But why pile the fish on top of the potato spears? It turns the potatoes limp. Braised short ribs ($17.95), served off the bone, are rich and tender, if overpowered by a sweet barbecue-like sauce.Īhi ($14.95), one night's grilled fish, which came well-done after being ordered medium-rare, still had good flavor, partly due to the gremolata-style sauce of garlic, parsley and olive oil drizzled on top.
The kitchen fares better with Grandma's roast half chicken ($12.95) with a honey-mustard glaze and mashed potatoes. The accompanying green peppercorn sauce added little, and the risotto croquettes were gummy and undercooked. The menu promises it crisp, but the crisp skin seemed to have resulted from improper cooking or a long stay under a heat lamp because the meat was dry and tasteless.
The roast duck ($17.95) was barely edible. The meat was tender, but lacked any discernible flavor other than char. The menu says steaks can be ordered "Pittsburgh style" - blackened on the outside and rare to medium inside - but our rib-eye ($21.95) came that way without the request. The whole mishmash looked and tasted tired and muddled. The chicken was bland and dry, the peanut coating limp, and the hoisin- based dressing way too sweet. Max's has developed a following for its Chinese chicken salad, but the Bistro's version ($12.95 as an entree) was disappointing. It glistens under a lemon vinaigrette, and the punchy blend of textures and flavors is exciting. The bistro salad ($4.95 $9.95 as an entree) features lettuces and watercress tossed with a dice of tomatoes, bacon and blue cheese, and garnished with walnuts and grapes. One night's soup special, Russian cabbage ($2.95 cup, $3.95 bowl) was a robust borscht, with just the right sweet-sour edge - much more satisfying than the chicken matzo ball soup ($2.95 cup, $3.95 bowl), with dull, weak broth and a matzo ball with neither depth nor substance.īetter to stick with a salad. For the most part, starters and desserts are the best bets. The bright horseshoe-shaped room features a good- size bar and waiting area, which segues into a narrow dining room winding around a pergola, then alongside a semi-open kitchen. Max's occupies the prime corner in a new shopping complex at Ralston Avenue and El Camino Real. That's not to say there aren't some good dishes, served in a pleasant atmosphere. That's a challenge for the most sophisticated kitchen, and Max's is not up to the task.
But it also means selections are wildly unfocused. The mix means there's something for everyone. This new entry in Dennis Berkowitz's Max's empire, which includes Max's Opera Cafe in Burlingame and San Francisco, takes his tried-and-true deli and bakery formula, and tosses in influences from France, Italy, Greece and China, not to mention Pittsburgh (see steaks, below).
Or in this case, just flip sides of the menu, which wanders all over the world. The best and worst things about Max's Bistro in Belmont are just flip sides of the same coin.
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