Maya Cafe

The nonstop creative mind of Bill Christman -- the man behind those whimsical sculptures at the City Museum -- helped to fill Maya Café with offbeat artworks. There's a large deck out back, complete with the whimsical addition of a real antique fishing boat, making Maya Café the only place in landlocked Maplewood where you can drink a margarita on a boat. Owner Jay Schober has created a restaurant to match the decor, with pan-Latin cuisine just as varied. Far from simply a Mexican restaurant, Maya Café offers a plethora of dishes that span Central and South America, not to mention Spain. Specials have included shrimp with coconut milk (from Brazil), banana leaf-wrapped tamales (Colombia) and flank steak with fried plantains, topped with a fried egg (Venezuela). Maya Café features live music on the weekends and house-made margaritas that are so good you'll want a pitcher to yourself.