Revolutionarrie Restaurant Review - Sneak Peek at Maximiliano

If you have read my Oinkster reviews you will know that I am a proud Oinksterholic. Few things on this planet make me happier than a delicious House Cured Pastrami sandwich from The Oinkster. Really, I am an Andre Guerrero fangirl! And if I were to have a child I would probably name him (or her) Andre Guerrero, or pastrami, or maybe just Oinkster. So imagine if you will the happiness I felt when this Andre Guerrero/Oinksterholic fangirl heard that the Guerrero clan was opening a new sophisticated Italian eatery in nearby Highland Park. You probably don’t even have to imagine because you probably heard me screaming with glee from wherever you live. Yeah, that was me…sorry.

The Maximiliano space is beautiful! It feels very open with lots of natural light, wood, concrete, and a large open kitchen with a beautiful red mosaic tile pizza oven as its centerpiece. There is also a dine-in bar that allows diners to watch all of the excitement in the kitchen. My favorite part of the room is what I call the spaghetti wall. It is a two story high red wall covered in spaghetti. It is amazing! Really, you will understand it when you see it. This picture does not do it justice…just go and have a look for yourself.

The menu has a really nice selection of food. There were menu items for everyone…vegetarians, meat eaters, light eaters, heavy eaters, healthy eaters, picky eaters…there is really something for everyone. There is also a nice selection of beer and wine, but that is to be expected considering the always epic beer selection at The Oinkster.

It was really difficult to decide what to order because it all really looked delicious, and I honestly do not say that very often. Here is what we ended up ordering…and we truly had to restrain ourselves from ordering more:

Starters:

Risotto with porcini mushrooms, leeks and fontina cheese - This was OMG amazing. I am a bit of a risotto snob and I was blown away by the perfection of this dish. The risotto was perfectly cooked, creamy and delicious. The flavors were so perfectly balanced we couldn’t speak…we just kept shoveling it in to our mouths while making “nom, nom, nom” sounds.

Polenta with gorgonzola and pomodoro - The polenta was both sturdy and fluffy…crispy on the outside and light and airy on the inside. It was covered in melted gorgonzola and surrounded by a fresh, tangy pomodoro sauce.  So yummy!

Entrees:

Bone in Pork Chop with sweet potato puree, kale, pixie dust, magic, unicorns…no really. This was a magical pork chop! Perfectly cooked, juicy, and delicious served on top of sweet fluffy potatoes with yummy kale (I don’t even like kale by the way and I ate this kale.)

Two large chicken breasts, crispy skin, mushrooms, spinach, fingerling potatoes, and a luscious chickeny pan juice reduction. This was gigantic and amazing!!! The chicken was perfectly cooked and the crispy skin was a really expert touch. I don’t often rave about chicken breasts in restaurants but this dish is rave worthy.

Sides:

Roasted heirloom Italian squash with honey, butter, five spice and Italian sea salt. This was just lovely. The squash was perfectly cooked, slightly sweet and deliciously buttery and the spices and salt were just perfect.

Roasted beets with goat cheese and onions. I love beets. I love goat cheese. I loved this dish.

Dessert:

We were literally stuffed to the gills following dinner, but the dessert menu looked way to good to pass up and Pastry Chef Jan Purdy’s desserts did not disappoint. We ordered the lemon tart, which was a luscious “kick you in the head tart” lemon curd in a perfect buttery crust with strawberry sauce on the side. It was really lemony and really delicious.  

We also had the olive oil ice cream with a sea salt caramel drizzle. Both of the desserts were great and served as a lovely end to an absolutely lovely meal.

I am going to have to find more hours in the week now that I have another epic Andre Guerrero eatery to visit. As it is impossible for me to take time away from my Oinkster addiction…it is an addiction after all…I will have to work out a plan of attack in order for me to work Maximiliano into my already busy, food filled schedule. Hmmmm, what to do?  Sleep less? Quit school? Well, I am sure I will work it out. In the meantime go and check out the amazing food and spaghetti wall at Maximiliano…you will probably see me there…I will be the one in the corner, unashamedly shoveling large scoops of risotto into her face. Nom, nom, nom! 

Maximiliano

5930 York Blvd. Highland Park, CA

323.739.6125