May | 2011 | The Perfect Bite, Boston

"the bald man" | Passion Fruit Mojito

Max Brenner might as well be referred to as the Willy Wonka of the Back Bay. One step inside this new restaurant and you’d swear they were pumping cocoa powder through the air ducts. The hostess mentioned this was not the case – the aroma was in fact coming from the chocolate shop in front of the dining area. Full of gourmet chocolate sweets & treats as well as chocolate infused lotions & soaps, I was like a kid in a candy store (literally). But alas, real food awaits and we were led through the circular room to our table. “Chocolate by the Bald Man” was everywhere you turned, in candy dispensers surrounding the diners, in the center of the room in glass containers, inticing you every step of the way.

center of the restaurant

Bread: I was so excited to be surrounded by chocolate that I just now noticed that we didn’t receive bread!! Weird, I always notice when food is missing…

Menu: We were presented with 2 menus, one being the dinner & drinks menu and the other a dessert/dessert drinks menu, both of which are overwhelming in a good why. “First Food Then Chocolate” as their slogan goes… the dinner menu consisted of sections such as: Rise & Shine, Slider Bar, Things to Dip, Crispy & Delicious, Food on a Stick, Max’s Pizzas, Tossed Around, For Your Hands, With a Knife and Fork, Entertaining Side Dishes. I was in a sandwich kind of mood, had 3 in mind, and our waiter encouraged me towards the tuna salad sandwich.

Food/Presentation:
The Unforgettable Spicy Tuna Salad Sandwich – tomato, lettuce, pickled jalapenos, crushed bbq chips brushed with cilantro & avocado mayo
My sandwich was cut in half and separated on a wooden slab by cocoa & chili powder dusted waffle fries, chipotle aioli, and dill pickles. I was very pleased to see there were only 5 or so fries in the small glass. The brioche bun of the sandwich was soft and buttery, the tuna was well dressed (not too much mayo), but it wasn’t as spicy as I was expecting. I also didn’t notice the BBQ chips – I think they were mixed in with the tuna salad rather than placed on top as a condiment. I nitpick, but it was definitely delicious!

tuna salad sandwich

Milk Chocolate Apple Caramel Crisp – oatmeal streusel, toffee ice cream, pure melted cinnamon chocolate
Straight from the laboratory! Served on a graph paper glass dish with a small cup of toffee ice cream, a beaker of extra toffee sauce, and a cast iron pot of warm apple crisp. The crisp itself was more of a hard crust which was tasty, but the apples themselves weren’t great (too mushy for my liking). If you dig, there’s a chocolate surprising underneath the apples which added an extra richness.

dessert

Bathroom: Lights! Lights would be good here! The bathroom was so dark I couldn’t even take a picture (I use my ancient iPhone 3G without a flash). Small, with three stalls, and matching floor & wall patterned tiles. The mirror told me “You Look Extremely Good Today” (written on the bottom) and I wasn’t about to argue.

Wait Staff: Shayne was fantastic. He was excited this was our first time in the restaurant and made it clear that he would be available and willing to follow through with any request we had (including charging my cell phone in a back room so that I could take pictures of my entrée!). Genuine and very accommodating!

Overall: A fun and interesting new addition to Boylston Street! Prices aren’t outrageous, multiple food options are available, atmosphere is quirky and delicious (in sight & smell). A great spot for just dessert (Chocolate Surprise Tiramisu is next), hot chocolate on a chilly day (the options are endless & amazing), or a post-dinner coffee (Baileys cappuccino).
We received our check in a tin expressing “Money For Life, Chocolate For The Soul”. Inside I was expecting some type of after-dinner mint/chocolate, but to no avail! Why have a decorative tin with only the bill inside? A bit disappointing, considering we were surrounded by dozens of little chocolate treats.

check tin

The Perfect Bite: A bite of the Tuna Salad Sandwich with a smear of chipotle aioli. Next time I’ll add slices of avocado!

http://www.maxbrenner.com

This was my first visit to Papagayo which came highly recommended from my friend Dave who frequents there often. For someone like me who lives in Brighton and works in Back Bay, the location isn’t the easiest to get to via public transit, but there are plenty of metered parking spots if you’re going with a DD. The restaurant is large, spacious, and has a long bar backed by 100s of tequilas!

Bread: Chips & salsa of course! The chips were oiled and salted to perfection and the salsa had just enough spice.

: chips, salsa, guac

Menu: I’ve never taken a Spanish class a day in my life so please don’t think I’m undermining you with the subtitles: Antojitos (apps), Taquizas (tacos), Platos Fuertes (popular dishes), Ensaladas Y Sopas (salads & soups), Especiales de la Casa (house specials), Tortas Y Burgezas (sandwich served on house baked bread with chili dusted fries). Obviously we were ordering guacamole as an appetizer, so I tried to stick to a smaller entrée by ordering a taco salad (too bad I wasn’t aware of the large portion size!).

Food/Presentation:
Table Side Guacamole – hand hacked haas avocado
The great thing about table side guacamole is that it’s fresh, home-made, and customizable! The guac maker asked how spicy we wanted it (mild, medium, or hot) and you can add carrots and celery for $1 extra.

guac cart

Tostada Grande – choice of chicken tinga or muchaka with black beans, tomato, jack & cheddar cheeses
I went with the muchaka and was pleasantly surprised that it was in a pulled beef style rather than ground beef. The meat came topped with the salad components in a giant crispy tortilla shell. The salad was great, the meat being my favorite part, but it was way too big for me to finish. My only disappointment is that I had to add sliced avocado (shouldn’t that have been included in the first place?).

tostada grande

Margarita Snow Cones
If you’re a tequila fan I recommend this adult dessert. They’re a perfect little size and the flavors change daily. Featured below: pineapple, prickly pear, watermelon, and mango .. served with 4 tiny spoons!

adult snow cones

Bathroom: Besides the trash can overflowing with dirty paper towels, the restroom was sleek and clean. I liked the dark wood paneling and the lighting on the mirrors. The full length mirror was a plus but there were only 2 stalls which caused for congestion and lines.

bathroom

Wait Staff: I absolutely loved our waitress. She was joking around with us all night, the food service was in a timely fashion, and she encouraged us to get the signature margarita snow cones (which sounded like a great idea at the time but unfortunately helped lead to my demise). Being a new establishment, the manager came over to see how our evening was going and we had no complaints!

Overall: I tried to be a big girl and drink tequila like a real man, but let’s just say I will not be joining their Tequila Club (join the club, drink 100 different tequilas in 1 year and receive a dinner for 10!). The food was great and reasonably priced. The drinks I had were excellent, although I think I had one too many (red sangria, strawberry orange margarita, Patron XO Espresso martini – terrible combo). I was expecting it to be more crowded on a Saturday night (the manager said the bar is usually 3 people deep). A casual and growingly popular alternative for a Mexican restaurant!