Max’s Social House
what you are going to learn:
- there’s a fabulous new restaurant in Delray Beach, Florida
- taste as many items as you can
- always save room for dessert
What do you get when you combine 14 people and a brand new Dennis Max restaurant? A fantastic Road Trips For Food, of course!
When I heard that Dennis Max was opening Max’s Social House in Delray Beach, I knew I had to do give it a try. I have been going to Dennis’ restaurants for decades. He was thinking about farm to table eating long before it became popular.
Everything you see was made in-house.
I was very happy that the hostess was able to honor my request to sit inside, because I was concerned that it was going to rain. There was ample room for us to sit; however, the noise level of our party combined with that of 14 people seated in one small room resulted in a rather loud evening.
That said, no amount of noise was going to interfere with our experience at Max’s Social House. We had an amazing server, Alex, who was knowledgeable about both the drinks and the food and he was spot on with regards to the number of portions we needed.
Chef Scott Pierce – how cool is this?
There is a lovely wine list as well as many ‘fun’ cocktails. I tried the Blueberry Hibiscus (Van Gogh Blueberry Acai Vodka, fresh lime, hibiscus water, cane sugar) and a Social Club (Bombay Sapphire East, fresh raspberries, egg white, fresh pressed lime, cracked pepper) and was very happy with both. Other intriguing drinks were the Fig & Walnut Old Fashioned and a Moscow Mule that is served in a copper mug.
Chef Scott Pierce’s food was delicious. The Pimento Cheese was perfect and the Chorizo Stuffed Dates – bacon wrapped and bathing in a piquillo pepper sauce were out of this world. I was only sorry that I did not order more. Sadly, with all of the other food to try, there was just so much room.
Stuffing wonderberry into the Homemade So-Ho’s.
Pork Belly Ramen, Octopus a la Plancha, Big Social Salad, Mahi-Mahi and Wagyu Flat Iron Steak were favorites, as well and all the sides were devoured. Who in their right mind is going to pass on Garlic-Parmesan Fries, Roasted Brussel Sprouts made with house bacon and miso-butterscotch, Kale Slaw made with apple & horseradish and Cauliflower Steak with lemon oil and herbed breadcrumbs?
Without question we ordered a LOT of food but not to worry, we saved enough room to try the desserts.
Max’s Social House does not have a pastry chef but John Martini rocked our desserts. It’s ironic that a restaurant that has so many items on the dinner menu is limited on its dessert options.
John Martini rocked the Banana Cream Pie.
What better option could we have had but order all three?!? The Banana Cream Pie is served in a large mason jar with layers of pastry cream, graham cracker crumbs, banana cream and banana puree. I loved watching John caramelize the bananas that were placed on the lid of the jar for the final presentation. The taste was smooth, cold, creamy and delicious. I think the only things I would have loved to see were a few more of the caramelized bananas on the top layer of the banana puree.
Homemade So-Ho’s
Homemade So-Hos are fried ricotta cheese donuts that were stuffed with wonderberry (blueberries and raspberries) and presented on a plate lined with a streak of caramel sauce. The donuts are deep fried to order insuring their freshness. They were loved by most of the group. The only two ‘tweak wishes’ were to have a bit more of the wonderberry stuffing and more caramel sauce on the plate; both of which I am confident would have been done had we asked. Unfortunately for us, we were just too full to try another round.
Chocolate Stout Brownie with ice cream, salted peanuts and chocolate crunch balls.
The last dessert was a Chocolate Stout Brownie with ice cream, salted peanuts and chocolate crunch balls. The stout flavor came through, perfectly. Not too strong yet strong enough to be noticed. Another dessert, thoroughly, enjoyed by everyone.
Many thanks to Bonnie, Pam, Jennifer, Leslie, Barry, Gregg, Debra, Elizabeth, Barry, John, Julie, Jodi and Robin for a fabulous Road Trips For Food!
I may not repeat a Road Trips For Food to any of the restaurants I blog about but there is no doubt in my mind that this group will be going back to Max’s Social House in the near future. With its diversified menu, incredible service and superb food, what other choice do we have?
Max’s Social House
116 NE 6th Avenue
Delray Beach, Florida
561-501-4332
http://www.sohodelray.com
