| Food | * * * |
| Service | * * * 1/2 |
| Ambience | * * * |
| Value | 7.0 |
| Cost | $ $ |
| Dish | Price |
Value | Rating | |||
| Tequila Pork Special | $9.95 |
* * * | * * 1/2 | |||
| Roasted Chicken | 9.95 |
* * * | * * * 1/2 | |||
| Raspberry Chocolate Trifle | 4.75 |
* * * | * * * | |||
From the outside of Max's, there appears to be a small piano bar and several empty tables. We are unfortunate, this night, in that, it seems to be Winter Formal night for several local high schools, so we will have to wait a little for an available table. Max's has a nice waiting area with plenty of small tables and a couple of TVs. The piano music (and now the singing of Broadway show tunes) is easily heard, and I begin singing along. The service in the waiting area is quick and our wait goes by more quickly, as we sip our cokes and debate the dearth of good taste in formal wear.
We are seated in a cozy corner, under a conglomeration of framed Broadway posters, including "A Chorus Line." The decision on what to order is difficult, as the menu encompasses both lunch and dinner, from pasta to meat to celebrity-named sandwiches. J has been here before, so she orders the chicken with garlic mashed potatoes. I opt for the special of the day, which is pork loin in a tequila sauce, with grilled new potatoes, and Parmesan Broccoli.
The inherent charm of Max's, however, is not the food or the ambience or decor, but the fact that the waiters and waitresses take turns singing show tunes. Our waitress told us to listen to "Loverly" from My Fair Lady. The singing is pleasant, if not a little breathy, though tonight there are perhaps only 4-5 solos in an hour.
The chicken is moist and flavorful and the mashed potatoes are of perfect consistency. My broccoli is a little on the dry side, and the potatoes are a bit too carbonized. The pork is also on the dry side, but the tequila-based sauce brings it almost to the level of the chicken. For dessert, we are admiring the picture on the dessert menu cover of a strawberry trifle, which they don't stock. Darn! We go instead for a raspberry-chocolate-creme trifle. It tastes good, but probably because of the fresh raspberries. It was an entertaining evening, but I should like to try some of their simpler fare and hear a little more music!