Maxine’s Cafe & Bakery

Perhaps it was the items that my sister and I ordered, but I found that the food was just okay, and rather costly considering what you get. (We ordered soup and sandwiches, as opposed to the cold salads. The hazelnut torte was tasty enough, but certainly nothing worth writing home about.) The term «café» is also a bit of a misnomer, as the place seemed more deli than coffee shop. On the whole, I am less than enthused and have zero desire to give it another shot.

It is strange that a café that has lots of good food is never the first one you think of when someone says, «Where should we get lunch?»! Maxine’s is a hidden gem… really. The chicken salad is fantastic, the pesto tortellini is wonderful (and I’m not a huge fan of pesto)… really the best thing to do is show up and stare at the wonderful food! The nice thing is that when you order, you can see exactly what you are ordering.
You can tell everything is made fresh, but make sure that you leave room for dessert! The Italian Cream Cake and the Hazelnut Torte are wonderful! Sometimes I had to tell myself to focus on lunch first, then I could have dessert, but it is difficult when it is staring you right in the eye! And the prices are quite reasonable, given the quality of food and the amount. I certainly never left hungry!
I will say that I’m not a fan of the décor… I often felt like I was sitting in the church basement for a luncheon with the ladies. That being said, if the food had been that good for those church basement lunches, I may have been converted =).

This is a great place for lunch. The décor is feminine (like a tea-​room), and the food is excellent — fresh, flavorful, and interesting.
I always get the sampler plate. You get a cold «salad» made with meat (such as chicken salad), two sides, and a roll for $ 6.75.
Both the house and vegetable chicken salads are great, but the vegetable chicken salad is my favorite. To me it tastes like curry chicken salad — it’s not too dry, like some chicken salads, and the country dijon vinaigrette gives it a light sweetness.
I don’t always choose the same side, depending on the weather and how hungry I am, but here are some of my favorites:
The sweet potato and walnut side is sweet, unique, and filling.
The sun-​dried tomato bowtie pasta has just the right amount of tang.
The dill potato salad is another filling side; it has the delicate and mild flavors of red potato and dill.
Everyone loves the marinated mushrooms! The little bits of capers, olives, and peppers add bursts of flavor.
Ask for a sample of any of the side items to make sure you make the best choice. :)
You’re safe with either the crusty french bread or soft dill roll… mmmm.
I never have room for dessert, but the bourbon brownie is rich and chocolaty, and the red velvet and carrot cakes with cream cheese icing are to die for.

Consistantly good food that’s relatively light and healthy – I love the tomato-​artichoke salad or the regular chicken salad.
The desserts are to die for – whenever we have a celebration and need a cake we go there for their chocolate or red velvet cakes. I also love their poppy-​seed and strawberry cakes which seem different but are delicious and refreshing