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I had dinner at Max London's for the first time last night. I was with my wife and a couple of very good friends. We shared a variety of small plates between us and then each had something to ourselves. Amongst the items we had were croquetas with jamon and idiazabal cheese, kampachi crudo, blue shrimp with quinoa, lamb chop, "BLT" pizza with uncured bacon, tomato and leeks, chickpea/polenta fries, stuffed dates, Flying Pigs Farm pork and beans in cazuela, a salad and stuffed dates. Everything was very good and reasonably priced, especially for Broadway in Saratoga. The place has already become quite busy. When I called for a reservation yesterday afternoon, I could only get 5:45PM or 9:30PM. We chose the former. The place was hopping with great energy, but the service was neither rushed nor lagging. Considering that they have only been open for a couple of weeks, they are doing an outstanding job. The beverages deserve a special note. We started with cocktails. The list is composed primarily of classics, old and new. My wife had a pisco sour that was as good as anything we had in Peru. I had a well made Pegu Club, while our friends had a margarita and a drink with blackberries in it. All were very good, though I think my Pegu Club had spilled a little by the time it got to the table. In any case, there were a number of cocktails that intrigued me. I will eventually have to try them all. What I really want to rave about though is the wine list. It is simply the best list I have seen in some time in relation to selection and value. The choices are eclectic with an interesting array primarily from Spain, France and Italy as well as a smattering of other geographic origins. The prices are marginally above retail with an astounding selection between $25-50/bottle. We opted to spend a little more ($65) for a delicious 2004 Finca Terrerazo from Mustiguillo in Valencia, Spain. This wine made from the bobal grape usually retails for $35-45/bottle if one can find it. We did have a little confusion at first as our waitress initially brought its less expensive sister wine, the Mestizaje. It wasn't long, however, before she found the correct one. Bread was brought at the beginning of the meal and served with an excellent, fresh olive oil, the name of which I did not get. As one would expect of bread from the Londons, it was excellent. I especially enjoy the Fire Bread. Dessert is another area one would expect this restaurant to excel at and it did not disappoint. My wife and I shared "Chocolate Maximus", a dense flourless chocolate cake with house-made pistachio ice cream. Our friends shared a citrus-saffron panna cotta. While neither were novel or particularly inventive, they were both exquisitely made and absolutely delicious. Our table was treated to a glass of Rare Wine Co. madeira as a nightcap. Max London's Restaurant at this point is not trying to be overtly creative. They are making traditional Mediterranean dishes with personal tweaks and doing them quite well in an extremely comfortable setting at a very reasonable price point. Including cocktails, plenty of food, wine desserts, tax and >20% tip, the tally came to about $67pp. I plan to return as often as I can, which will not be nearly as often as I would like.

Penelope Casas has some excellent recipes in her Tapas book. I agree with stuffing them. I have used crab meat with a bechamel.

Actually, it doesn't. Found that out when I started on a med that does not mix with alcohol at all. As to the discussion...I'm not convinced an off night is acceptable at the high end, even if it is the result of dealing with the real world and not fantasy. You probably should have said something about the lukewarm/overcooked food. it's harder to say anything about something that's just "not right," since that's so subjective. OTOH, I have a relative who sends back stuff she simply doesn't like all the time...but then you become one of "those" customers. ← Interesting link, thanks. I don't think that anyone has said that an off night is acceptable, but even 4* restaurants are human and can have an off night. I am not pleased when I am the recipient, but it does occasionally happen to everyone. If it happens to be an otherwise favorite restaurant do you spite yourself and never return or do you return and hope for the best? By all means mis-cooked or poorly served food should be sent back with proper feedback given to management. If it happens more thn once in a blue moon then one should re-evaluate one's attachment to that restaurant.

FWIW, they did send the last dish back. From the initial post: As for whether or not to mention the particular restaurant, it appears that the poster is not interested in slamming the particular restaurant, but simply positing a situation and seeking thoughts on it. In a sense, the particular restaurant and particular dishes are irrelevant to the discussion as posted, though they may be of prurient interest or relevant in a topic devoted to that particular restaurant. That the situation involved special accommodation sets it apart from routine discussion of a specific restaurant. I would think that a priori taking wine out of a sauce to which it is usually added would reduce the gustatory impact of that sauce, but that doesn't excuse the inferior qualities of the dishes presented usually. I think that if anyone goes to any restaurant often enough, one will eventually have a disappointing meal. If it happens on the first or second visit though, one is not likely to return nor is one likely to give that restaurant the benefit of the doubt.

Technically they shouldn't be advertising that beef as filet mignon. Filet mignon is a cut taken from the tenderloin, which that is and is generally more expensive. There is currently an active topic on cooking beef tenderloin, but we have had good results pan searing it and finishing it in an oven. I agree with rooftop that the price is excellent. The sardines are probably very good, but they will not compare to what you get off the boats in Turkey. I suspect the species is the same.

If this were my first time at this restaurant I would likely just not return. If, however, I have had numerous superb meals, I would simply write this one off as a subpar experience which obviously can happen at the best of places, and return without further ado. If it happened again, I would not return. Just out of curiosity, what was the issue with the alcohol? The alcohol in the sauces should have been cooked off and not been an issue per se. BTW, I think that it is reasonable to not have mentioned the name at this point. I think the likelihood is that it was simply an off night or even just an off meal. Granted that should be rare at a 4* and thankfully is. Unfortunately for you, you happened upon one of those rare instances. It sucks to be disappointed by any meal, but especially so with such high expectations and prices.

Next time Artisanal does do a very good job with their shipping as the product always arrives in perfect shape. I don't mind that it is expensive, but the pricing structure just doesn't make sense. It doesn't reward volume to any significant degree. I actually ordered a couple fewer cheeses to stay under $100 and save $30 on shipping.

That is certainly a good idea, Steven, however, after looking at a variety of sources on the web including some mentioned to me via PM, I found Artisanal to have the best selection and ordered from them despite the steep and irrational shipping charges. Their selection wasn't bad, just not what I have seen in the past. Murray's internet selection was particularly disappointing. I will keep your suggestion in mind for the future.

Do you believe the server saw the $100 bill clearly? ← She looked at it and there was only one bill there to see. I dunno, maybe she didn't see it. At the time it felt like she had. ← There aren't too many other single bills that would warrant change from a $50 tab.

I have never had their pizza, but a true Neapolitan pizza should not be eaten via take-out. It needs to be eaten right away or it will get soggy.

I absolutely agree with Grimaldi's as the best choice in this situation. It's location just uinder the Brookly Bridge offers an unparalleled view of lower Manhattan. Just go for lunch around 12 noon. You can have chocolate for dessert at Jacques Torres around the corner.

You certainly have a ton of choices. Any of the Danny Meyer establishments would be good and safe choices. Eleven Madison Park has probably received the most acclaim though Gramercy Tavern is not far behind. Tabla probably has more of the atmosphere that you want compared to Bread bar, though the difference there is probably not significant. If you are interested in Indian, another nearby place to consider is Devi. For something totally different I would suggest heading over to the West Village to Perry Street or Soho for Fiamma or Tailor. Each of these places is uniquely creative. Perry Street incorporates the lean, balanced style of J-G Vongerichten. Fiamma brings an Italian sensibility to creative cooking and Tailor is simply a fun place for people who like to try new things. I have assumed that budget is not a huge issue. While none of these places are cheap, they are reasonable by NY standards. I have only touched the tip of the iceberg. More specifics about your and your parents culinary proclivities and budget may help refine the search if you need more input. In the meantime, I suggest explore the individual restaurant topics on the NY Forum for a better idea of what is available that will meet your needs.

For a discussion of this restaurant prior to its opening see this topic.

I would make the same assumption, although the article didn't specify.

This blog is certainly a three-pronged treat, but I must especially comment on the photos - they are superb! Thanks for sharing.

- from Off the Menu in today's NY Times.

I think we may be getting somewhere - excellent post!

I used to enjoy shopping for cheese on the internet. Sites like Artisanal, Murray's and iGourmet amongst others held treasure troves of cheeses that I could previously only dream about. Maybe, I have become jaded by that newfound variety and quality available at my fingertips, but in trying to shop for cheeses for the holidays, I have been extremely underwhelmed by all three sites this year. The available selections seem relatively meager, the prices high, the navigation clumsy and the shipping ridiculously expensive. I generally prefer to do all my shopping at one site, but so far it is impossible as none of these sites has the current variety I am seeking. I am getting despondent.

Italy is such a disparate country that Italian food will mean different things to Italians depending upon what part of the country they come from. Certain parts will have food more reminiscent of Germany and Austria than the rest of Italy, others more like France and others more like northern Africa. Does that mean that any of these styles are not Italian. We seem to have such a desire to pigeonhole things into neat little categories, when the reality is quite different. One can consider a Venn diagram in which there are certain foods and regions that are universally considered Italian, but then there are the parts of the intersecting circles that lie outside the center. These may not be so obvious nor so universally recognized, but they are nevertheless "Italian."

That is a relative bargain that is, I suspect, priced as such to whet people's appetites for more when it comes in

Jose has actually been instrumental in working with Embutidos Fermin to get the product over here.

FWIW, I don't think the depth of flavor comment was directed at Adria, however, I have never found Wylie Dufresne's cooking to lack depth of flavor either. [Host's note: to avoid an undue load on our servers, the wd-50 topic has been split. The discussion continues here.]

Was the brand Fermin? I believe that was recently reintroduced at Jaleo in DC.

Good article from the NY Times on babka this past week.

Max London's and Mrs. London's were featured this past week in a NY Times article on babka.