Weird. I’ve had a lot of wines from Mexico there in the past for sure. I always thought it was pretty interesting to see things like Nebbiolo from Baja and stuff. I never really saw them most other places, so found it interesting.
Guess I should’ve taken more pics of those past menus hah.
Tuesdys are still a la carte night. I just went back Friday night for the tasting because on Tuesday the menu had BBQ costilles on it…on Friday they were gone though =/
The plates are fine, the pacing is just not too appreciated. I was also stunned that the scallop was the LAST thing out…
What is happening with Taco Maria? The food is fine I guess, but it seems to be going backwards. For example, there is no strawberry atole anymore…no increase in courses, the snacks that begin the meal have been the exact same for over a year…and the menu barely rotates dishes out. It has been the same menu for the entire month since I have been back. All this while prices rise. And therea re truly like no Mexican wines left… sigh
The last time I went I couldn’t quite order everything on the menu with my friend, but I still did an alright job.
Carrot aguachile looked cool, but was the worst version of aguachile I have had at Taco Maria. It was sort of like eating just a bunch of carrots. Not really anything impressive or interesting about it other than how it looked. I don’t even recall tasting the fish as the carrot completely overwhelmed it. It would have been better as just carrots, smaller pieces. I had some vegetable-only aguachiles in Mexico that made way more sense than this, but they were also 1 course out of like 12-16, not 1 out of 4… did not translate well. First time I genuinely felt like a dish really failed at Taco Maria =/
Sturgeon tacos were alright. Good sturgeon, and fresh cabbage and thousand island, but felt like something was missing to me. Just not interesting enough. The smoked marlin tacos at Coni are far superior and a fraction of the cost.
Abelone pozole verde was nice. Really nicely done abelone, and good flavors. Complex, earthy, briny and hearty without being heavy. Solid, but I can’t help remembering the magic of the crab porridge versus a dish that is now just “good”.
Mains fared better. They still know how to do pork belly better than almost anyone and the huge chicharron was awesome. Fabulous onion sauce and super fresh peas treated just right. Saw a glimpse of that magic. Some would find this too fatty though, but I thought the onion and peas did a nice job of cutting it.
Duck was also perfectly done and came with a nice mole, very delicate. Lovely spring onion on display as well. Simple, but very good plate.
Some cookies finished the meal; would have preferred the lovely atole. The cookies were nice, but forgettable.
Wine pairings were nice despite not being Mexican.
We are looking at about $140/person for this meal (including tax/tip/wine). I am not sure it made sense at that price level unfortunately. I need more courses, more magic… there was a time when I felt enchanted by everything at Taco Maria, but now it seems like things are falling flat. I don’t know what is going on exactly. It is not bad, but it is no longer the palace of wonders it used to be, even if they still cook the best pork belly in socal. $100 (without win) is a mighty high price tag just to get at that…
Ugh, from your description, it doesn’t look like things are falling flat. It’s just that for that price they should be nearly perfect.
I mean think of a Taco Maria dream lineup of old. Scallop aguachile, Abalone pozole, crab porridge, pork belly, strawberry stole. I’d pay the 75 bucks for that, easy. One of the best meals in Los Angeles, no questions asked.
But by raising the prices so damn high, they’ve put themselves in an odd predicament. If everything isn’t perfect, you’re pissed off. But if they keep the menu the same and stick with their favorites, you want more change. At this price, they need to do six or seven dishes. You can’t have an average dish out of four when you’re paying 100 plus before drinks.
Did they change their menu to 5 dishes? It used to be 4 dishes and no cookie. Haven’t been in a while but it’s disappointing to hear about the aguachile going down hill.
Well fall in flat relatively from where they were in the past.
It’s not really a bad restaurant.
But yeah, like you said having 1 dish that is average or lackluster out of 4 sucks majorly and 2 of them were in that meal. 1 was just good. And 2 were great.
That seems horrible to me because the ratio sucks. 50% average. 25% good. 25% magical… The carrot aguachile might have been below average even honestly.
In contrast every dish was magic at Hatchet Hall for $115 that could have fed three people.
I’m not sure but I was way less happy with my meal than in the past 
But for scallop aguachile, abalone, crab porridge, and pork belly I agree it would be fine to pay $75. I wouldn’t mind at all. Sadly it is very far from that 
I was there with a friend. We both had the same dish for he first 3 dishes but then we got different mains and shared them.
So no. Into the menu should be at least 6 courses but it is still 4.
And the strawberry atole was way better than the cookie.
The aguachile is hopefully a fluke… Because yeah in the past the aguachile, especially the scallop, has been amazing at TM.
FWIW, I had the aguachile there on Wednesday, and it was great. YMMV.
How long should I expect the tasting menu dinner to last?
About two hours or so. Depends on how quickly you eat.
Popped into TM for an a la carte night impromptu, remains as excellent as ever in many ways.
An off-menu Beef Ribeye Tostada had a sort of chewy shell, but overall it displayed a great, classic medley of spiced beef, gooey cheese, fresh veggies, and hefty tortilla. Not half bad, though also not revelatory.
Scallop Auguachile was tremendously sumptuous. A lovely astringent kick tempered by cool, crunchy cucumbers and succulently sweet scallops. Far better than the carrot version I had on the tasting menu on my last visit.
Esquites were absolutely delightful as they were loaded with savory cheese and fiery spices, but the kernels themselves were bursting with a deep, robust, almost earthy flavorful that was just remarkable.
A White Shrimp Quesadilla saw gorgeous shrimp grilled in TM’s gorgeous tortillas with Oaxacan cheese in one of the most marvelous quesadilla experiences I’ve had in quite some time. The stringy cheese and supple shrimp with the crisped tortilla made for something savory, brine-y, and earthy that transcended the sum of its parts.
Finally, some Tocino Tacos ended the meal and sort of brought us to our knees from the sheer, unabashed hedonistic joy of the most perfectly cooked, crispy but impossibly lush pork belly coated with just enough acidic, avocado mouse and saccharine peaches. In terms of pure gustatory fulfillment it is difficult to imagine a taco achieving much more than this. I think of the famous suckling lamb taco at Pujol, a restaurant ranked by some in the top 20 in the world, their lamb taco, and this taco tops that taco in all but plating.
For a mere $40/person, this was a truly spectacular meal containing some of the best bites of food I’ve had in a while, even if the tostada was a miss, it was also free.
Hopefully this bodes well for a dinner revisit.
I hope that’s not the case, but it does happen. I’ve been in on nights where Chef Carlos isn’t there and still had great meals at the hands of Chef Roland. I do agree that the menu could use some updating. As much as I like the scallop dish, I’d like to see something new there. As far as the smoked sturgeon taco goes, it was sublime the last time I had it. I hope this was a glitch.
Ya Chef Roland usually does a pretty good job, he did an exemplary job last time I was in for a la carte, but this was inexcusable, especially the length between courses, etc. Crazy thing was the restaurant was near empty. We had six people at the inside table, there were maybe eight or ten other people outside.
Taco Maria is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere, it was just a bummer that this wasn’t that good.
I hear you. It’s my wife’s absolute favorite and one of mine. I’ll make sure to report back next time we’re in.
3 hours for 4 courses is insane.
Has anyone been to TM recently? Got a last minute invite and I’m wondering what to get off the prix fixe. The current menu is below.
The first two courses are the ones that I can’t make up my mind. Any recommendations?
If you have a dining partner you don’t mind sharing with, you don’t have to choose. My wife and I always get one of each.
If sharing isn’t your jam, my picks would be the following. The wine pairings are also great.
Campechana
Taco de Esturion is one of my favorites, but the Callo Gratinado is also awesome. Toughest course to choose, IMO
Pescado Zarandeado
Mole de Cacahuate
We’ve been there enough that we’re hoping they change the menu up one of these days. I still need to get in for lunch.
you can order one of them and then order the other one as a supplement. i think they let you do that, it’s been awhile though
Thanks for the recs! Yes I agree with all the ones you chose now that I’ve given it another look. But that second course… I’m definitely going to take @Hungrydrunk’s advice and ask if I can order a supplement. If so, that would be a game changer. I’ll report back!
And I would share, but it’s a dinner with some work colleagues. Rather avoid any potential awkwardness haha.
