Dive is correct, as in downward dive. I have been here twice, and how does that saying go? “Fool me once....” After hearing so many raves about Max’s I went. I felt it was my duty as a fried chicken lover. The fried chicken was just okay. Nothing to blow my sox’s off. Crust had a nice flavor to it, it taste’s like they add cayenne pepper to give it that “hmmm, what is that?” mystery. The texture is nice and crunchy, however past that there is nothing. The chicken isn’t wonderful, moist or flavorful. It’s just very “ho-hum”. There just wasn’t anything spectacular about the plate. My partner had the pasta primavera, and it tasted like something I could make at home (ME, not my chef boyfriend....me). We went in the middle of the day and there was probably only six other tables, so there was no crowd to blame it on. The service was great, he was very attentive and I truly loved the atmosphere on this quiet afternoon.
So...months later there is a Groupon for it. I decide to purchase it because there was no way I was going to pay full price for mediocre food again. I decide after all the hoopla about this place to give it another shot, I mean there has to be a reason this place is getting such good marks.....right? So I make a reservation for Friday at 7:45. The place couldn’t be more packed! The good thing is we check in five minutes early and we were seated at 7:50. It was wonderful not to wait, however a short time later they have to put a very large party right next to us and there is no room. The management was literally putting ten people where only six fit. As a consequence every time the waiter went to their table I feared he would sit in our food, or knock my wine over, and I am certain my dining partner didn’t like another man’s ass in his face!
We start to order small plates and sadly I am disappointed again. I had the ‘Nacho Mama’s Oysters’. It was fried Gulf Coast oysters with garlic aioli on crispy wonton “chips,” habanero salsa and cilantro. The heat was so overpowering, it was almost inedible. There was beautiful micro-basil on top of the chips, but you couldn’t appreciate anything due to the heat. I have had habanero salsa before when it’s balanced and proportioned correctly, and this was anything but. Then we had the ‘Pan Borracho’ torn sourdough baguette, prosciutto and fresh thyme, soaked in a white wine custard, baked with Gruyère, mozzarella, provolone and Grana Padano cheeses. The prosciutto tasted like cut ham, which is what you get with a low quality prosciutto. Other then that, the dish was at least edible, but again, nothing to blow your socks off.
Lastly, we had the ‘killer calamari’ calamari with Texas jalapeño and cilantro tartar sauce, other then the calamari being too soft it was good. We finished with dessert being the best part of the meal, a half chocolate brownie a la mode and a banana’s foster bread pudding with cinnamon ice cream. The brownie fell into an assembly line of other brownies, nothing special. The banana’s foster was very good. Well flavored and the cinnamon ice cream from Amy’s (local company by the way=major points for Max’s for going local) was a great compliment. So, quick synopsis, food overall is just ok. It is overpriced for what you get. We did have wine with our dinner. Great wine list with quality exceptional red wines. I would definitely never go back to eat, however I would go back to have a great glass of wine.
No comments:
Post a Comment