Max Brenner - First Impression

We went to check out the new Max Brenner on opening night after seeing it under construction for months.


A strong scent of chocolate greeted us as soon as we walked through the first set of double doors. After the second set of doors, we walked into a large grown up version of the Willy Wonka factory. Of course, none of the piping going through the restaurant actually contained any chocolate, nor was the scent that greeted us real, but the place was impressive and quite pretty.

It has a very extensive menu divided into different sections; food, drinks, sweets, etc., with each section containing pages of a wide assortment of items. I could see the alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails, smoothies, etc. in their whimsical containers. However, I could not see why anyone would want to come to this place for a “Mom’s Simple Lemon & Herb Roasted Chicken Paillard” or pay $13.95 for the Brenner Burger ($1.00 for any extra toppings) at a place that is built for and centered around selling chocolate and sweets.

After some extensive soul searching, Tourist Tree decided to try the Peanut Butter Iced Chockie frozen frappe that was made with milk chocolate truffle and peanut butter. It had peanut butter, therefore Tree liked it; enough said.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The frappe comes in its own special designed unique container called the Alice Cup. The straw is made out of metal.

I chose something a bit playful from the menu, the Fantastic Popsicle Chocolate Fondue.

Melted chocolate, crunchy chocolate wafer balls, and candied hazelnut crunchy bits each in a separate container sitting in a special rack. I dipped the vanilla ice cream popsicle into the containers and made my own combination of coating and toppings. Tasty and very fun to eat.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Max Brenner is a pretty place. It has put a lot of thoughts into the food presentation (at least for the sweets) and has made it fun to eat. Who doesn’t like to play with his food and eat it too, really?


The restaurant was smart enough to over-staff on the first night. There were at a time more waiters, pretty hostesses and mangers milling around than customers. It wasn’t a bad thing for a new restaurant with a new staff (see picture on left) since you never would know what might happen on the first night of business. Most of the items, including the chocolate and the popsicle that I had were made in Israel and shipped to the US in refrigeration. The menu prices are on the higher side but it has enough interesting items that would make me want to go back. Plus, I want to play with more food.