Taking it to the Max

We were invited out to Max Restaurant's East Village location to get a taste of what they're all about.

Bread & Dipping Sauce 

The first taste of bread and dipping sauce (olive oil, olives, & roasted tomato pate) let us know we were in for something good. Personally, I would love to see this dipping sauce served default with the bread instead of being on the menu as a side, but this is my last and only criticism of this meal.

Mozzarella di Bufala & Melanzane a Funghetto 

Here's where things took a drastic turn. This mozzarella was like no mozzarella we have ever tasted anywhere. There were actually two different textures happening, a firmer outer edge which gave yield to a soft, creamy center. And the explosion of deliciousness didn't end there, to the right of our new cheesy friend you will find the melanzane a funghetto- fried eggplant in tomato sauce with basil. At this point of the meal the entire table agreed that we could go home more than happy, but there were more delights awaiting us...so many more.

Lasagna Fatta In Casa

Pasta #1: Beef lasanga with bechamel. I'm such a noob I thought that bechamel sauce was only used in white/cream based pasta dishes. Oh how wrong I was. No wonder this dish was a mini stack of heaven. Also note that this is a tasting portion which was like, 1/8 of the full order. It is massive, so if you want some of this incredible layered bliss make sure to plan to split or bring some home...or just be really, really hungry.

Fettuccine Al Sugo Toscano

Pasta #2: Fettuccine with tomato meat sauce. Full steam ahead with fresh, house-made pastas and sauces.

Spaghetti Alla Chitarra

Pasta #3: Spaghetti with lamb ragu. This dish is topped with Pecorino cheese, where the rest of the pasta dishes have the traditional Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina

Pasta #4: Gnocchi with tomato sauce, basil, and mozzarella.

Ravioli of the Day

Pasta #5: The Ravioli of the Day. It involved truffle- lucky us!

Filetto Di Baccala Al Forno

Ok, at this point we've tried five different types of pasta. And while normally we are good at pacing ourselves, they were so good that we couldn't stop. Needless to say, at this point we are pretty stuffed to the point of being uncomfortable. Yet somehow, this pan seared cod in truffle oil with mashed potatoes was still delicious.

And then the desserts came out:

Pannacotta

Tiramisu

Creme Brulee

Of course, we all found our second wind and tucked in to these desserts, but oh my goodness- so much rich food and wine. If you want straight up amazing, classic Italian food, this is it. One of the best meals we've had in New York. Thank goodness there are two of them...and thank goodness I don't live across the street from one of them, because honestly, I can't control myself around food this good.


*My meal was provided by the restaurant as part of a Press Dinner.