Best After Only 9 Years of Waiting...Maybe 10?

The way I remember it, the Mayan Adventure opened at Jordan Commons in fall of 2000...or maybe fall of 1999? Either way, whenever it was, I soon heard many a tale of the spectacular Mayan jungle decor of the restaurant, the stupendous cliff diving, the astounding 3 to 4 hour waits for tables, and the astonishingly terrible food. Once, before seeing Best in Show, I almost had lunch there but the idea fell by the wayside pretty quickly when we were presented with our lunch options, wrapped in plasticwrap, to choose from in the lobby before being seated.

Flash forward to '010. A place to meet up in or around Sandy is needed, a place with food and entertainment. The Mayan is suggested. Enthusiastic texts are exchanged. A dream, or maybe a curiosity, is set in motion to come true.

Behold, the majesty of the May Adventure!

The feeling I got was the Mayan was teetering on the edge of irrelevance and disrepair...things were okay, but so close to not being okay. That's the feeling I got.

For example, I'm sure these characters talked at some point. Maybe they only turn them on when the lobby is packed? Or maybe it had slipped the front room staff's attention? I mean, it was news to them when we told them the sign on the door said the restaurant was closed.

But right as we were seated in the not-exactly-empty but by no means bustling restaurant (at a table mysteriously distant from the action even though several front row tables were available) one of their cliff diving shows went into full swing.

If you just chill out about it it's kind of fun, it's entertaining, and the loud smacks the divers make as they enter the water certainly sound painful.

Maria...NYU grad, sitting around Sandy waiting for her MTC date.

Oh, I get it, it's a face, like a face of one of their Mayan gods.

Secret cave discovered.

Also there: Kim, NYU grad and bridal gear shopper.

So the food? Not nearly as bad as I had feared it would be, in fact, probably at least as good as Chilis. I mean, they did bring me the wrong tacos, but my rice was surprisingly delicious (too bad I didn't come for the rice) and the chips and salsa extremely addictive.

Nearby, a birthday celebrated in proper fashion.

Post-dinner, a bit of the exploring. The restaurant is really tall and there's so much seating. In it's glory days, which, I don't know, maybe still exist (it was only a Tuesday night after all) it must have gotten awful crowded in there.

So much detail.

There's even a Jaguar Stone.

So, yes, hooray for the Mayan Adventure. It is what it is, as the expression goes. It left us in good spirits, I can't hate on it.