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Dining out: TL Maxwell's fine dining experience aging well
| Tuesday, Jun 3 2008 3:11 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, Jun 3 2008 2:49 PM
It is a tough economy out there. Everyone has a story, and my favorite is that the recession is some sort of media creation. Whether it’s an official recession or not, anyone with friends and acquaintances has heard enough sad tales to know we’re on a rough stretch of road right now.
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1421 17th Place, 323-6889
Hours: Lunch 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Dinner 5:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 5:30-9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Prices: Appetizers $7.95-$13.95, salad and soup $3.95-$18.95, seafood $25.95-$27.95, “turf” $28.95-$30.95, “barnyard” $21.95-$31.95. No child’s plate.
Payment: MasterCard, VISA, American Express, Discover and personal checks accepted. Does not accept The Californian’s Press Pass.
Dress: Casually dressy.
Amenities: Wheelchair accessible; full bar service; some vegetarian options.
Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars.
Next week: Randolph’s Lounge & Nightclub
It’s that way in the restaurant business, too. Just this year I’ve gotten a few e-mails directly from restaurant owners pleading for a review, positive or negative, just to drum up some attention and foot traffic. It’s also a time of vicious rumors being spread about restaurants failing or struggling.
We originally heard from Terry Maxwell's mom, Kate, about the rumor that his downtown restaurant was closing, and she called to assure me the restaurant was doing great. It happened that Terry and his wife, Paula, co-owners of the restaurant, had bought property in Montana to build a retirement home.
While there, Terry found a property he was convinced would make a great restaurant. He hired a former bartender, Blake Mask, to manage it and they've been up there working on it. His plans are to open Maxwell’s on Main Street by early July and spend summers there and winters here. Paula has run the restaurant in his absence, and TL Maxwell’s has another wine dinner night coming up on July 28.
Since it had been a few years since we wrote an actual full column about TL Maxwell’s, we went back, and found the restaurant has continued to evolve, if that’s possible, to the point that I don’t think there’s a better restaurant in town.
Equals, maybe, but none superior. And this is not a restaurant that’s hurting. We called for reservations on a Saturday and all we could get was a table in the bar area (not bad, but the dining room was packed that night).
When we arrived our waitress asked us if we were headed to the symphony. No, but there were a number of other well-dressed customers who apparently were. Our waitress asked in case she had to make sure to get us there on time.
I didn’t get her name, but she was a gem. She was able to explain the food intelligently and graceful in everything she did, which was a nice match for the food. For example, my companion ordered the Wild Alaskan king salmon ($28.95), which she described as almost crimson. It was an incredible selection, grilled over an open fire with avocado slices on top and a lemon-dill sauce. A huge portion — enough to take home for lunch the next day, and served with rice and steamed vegetables (zucchini and broccoli, with garlic).
I chose one of the nightly specials, a steak ($30.95) with gorgonzola cheese slices on top and a balsamic butter sauce, which was absolutely incredible. OK, I love butter, and I love balsamic vinegar, and combining these in marriage with a great cheese and an outstanding beef, well, it was just so worth savoring. The beef was tender, flavorful, cooked to order and a much better cut of beef than I expected. I’ve been to nice restaurants in Texas earlier this year and had gotten used to seeing such steak dinners at $40-$45, which made this seem like a real value.
I ordered a baked potato and it was large, moist and dense inside, not dry at all. Many other items on the menu tempted me, including the Louisiana pork ($24.95), a pork loin sautéed in garlic, crème de cassis and Cajun spices. I can also rave about a baked potato soup, which was beautiful in its simplicity. So many places might load it up with bacon or too much cream. You could actually taste the potato.
Of course, you must order the South African malva pudding ($6.95), which I’ve never had in any other restaurant in my life, and is a creation from owner Terry Maxwell’s travels. It’s a sponge cake that’s soaked in liqueur with a crème anglaise topping. All the desserts are made on the premises, and we also tried a butterscotch torte that was like a less rich version of a cheesecake, but just as inviting.
Service was superb, as I mentioned, and the professionalism of everyone on the staff was a plus. I did not see Terry roaming the dining room as I have in the past, but his wife was a visible presence.
TL Maxwell’s Restaurant & Bar can be recommended for a fine dining experience.