It's exactly what you wanted to say. But after a while, as you struggle forward, it becomes clear that the premise is flawed, that it's thrown off everything that came after it, like a house built on an unevenly poured foundation. Several years ago, Mainstreet Ventures turned the delightful but underpopulated Quality Bar into Palio with the flick of a menu. This year, the company effected a more dramatic metamorphosis when it ditched Maude's and went Mexican. Maude's two dining rooms were gutted in order to create the illusion of a Mexican village courtyard with a rough, uneven cement floor, walls painted to look like stone, and a gigantic plaster tree arching over the back half of the space.
Ceiling fans whirring overhead create the pleasant illusion of an evening breeze lifting one's hair.
Arriba's dining room is modeled on a Mexican village named Rosalita. The kitchen, though, finds inspiration closer to home. This is festive stuff , from the oversized, salty tortilla triangles and tangy green tomatillo and poblano pepper salsa that start the meal to the pitchers of fresh, fruity sangria made tableside from white or red wine and citrus. The house version is fine, but the premium margaritas made with Cuervo Gold or Blue Agave are well worth the extra buck. Each of these dishes was a fascinating explosion of unfamiliar flavors.