Max’s Social House expands Delray’s smart culinary scene.
Dennis Max is a visionary restauranteur.
He has the ability to see trends and envision design elements that make restaurants special places.
Max’s Grille in Mizner Park has been a long time favorite, luring patrons to Mizner Park since the center opened and Max’s Harvest in Pineapple Grove is a hot spot.
Last weekend, we had a chance to sample Max’s Social House, the latest addition to the Max Restaurant Group line-up.
Housed in the former Ceviche and Falcon House building on U.S. 1, Max’s Social House is a welcome and unique addition to the city’s burgeoning culinary scene.
Smartly designed and cleverly conceived, Max’s Social House is designed to be a place where locals and visitors mingle, share, talk and enjoy familiar food prepared in a unique way.
So yes, you’ll find staples such as Mac & Cheese, short ribs and potato chips, but they’ll be prepared in a way you might not be familiar with, but you’ll be delighted nonetheless.
We had a chance to visit on a “Friends and Family” night ahead of this week’s soft opening courtesy of manager John Brewer, a local who will be familiar to Delray diners from his long time involvement in local restaurants, including Ceviche.
John and his friendly staff are engaging, knowledgeable and attentive and add to the “social” atmosphere of the restaurant.
We ran into Mr. Max himself and per usual, he was gracious to share his vision for Max’s Social House with us while explaining his goal of creating a warm and local friendly atmosphere.
We had the braised short ribs, which were fabulous, the burrata, an outstanding “rocket” salad and warm potato chips with a unique dip that was simply to die for.
We also sampled from the restaurant’s strong wine menu which includes Numanthia, a fabulous red wine that hails from the Toro region of Spain. We enjoyed a hoppy IPA from the local Saltwater Brewery which was excellent.
Delray’s restaurant scene is taking on new and interesting shapes. With restrictive parking codes enacted on Atlantic Avenue, new restaurants on the main strip are unlikely but the city’s nooks and crannies are beginning to fill up with interesting spots. Max’s Social House is the latest to lead in this new direction, it’s a welcome one.
Food culture is here to stay and Delray is a leader of this trend, which creates jobs, lures visitors and builds community.
The next step would be to grow and nurture local food purveyors and brands–many are being incubated in the CRA’s fabulous Green Market.
Am I believer? You betcha..I’m a partner and CEO of a Boca based hot sauce company Tabanero, an all natural sauce that is available in 1,500 restaurants in Florida and California and 155 HEB markets in Texas. We also have a Bloody Mary Mix and our chefs are busy cooking line extensions. We are inspired by the culinary scene in Boca and Delray and so are many, many others.
