Max Brenner, Boston

Last Sunday was Mother's Day, as we are all well aware.  Well, unfortunately I had to work that day, so we had to postpone our Mother's Day celebration until today.  I had told my husband where I wanted to go, and he happily obliged my request.  So this morning we drove up to Boston to partake of lunch at the newly opened Max Brenner restaurant on Boylston Street.  I knew of Max Brenner's restaurant in New York City, and was planning on going there on my next visit to the Big Apple.  But, once I heard that they had opened up a Max Brenner in Boston, I was determined to go as soon as possible.

We (me, Paul, and the girls) arrived just on time for our 11:00 am reservations, and were promptly seated.  We were given the brunch menu, as well as the "Drinks and Sweets" menu as well.  We first perused the Drinks and Sweets menu.  They had a great selection of hot chocolates, milk shakes, as well as chocolate "adult" drinks to choose from.  I ordered an Italian Thick Dark Hot Chocolate, while Paul chose the Eighties Milkshake -- milk chocolate ganache, vanilla bourbon ice cream, and a crunchy chocolate shell.  Ellie ordered a hot milk chocolate with marshmallows, and Maggie got a Peanut Butter and Chocolate Milkshake.  Each of us was very happy with our choice.  My hot chocolate was so smooth and creamy -- a perfect combination of the bite of dark chocolate with the sweetness of cream.  Paul loved his shake.  It was thick and creamy, but not heavy or too filling.  And, since they both finished them off, Ellie and Maggie seemed to enjoy their drink choices as well.

Then it was onto the main courses.  I ordered the  Illegal Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Pancakes -- three large pancakes with 60% dark chocolate truffle cream, pure milk chocolate shavings, spiced pecans, and caramelized bananas.  Can I just say, yum!  I was expecting something very rich and, for lack of a better word, chocolaty, but what I got was a nice balance of sweet and savory.  There was enough chocolate to satisfy that craving, but it still felt like a breakfast dish -- not a dessert, which was my concern.

Illegal Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Pancakes

Paul ordered the Sliced and Diced Steak "Pillow" Panini -- char grilled and thin sliced skirt steak, tossed with diced caramelized onions on a bed of asiago cheese crisps, baby spinach, roasted tomatoes, and red pepper aioli.  He enjoyed the sandwich very much, but wasn't over the moon about it.  But, as he said, people probably aren't coming here for the steak sandwich.  They are coming for the chocolate.

For the girls, Ellie ordered the Two Little Mouth Cheeseburgers - two sliders that came with cocoa dusted waffle fries.  Maggie got the pasta, that came with tomato sauce in a large syringe, allowing her to dispense it onto the pasta herself.  Ellie ate her entire meal, and said she especially liked the "melty cheese" on the burgers.  Maggie, however, did not enjoy her pasta.  Upon my taste, I found it to be a bit underdone, and the sauce was a little spicy for a child's palate.

The service was hit or miss.  There were a couple of times we needed to get something from our server, and could not find her.  Once Paul had to go up to the host table to ask for extra sauce for Maggie's pasta, and it took a good 10 - 15 minutes after we were served before anyone came over to ask if we needed anything.  However all in all, we enjoyed our meal at Max Brenner.  It is now on our list of special occasion destination for a different and chocolaty meal!