign.
Here's what you need to know: this place is teeny. Tiny. Since I've only been once, I can't say for sure, but my hunch is that during peak hours it can be tough to find a place to sit. There are only a handful of seats in the place to begin with, but with the rush I saw on weekday at lunch, I was darn lucky to grab a few seats at the counter that attaches to the wall, looking out.
Cramped quarters notwithstanding (and truthfully, they sorta add to the charm), there's plenty to like. To my surprise, they actually bring out some chips and salsa, and it's a real plate kind of place. I thought that with its small size, you'd just see things served in paper trays or wrapped in paper. But I like the hospitality of real dishes and the extra nibbles while you wait for your food.
Even though the menu looks familiar--you've got your burritos and tacos and quesadillas--it's not the same ol' Americanized stuff. No, it's got some creativity to it. It's got some food service sensibility to it. Where else can you find squash blossom or huitlacoche quesadillas? Oh, and get the latter. Darn good. I'm not terribly familiar with different regions of Mexico, but the food here struck a chord as being tied more to Mexico, D.F., than say, something more provincial. I'm out on a limb exposing my ignorance, but that's my timid notion.
My burrito was the bizness. Not overly stuffed and the size of an infant, but rather, reasonably portioned, full of flavor, and still plenty of layers so it didn't become monotonous munching. I opted for pastor, but they've got other choices for meat, or you can go meatless.
You can probably go back a few times and it feels interesting. The menu is varied enough to be interesting and enticing, but not to overly wrought so they can't focus. They keep it simple, but save a few tricks for the observant orderer.
|