Although it was 8pm on a Saturday night, Christine and I were able to walk in and get seated immediately. She ordered the day’s special – a barbecue burger ($12) and I was drawn to the warm meatloaf sandwich ($11). I got the standard hand cut fries, but Christine upgraded to a combo of ½ sweet potato and ½ eggplant fries. I asked for a fried egg on my sandwich and the waitress enthusiastically acquiesced.
My sandwich was delicious; the meatloaf was tender and flavorful. It was topped Vermont cheddar, crispy onion straws, srirachi ketchup, lettuce, and tomato. The fried egg was a stroke of brilliance; the runny yolk made it a mess to eat, but it added lusciousness. The fries were crispy, but needed salt.
Christine’s burger was excellent; a half pound of perfect medium rare goodness topped with bacon, cheese and a smoky BBQ sauce on a toasted roll. She also had a winner with the sweet potato fries. The eggplant fries were a great concept, but a failure in execution. They were greasy and mushy. I should note, the sandwich and the burger came with really great homemade pickles.
We were too full for dessert, but if I had room, I would have had a the dolce du leche spiked shake (Bailey’s Caramel, Kahlua, caramel, vanilla ice cream). The service was good, there is free parking and the prices are reasonable. I can see why the Max restaurants are so popular in Hartford.
http://www.maxrestaurantgroup.com/burger/index.php
