Max’s

Nice food but obscenely priced.

A cozy restaurant with wine and beer selections. Excellent service, even if slow between courses. LOVED our foie gras terrine appetizer, (three of four of us had this) and the wagu beef flank steak was delicious. The dessert taste of white chocolate ensconced juicy deliciousness was.. .um, delicious? Small but tasty wine selection. Absolutely would return, as several entrees jumped out at me but only one could be enjoyed at a time, and when foie gras is on the menu, there is no choice, the foie wins every time.

My husband and I were given a gift certificate for here. We looked at the menu on line so we kind of knew what to expect. Well this little place far exceeded our expectations ! We started with the oysters, amazing. I had the Sous Vide Wagyu Flank Steak, every bite was delicious. My husband had the Suckling Pig Tasting, he did not want it to stop and said he could eat another dish !
We finished with the Chocolate Orb with hot walnut soup. this was the perfect ending. This is a must !
Yes it is pricey but not over the top and we may not have tried it if we did not have a gift certificate but we would go back again only for special occasions.
Service was great, everyone was very attentive without being obnoxious.
And we both loved the intimacy of the place.

Love the whole cozy hole in the wall feel.
They’re really trying to do something creative with the food here and are not afraid to play with flavors and textures.
Service was friendly and warm. will definitely be back next time in santa fe.

I like it when someone does something creative and inventive. It’s great after a week of mostly NM cuisine to goto a restaurant that is more about fresh ingredients prepared in innovative ways to challenge your taste buds. I had oysters on half shell w/​a prosecco granita which was excellent. The lentil soup w/​browned butter was delicious. the suckling pig several preparations on one plate was delicious and I thought inventive w/​the presentation and the different preparations. Desert w/​the chocolate ball w/​the raspberry mouse and walnut sauce, great presentation as the walnut sauce is poured on the chocolate globe, the globe opens up to reveal the raspberry mouse and apples inside. very good.

Wow, I went to Max’s for Wine and Chile Fiesta with my foodie girlfriends — it was so, so GOOD!
The menu was paired with wonderful wines from Domaine Serene. The amuse bouche was a deconstructed sangria (watermelon gel cube, with a «cloud» of chardonnay and a drop of lime essence), followed with a delicious salad smoke sable that was perfectly dressed and made playful with cucumber «roe». I was visually delighted with the foie gras torchon — it looked like a uncooked hot dog on a lovely toast finger of brioche and I loved the pairing of stone fruits with it; so rich and so yummy. Next was a confit of suckling pig both crisp and moist and paired with a perfectly cooked diver scallop with a most delightful sauce made with raisins? Then there was the Wagyu Flank Steak leaning on delicious sautéed chanterelles and tasty tater tots. Dessert was very good, I adored the plum sorbet and a very fragrant and ripe cheese tho the other little tastes were great to eat, I am not remember them… The last impression was a fun number of a tiny sphere of passion fruit juice enrobed in white chocolate. You pop the whole thing in your mouth and BAM a burst of sweet and tangy flavor. Super fun, intimate, not super upscale but Mark Connell’s food is fun, lively, ingenious, delicious and well worth the price. The service was attentive and kind. I will go back AND recommend fully!

Wow, fantastic meal and wonderful service, Renee is great. Fun atmosphereThings really got off to a nice start when Max gave us her parking spot on a busy night, nice! The amuse bouche was delightful: cucumber and watermelon gazpacho, wow. The mixed green salad is loaded with fruit and spanish almonds, yummy. The suckling pig sampler was wonderful, three preparations, all different and delicious. Chocolate globe for dessert was great. Final amuse bouche was a mind blower: a delicate white chocolate globe filled with a surprising fruit nectar.

My boyfriend and I went here over our Christmas trip to Santa Fe… and we are so glad that we did.
We ordered the tasting menu for two. We enjoyed a delicious playful beet salad with little cubes of cheese, oysters, quail with a truffle purée, a foie gras raviolo with a perfectly cooked scallop, pork cooked three ways (confit, sous vide, and grilled), and a teardrop of succulent pomegranate sorbet. Dessert was a globe of chocolate filled with hazelnut ice cream and hazelnuts, served with a hot hazelnut cream sauce that dissolved the top portion of the globe. The final surprise was a tiny sphere of frozen passion fruit juice enrobed in white chocolate that exploded when it met the warmth of your tongue, releasing a huge burst of delicious sweet and tangy flavor. Truly unbelievable.
A star off for service – our waiter was cold and unfriendly. However, they served some of the most stunning food I’ve ever eaten. A once in a lifetime dining experience.

For a really expensive restaurant this is the place to go. I had the suckling pig plate which was to die for. My wife had ravioli filled with foie gras and covered in scallops. The plates were as beautiful as they were delicious. My only complaint was that our waiter was a bit to heavy handed in trying to get us to spend more. It is always pretty obvious when someone is trying to get you to buy the more expensive glass of wine and it tics me off a little. Other than that really fabulous dining.

My dining experience at Max’s was an interactive journey through incredible fresh flavors that insist you engage all senses. New chef Mark Connell has brought thorough creativity to each dish, inviting you to explore his natural selection of organic ingredients that bring forth flavors that will remind you of classic home cooking while provoking flavors that lie deep in your pallet.
We began with a local heirloom tomato salad with arugula, complimented with an arugula purée with a hint of black pepper, migas («crumbs» a buttery and very savory traditional spanish croûton) and a truly amazing goat cheese sorbet. The dish was beautiful and refreshing, filled with bright, beautiful tomatoes whose flavors ranged from meaty to sweet and almost citris-​y. The goat cheese sorbet was incredible and I loved how it melted on the plate and brought a nice fluid feel to the dish.
We then had the Carnaroli rice risotto with porcini mushrooms, parmesan foam and crispy sweetbreads. Just awesome. Deep, earthy flavors and soft foam was a lovely balance of savory and creamy with a gentle finish. I was a little skeptical at first of eating the risotto with the tomatoes but they paired together very well. We both had a glass of the La Crema Pinot Noir from Monterey, CA which made for a sweet dance of flavors and the beginning of quite an intoxicating experience.
ok, ok, on to the main course…
Day Boat Scallops, foie gras ravioli, port wine and an English Pea purée. Despite my intimidation that my description will not do the dish justice, I will do my best. This truly had an adventurous quality to it. Midway in I found bright cubes of mango and elegantly sliced English Peas that brought such a delicacy. The foie gras raviolis melted seductively over the perfectly seared scallops that very much encouraged slow indulgence. As I’m navigating the seemingly infinite combinations that have transcended me beyond the patio, I am snapped back into the present as our lovely server has brought us each a glass of Los Vencejos Tempranillo from Mendoza, Argentina. With a lot of laughter and excitement I move on and pair the Chicken two ways with my new wine. At this point I was feeling quite euphoric so forgive me if I have left something out of the dish. I believe it was a chicken confit and a chicken panzanella, with pesto, more delicious tomatos, ciabatta croutons and natural jus. oh yes and pancetta, like bacon but better ;) you could definitely taste the Italian inspiration here and it tasted really good. The Tempranillo felt like the right choice and played nicely with both the scallops and the chicken.
Without hesitation we agreed on the Chocolate in Three Textures with a Passion fruit semifreddo paired with a glass of Malbec from Mendocino, CA. Every flavor you’ve ever loved in chocolate was in this desert. Warm, gooey and dark with an amazing liquid sable which had notes of macadamia butter and poppyseed. The Malbec brought the dark cherry notes and velvety consistency that created a fourth texture, as you descend into rich chocolate oblivion you are tickled back to reality by a tart burst of passion fruit. A very fun way to complete the experience.
Feeling absolutely satiated and wildly blown away, we were speechless. To state the obvious, I very much encourage you to indulge in a rare dining experience that allows you to explore foods that tease your senses and transcend your environment. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Awful avoid at all costs. The salad was made with spoiled lettuce and strips of rancid bacon. We should have known something was wrong when the place was empty at 730 on a Saturday night. The entrees were disgusting and we sen both of them back promptly and asked for the check. I have to say this was the worst dining experience I have ever had. It was so bad it made me angry! They had the nerve to present us with a bill for over $ 40.

I had a business meeting to discuss an upcoming gallery opening with some associates at Max’s this evening and was impressed. It’s an intimate environment, and it being Monday night, there was hardly anyone else there. BUT, since we were discussing a gallery opening relating to pornographic images, that made it ideal for our meeting.
I guess Mondays ate ½ price wine night, so we were really surprised when we received our final bill. But aside from that, I ordered a green salad appetizer with a mild vinaigrette that was pretty great and the scallop dish on their menu, partially because I’m scared that as the two weeks after British Petroleum fiasco on the Gulf Coast that is unwinding… I suspect that my days of seeing moderately priced seafood in the Land of Enchantment will soon be a distant memory.
The scallops were incredible. I would totally order them again. The service was impeccable, and the chef (and I forgot her name) is apparently newish, but cooked all our meals to perfection.

I am not impressed by this place .The place itself is small and the seating is not comfortable. The food was bland. I ordered salmon and it came not medium rare but not cooked in the middle. On the up side? The servers are very nice.

I love the atmosphere and hole-​in-​the-​wall aspect of the charming bistro.
The food has been consistently good, which I have found hard to find around town. And the owner and waitstaff are lovely.
I agree with the prices being reasonable for the quality of food.
I find I love places that keep it small and simple focusing on the quality not quantity aspect. Varying the menu sessionally is a plus.