|
Miracle Mile Max
By Mark Goldberg Max is back. Dennis Max, creator of some of our favorite gastronomic memories of the ’80s and ’90s, such as Carlos and Pepe’s and Raffles, has returned to mid-Miami-Dade. His better-known restaurants of the past decade — Café Max, Maxaluna, Brasserie Max — have all been north of us. But with the opening of the 254-seat Max’s Grille just off Miracle Mile, barely two weeks ago, the Max magic is lighting up Coral Gables. The Gables is booming. As many as six new restaurants will be opening on Miracle Mile this year. Unlike the beach, Coral Gables isn’t seasonal, so the Max attraction should do quite well with the locals. In fact, it already is, with more than 400 diners for each of their first weekend nights. The large room has a dark-woods pub appeal and an active bar that creates a high energy. If you’ve been to the Max’s Grille in Boca, most of the new Grille’s menu will be familiar. The modern American bistro selection — from meatloaf to mojo — begins warm and homey and moves up to designer dishes. We chose a Wild Mushroom Pizzette ($9) to kick off our evening. The long, narrow flatbread pizza was a mix of mushrooms, a sprinkle of crisp fried leeks, roasted garlic and a topping of fontina cheese whose mellowness brought out all the flavors. The truffle oil didn’t hurt either. The Thai Seafood Soup ($7) was an evening special dotted with white fish and flavored with avocado, celery, carrots, tomato and a fresh cilantro garnish. Although fresh and clean, the flavor could have been improved with the addition of lemongrass for some zing. After all, it was Thai soup. Tuna Tartare ($14), another special, featured quality tuna topped with a fine couscous in an almost ceviche-style mango chutney lime sauce. There was also a pepper sauce with cumin and curry. But the fish was exceptionally salty, robbing most of the pleasure from the dish. On the other hand, the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake ($14) was marvelous. The crabmeat was wonderfully lumpy, mixed with minimal onions and mayo and lightly breaded with panko, then placed over a bed of sautéed spinach — a tastefully creative touch. The dish was dressed with a Dijon mustard sauce. The Chopped Salad ($8.50) was light and colorful and large enough to share. Loaded with cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, chick peas (not chopped), celery, corn, onions, asiago cheese and French beans, the finely minced salad was barely moistened with red wine vinaigrette. Max’s Meatloaf ($16), two thick slices wrapped in bacon, was a blend of pork and sirloin beef, flavored with carrots and red onion and topped with mushroom gravy. The meat leaned against a mountain of smashed potatoes and shared a plate with steamed summer squash, zucchini, carrots and sugar snap peas. Grille Executive Chef Patrick Broadhead has been given some leeway with the menu and has adapted it to our more international palate. The tender and tasty Skirt Steak Churrasco ($25), 14 ounces and so large it arrived folded over so it would fit on the plate, was highlighted by a balsamic/jalapeño chimichurri and served over a bed of sautéed garlic spinach. Joining the beef was a yuca croquette that was light and airy with a crispy cover. An evening special, Sea Scallops ($25) were grilled just enough to leave grill marks and a nice charcoal flavor while remaining soft and sweet. The chive/cilantro/ginger sauce worked well and the lemon caper aioli set our taste buds aflame. The accompanying oxtail risotto cake was creamy, crunchy and delicious. Apricot & Pomegranate Lacquered Duck ($24) — two legs, two thighs — was a creative way to treat the tasty mallard. Joining the hind quarters were pot stickers, Chinese dumplings stuffed with chicken. Both were served over an Asian stir-fry medley of squash, zucchini, carrots and red bell peppers in more of the light apricot/pomegranate sauce. Max’s Grille also features daily specials ranging from Monday’s pistachio-crusted grouper to Sunday’s mojo pork loin. There are also Cold Water Oysters (market price) served with a chipotle cocktail sauce and a mignonette. Desserts were as simple as a Trio of Sorbets in Praline Basket ($7) to a Tres Leches Cake ($8) topped with brulee bananas. The Flourless Chocolate Cake ($8) was “stuffed” with chocolate mousse and the Crème Brulee ($10), well, it was the first crème brulee pie we’ve ever seen. With a baked crust and sliced like a pie wedge, the stiffer, panna-cotta type custard had fresh blackberries and strawberries layered in. ********************* Max’s Grille
ADDRESS: Two Aragon
Ave., Coral Gables |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Covering Miami Beach, North Bay
Village, Surfside, Bay Harbor, Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Coconut Grove,
Brickell Avenue, |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
