Who knew that my first venture into that Boca institution, Max’s Grille, would be for their 20th Anniversary Media Dinner? The owner, Dennis Max, opened this FAB restaurant on the northeast corner of Mizner Park back in 1991 and it’s been there ever since.
After the cocktail hour(which i totally missed), Dennis gathered us together to tell us about the last 20 years. Over the years, he’s also opened Cafe Max, Max’s Place, and Maxaluna, among others. At his peak, he owned 17 restaurants, with 1000 employees. He talked a bit about his new ventures; he plans to open an Italian spot, as well as Max Harvest.
Max Harvest will be one of those farm-to-table restaurants. It opens in just a few weeks in Delray Beach’s Pineapple Grove district. In fact, it’s literally STEPS away from Lady Lash Studios, owned by my other besties, Mikaela and Georgio Fernandez. Max Harvest’s chef sat next to me for a good while and chatted. His name is Chris Miracolo, who joins the team directly from Himarshee. I LOVE HIM! Max Harvest’s new GM, Peter Stampone, is a recent transplant from Philly.
After all the introductions, the eating began. Obscene is the only word that fits to describe the amount of food that the servers brought out. Well, two words actually. Obscene and delish. They started us off with HUGE portions of:
- Max’s Chicken Wings–Lollipop Drummettes with Mahogany Peanut Glaze
- Sesame Seared Rare Tuna-with Asian Slaw, Pickled Ginger, Wasabi, and Yuzu Ponzu
- Crispy Calamari & Zucchini-with Lemon-Caper Aioli and Spicy Tomato Sauce
- Crispy Salmon Rangoon Spring Rolls–filled with Salmon, Asparagus, Green Onion, and Cream Cheese
- Chicken & Goat Cheese Flatbread
While I knew that I would absolutely LOVE the wings, the spring rolls were my definite favorite. Before we could even put a dent in this stuff, the servers were back with salads:
- Max’s Chopped Salad
- Heirloom Tomato Short Stack
- Classic Caesar Salad
The locally grown tomatoes and housemade mozzarella in the short stack made me jump up from the table and announce that I was never leaving. OH EM GEE! Toooooooo YUMMO! And, just like before, we hadn’t even started in on the salads good before the servers were back, wanting our entree orders. Can I just tell you that they gave us a choice of TWELVE entrees? Who can decide between TWELVE things? Lucky for me–I narrowed it down to 2 and Chef Patrick Broadhead told me that one of my choices was the favorite of his wife. But look at just a few of the choices we had:
- 8 oz Filet Mignon with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Creamed Spinach & Escarole Gratin, Herb Butter, Cabernet Reduction
- Double Cut Pork Chop with Bourbon-Peach glaze, Corn Risotto w/Mustard Greens, Tobacco Onions
- Maple Ginger Glazed Scotch Salmon with Steamed Jasmine Rice and Vegetable Stir Fry
Here’s my entree, Island Marinated Mahi Mahi with Baby Shrimp Fried Frice, Mango Salsa and Mang0-Scotch Bonnet Sauce–
Don’t hate me for attempting to eat it all and failing miserably. And, after ALL of that, the dessert tray was insane!! You will NEVER believe that I forced down a healthy portion of Creme Brulee Pie. Yes, I said Pie. Creme Brulee in a pie crust. MADNESS!
And the folks at Max’s were also gracious enough to send me home with a bottle of Champagne. LOVED the spot and ALL of my new besties!
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