A Look at Maize, a Venezuelan Eatery in Over-the-Rhine

Tucked in the working class neighborhood of Deer Park is a tiny Venezuelan hole-in-the-wall called Arrechissimo, where patrons can order and enjoy authentic tastes of South America. It's owned by Javier Almeida, who had originally come to the United States so his daughter could receive medical treatment at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. His restaurant remains one of the Cincinnati area's rarest, most impressive finds.

In January, an announcement on Arrechissimo's Instagram page and in the Business Courier first hinted at a new Over-the-Rhine restaurant called Maize, an upscale spinoff of Almeida's successful Deer Park eatery. He had partnered with entrepreneur Angel Batista, a long-time Arrechissimo fan.

As the months wore on, it soon became clear that Almeida had been cut from the picture, and yet his inspiring recipes live on in the freshly opened Maize, located on Race street, across from Taft's Ale House.

Who knows how the menu would have appeared had Almeida still played a role. Now it is entirely driven by Batista and his new partner, Queen City Radio co-owner Louisa Reckman. Batista and Reckman have gone on to inject other Latin-American influences into their new lineup, including Puerto Rican and Caribbean cuisine.

What still seems consistent with the original restaurant blueprint is a focus on Venezuelan arepas --round, flat, toasty corn cakes stuffed with all kinds of delicious ingredients and eaten like a sandwich; as well as cachapas: larger, corn-based, often sweeter pancake-like variants that require a fork and knife.

From that foundation springs other time-tested Venezuelan dishes and a host of inventive small plates, along with a playful list of house cocktails.

Guasacaca gruesa

My girlfriend and I started off with an an order of guasacaca gruesa ($9), a kind of Venezuelan guacamole: smashed avocado mixed with green olives, zucchini, eggplant, onion, red pepper and served with a side of long, crispy strips of fried plantain, a preparation called, "mariquitas." The sturdy, thin-cut strips made an excellent platform for the guac-like concoction, which tasted very much like any well-made, fresh guacamole.

Next, we shared the Jardinera ($9), a vegetarian arepa filled with seasoned, pan-seared tofu, avocado, tomato, fresh cilantro, red onion and a saucy, peppery sofrito. The corn cake featured a slightly grilled char flavor and a heartiness that belied how light and refreshing it was. We pared this with a side of pico-pico, a fiery, habanero-flecked salsa.

Jardinera arepa

Yuca fries

The following small-plate course was a side of thick-cut yuca fries tossed in garlic butter. While they were pleasing on their own, we chose to order a side of a vibrant green cilantro crema as a dipping sauce. The piping-hot fries were wonderfully crispy and salty on the outside and fluffy on the inside, texturally similar to, but much denser and tastier than, steak fries.

In between courses, the two us nursed a couple cocktails, the mojito ($8), with rum, liberal amounts of mint leaves, soda and simple syrup. My girlfriend thought it a bit too sweet, but it was still clearly strong; I finished it for her and felt quite gleefully buzzed. I opted for the Gin Batido ($8), infused with a generous shot of gin, agave, egg white and grenadine. The egg and syrup made it appropriately creamy, tart and mildly sweet.

Gin Batido

Asado Negro de Costilla de Res

Finally, we split an entree called the Asado Negro de Costilla de Res ($24), an incredibly tender short rib roast, tasty heirloom carrots, micro-greens and sorghum foam resting atop a perfectly round disk of Puerto Rican-style mofongo: a pickled, fried plantain mash mixed with garlic, fried pork and other spices.

Maize simply wouldn't exist if it weren't for its unassuming Deer Park connection. But we're glad the restaurant has come to Over-the-Rhine. It's an avenue for exploring areas of Latin American cuisine Cincinnatians don't often have an opportunity to enjoy.