Max's Oyster Bar: First Stop on the West Hartford Culinary Tour

Mitch and I hit West Hartford hot spot Max's Oyster Bar last Friday night for dinner and cocktails. I must admit this is my second trip to Max's, the first being with RRR, Lynnie and Dan-O on a pre-move scout. I was too overwhelmed with a day of apartment and car shopping to blog, but I was determined to document what will be one of many visits to the premiere restaurant of my new hometown.

First of all, the cocktails are outstanding. Crisp, clean and smooth are words to describe the ones I've tasted and the upside of these potential D.U.I. makers is that I will eventually be living within walking distance of the restaurant. The white cosmopolitan (Absolut Citron, Cointreau, White Cranberry and Lime Juice) and the Maxarita (Sauza Hornitos, Chambord, Grand Manier, Lemon-Lime Juice) were delicious and I am eager to try Max's Bloody Oyster (complete with freshly shucked oyster)!

This outpost of Max's restaurant group centers around their raw bar. On my initial visit I enjoyed the Jonah crab cocktail but on this trip, while Mitch happily satisfied her oyster jones, I headed for the appetizers and enjoyed the Maryland crab cake with jicama slaw. The crab cake was fresh and flavorful and although the kitchen was a bit heavy handed on the remoulade the crab to breading ratio was spot on. The jicama provided a nice bit of crunch to the smooth sweetness of the crabmeat.

For my main I went decided to choose one of the fish selections of the day with my choice of sauce. The Alaskan halibut with shallot herb butter was the winner, mainly due to the plethora of salmon and tuna choices on the menu this particular evening.

With a choice of a side, I went with the "rustic pasta" aka mac n'cheese with goat cheese. It was as decadent and creamy as you are imagining. Not the best mac n'cheese I've ever had but that didn't stop me from cleaning my plate. The halibut had a great char on it and I actually left a bit due to my overindulgence in the mac n'cheese side. Plus I HAD to leave some room for dessert.

Upon our server's suggestion (and since I couldn't convince Mitch to go for the key lime pie), Mitch and I shared the Valrhona "Baked" Hot Chocolate. It was an almost custard-like souffle dish of warm chocolate with a side of vanilla bean ice cream which was almost as impressive as the chocolate. I was not impressed with the house made marshmallow accompanying the dessert, but then again I am eternally spoiled by City Bakery's homemade marshmallows... nothing will ever come close!

RRR and I also ate at Trumbull Kitchen during our pre-move scout, another restaurant in the Max group located in Hartford and I can tell you that I will be paying more visits to that location as well. And as an incredible parting gift from two of my beloved former co-workers, I received a gift certificate for a chef's tasting at Max Downtown also located in downtown Hartford. If I keep this up, I think "Max" should put me on the payroll!

Hartford Restaurant Round Up

So while I have been mainly cooking at home, I have been able to get out and about to sample some of the area restaurants. Here's a quick recap:

Barcelona: a tapas-style restaurant located in the heart of West Hartford center. How do I put this nicely? THIS RESTAURANT IS A JOKE. Subpar food, lots of attitude and NYC prices to boot. Late night (by late night I mean 10 o'clock!) the restaurant has a I-wanna-be-a-club-like atmosphere complete with beefy bouncers who are just hoping a fight will break out to save them from utter boredom. On my last visit on a Friday night, this neckless joke of a human being said to my friend who was finishing up a beer "drink up man...I'm about to take that bottle from you the minute you take that bottle away from your mouth". Puh-lease!

Max's Oyster Bar: also located in West Hartford Center, this restaurant offers fresh quality seafood. (Ed note: Read more of my review at this link) On the weekends the bar area becomes a haven for single divorcees from the surrounding burbs. A meat market atmosphere in a fish restaurant is a bit of irony, huh? Okay, perhaps in the Alanis Morrissette type of way. Oh yeah and the drinks are pretty darn good here.

Bricco: an Italian restaurant from Billy Grant, local culinary hero and owner of Grant's (see below). The outside dining area and bar area have a modern touch while the interior dining room feels a bit dated. While the decor might be dated, the food is fresh, modern and a delightful twist on standard Italian fare. Not cheap by any means but a solid dining option. I've only been here once and have heard mixed reviews from those who have been there more frequently, so the jury's still out on this one...

Grant's: pretty decent fare with a bustling al fresco dining area. You can get a bit of the suburban 'tude (see Barcelona review above) if you venture in late night (again, 'late-night' means around 9pm) but consistent food and highly touted desserts keep the crowds satisfied. Not sure if I think the desserts are THAT exceptional but I'll keep coming back to try them out.

The King & I: a funky little BYOB Thai restaurant located down Park Road. A good place for inexpensive high quality Thai with a lot of spice (the pad kee mow was on par with what I used to get in NYC). Basically it's a house transformed to a restaurant and a gem in the area. If you go, make sure to check out the bathroom. As my buddy BB says, "I think they are performing human sacrifices in there after hours"... I just think it looks like a bag tag sale threw up in there.

Plan B: pub grub in a casual setting. A la Counter, you can get a pretty decent burger here at a bit more reasonable price. The service is friendly and there is a small bar area. When dining there with RRR we were both very satisfied with our burgers; I especially enjoyed her Cubano burger: ground pork with bacon, cheddar cheese, mustard and pickles.

Trumbull Kitchen: great drinks and a well rounded menu located in Hartford. TK is part of the same restaurant group as Max's and I really enjoyed this place. I definitely am overdue for a return trip here. (more detailed review here).

Rizzuto's: a bit of an upscale Paparazzi meets your neighborhood NYC salumeria this modern noisy Italian is a great place to bring the family for dinner or to hang out with the girls. Not all of my gang up here like Rizzuto's as much as I do but for a new restaurant, it's definitely headed in the right direction. (more detailed review here).

Flatbread's: along the same lines as Rizzuto's although a bit more family oriented and casual. Great option for a nice lunch when in the Farmington area. (more detailed review here).

Note to my dear readers...

Since the inception of this blog, f is for foodie has mainly focused on the New York City dining scene (the occasionally European trips and out of state jaunts notwithstanding).

Hold on to your laptops but Ms. Foodie has left Manhattan and relocated to suburbia; the Hartford area to be exact. I have accepted a great job in a state better known for it's sky high gas prices than it's gastronomy.

The hardest part about leaving New York was all the great meals I'll be missing out on. Seriously. It was on my list of reasons NOT to take this new position.

Perhaps it will make my many trips back to the Big Apple that much more meaningful. Who knows? What I do know is that I have not been able to pick up the Dining Section of The New York Times since I've left. I just might sob uncontrollably.

Not to say that a good if not great meal can be found in the Constitution State. On a pre-move trip, RRR and I had some lovely meals at Trumbull Kitchen in Hartford as well as Rizzuto's and Max's Oyster Bar in West Hartford Center. And I've only begun to scratch the surface of what appears to be a burgeoning dining scene so expect the focus of the blog to become a bit more Connecticut based when I am not traveling. It also might be a bit light until I settle into my permanent digs, so please bear with me.

Also, please use this opportunity to submit some guest reviews to my foodie email link. I'd love to hear what I'm missing out on!