Maizano Cocina – The Chef’s Table

Over the past year, a small Costa Mesa restaurant named Maizano has firmly established itself as the best elevated Mexican restaurant in Orange County – an achievement attributable mostly to Chef Alan Sanz’s incredible skill at coaxing compelling flavors and textures from corn (maiz), and only slightly to the unexpected closure of Michelin-starred Taco Maria, arguably its only true rival. Improbably, Maizano operates inside the Mercado Gonzalez Northgate Market, where it delivers culinary award-worthy food and service only feet away from a tortilla factory, a Sinaloan sushi bar, and a tamale stand.

Here, we’re spotlighting the Chef’s Table, a six-course tasting experience that further elevates the standard a la carte menu and Maizano’s “all things corn” focus. The menu changes seasonally, and Summer 2024’s courses are:

• Cloud-like, fermented agave-sweetened Pan de Pulque rolls with house cultured butter
• Magenta-toned and tart Prickly Pear Kingfish Aquachile with tostadas
• Nugget-sized Plantain Molote in a rich dark chocolate mole negro with queso fresco stars
• Branzino Mextlapique, a complex and smoky alternative to a fish tostada made with corn leaf-cooked branzino, cactus paddles, mushrooms, and charred recado negro
• A small piece of Carne Asada, dry-aged ribeye with broccolini, crispy yuca cubes, and a cauliflower puree
• Panque de Elote, an even better (though smaller) version of Maizano’s dessert, with mimetic corn bread, corn jellies, ice cream, popcorn, and flowers.