That I ate the best ever Fried Green Tomatoes at Max London's should be no surprise to me or anyone else. I am always amazed that the London Empire of Saratoga Springs never lets us down. Over the last couple of days, Washington County (and the greater North Country, NY) has hosted some very distinguished Foodies in its lap, without perhaps even knowing so. That these foodies marveled at the discoveries made at Mrs. London's and Max London's, did not come to me as a surprise, but certainly shocked and awed our guests. It is a testament to the talents, the vision and the love that permeates every plate that comes out of the kitchen at Max London's and all the confections at Mrs. London's.
Michael London has many reasons to smile and love proudly. Not the least of which are his two beyond beautiful and amazingly kind children. Sophie and Max. They are as dreamy in their persona as they are with their myriad talents and beautiful smiles. Of course Michael also has Wendy as his wife and partner in delicious crime. How could a man so blessed ever not smile? But Michael has a much deeper rooted reason to smile and live without fear. His lifelong love for quality-great-delicious-food. No compromises ever, and no following of trends. It seems Michael has created more trends than followed any. If America is to feel blessed that it has some quality artisanal bread in its fold, most credit should go to Michael London. At least if you study the evolution of bread in earnest. Beyond the fluff and the egos that today seem to fight for credit and keep it even if not due to them. How lucky Charlie and I were last evening, to have had the good luck and blessing of sitting down to dinner with Michael. The man behind the woman and young man that keep Mrs. London's and Max London's the temples or guardians of good food in North Country for sure, but perhaps also in the US and overseas. Our guests the last couple of nights included Greg Drescher of the CIA and his wife Mai Pham (The owner/chef of Lemongrass in Sacramento, perhaps the greatest Vietnamese restaurant in the US, and one of the best in the world). Also with us were Saori Kawano of Korin in NYC and Joe Profaci of Good Stuff Marketing (who was formerly with Colavita). All people that love food and have eaten great food the world over. It is not easy hosting such people. We always wonder how they would accept our local fare. And always, we remember two places that are a must go with such guests. Actually three. Mrs. London's, Max London's in Saratoga and Depot 62 in Manchester. This time again, none of them failed us. In fact they astounded all. Mai Pham could not believe that tucked away between the Green Mountains in VT and the Adirondacks in NY our remote valley of rural bliss could have such great quality food. She even said Sacramento, the capital of CA, did not have such fine finds. That was what made me realize once again how truly blessed we are. As far as Mrs. London's and Max London's go, we have Michael London to thank for a lot of that. A man with great intellect, brilliant taste buds, a lifetime devoted to the enjoyment and sharing of great food and one who only shares it in great style. Everyone we have brought to his establishments quickly suggests that moving these two fine establishments to NYC or Chicago, or SF or LA would make this many so much more successful and uniquely placed in the world of food. He would be an instant legend. Michael is happy where he is at. Michael is happy wowing the locals and those that come to him whilst summering in North Country. Michael is happy even if no one else enjoys his creations. WHY? Because Michael knows he has given everything that has his name or support, the very best money can buy, and the very best talent can create. It is this happiness that makes him an especially lucky man, and those of us that eat his creations, that much happier. Thanks Michael!
I barely had an appetite, but after devouring the fried green tomatoes in minutes, I was hungrily taking bites off of Charlie's Apple Salad. Made with arugula, apples manchego cheese, serrano ham, marcona almonds and a cider vinaigrette, it is divine. The culinary artistry that enriches the foods served at Max's kitchen is very special and very honest. Clifton Booth, who is the chef de cuisine is in command of the kitchen and with great gusto and pride. Max and Cliff have a unique relationship and the guests are lucky for it. Theirs is food without ego, without fuss and without tortured drama - it is food that is brilliant in simplicity of execution and presentation but far from simple or small in taste and flavor. As you can see I was not quick enough to take the photograph, because the salad was almost gone before I got to it.
Cliff sent us the Margherita with one of our own eggs in the center. The pizzas at Max's are divine and a rare find in this area. Other than Depot 62, where the pizzas maybe a stiff competition for Max's, there is no other place to get a decent version of the Italian classic. Of course we have plenty of the ooey-gooey American kind. And sadly, NYC and our travels and associations with great chefs, have rendered us useless in the appreciation of pizza of that ilk. Luckily we have two places, each almost 45 minutes away from us, but that is close as far as country distances go - and both these places make amazing pizza, that we are always delighted to feast on.
The room has the feel of being designed to seem comfortable on the eyes. Nothing really yells out for attention, and yet the eyes never seem to be at a loss for discovering treasures. This is the kind of restaurant space that is ideal for a table of people into beautiful rooms, and into finding discoveries whilst enjoying a stupendous dinner. It is also perfect for those horrible times when one is stuck with someone at dinner with whom there is nothing in common. During such miserable moments, this restaurant will surely please. There is much eye candy (and I mean the non-human kind here) that will give you reason to find something to enjoy, talk about and even be excited by. The light is never anything but splendid. During the day you can enjoy every detail of every wondrous antique and collectible tucked away with great elan all around the restaurant. At night, you can enjoy the golden glow that elevates the antiques and the people into newer levels of beauty. Every detail has been planned carefully. And every care has been taken to spare you theatrics that so many restaurants indulge in when working with designers that have big names, but also try too hard to design. The kind of sophistry that makes the food at Max London's special, a sophistry of sophistication is also luckily the DNA of this space.
What beautiful fish is always served here. North Country is not the place I would ever think of finding or savoring great quality seafood. At Max's, you can rest assured that only the best quailty, sustainable fish will come on your plate. Michael enjoyed his salmon. And I savored one bite of it. The skin was crackling crisp and the sauce light and lovely, perfect for summer.
Mushroom and English Pea Risotto was what I ordered. Cliff was kind enough to make it vegetarian for me. The menu had it with some ham. I would have no qualms anymore about eating it with ham, but when I do dine just with Charlie, or with friends, I try to be vegetarian. It is when working and being hosted by chefs, that I allow myself the indulgence of meat, quite happily. This risotto was perfectly cooked. Perfectly salty and savory. Perfectly toothsome. And perfectly cheesy. The mantecatura was handled perfectly and not forgotten. I am sure most places serving risotto outside of the metropolis cities do not even know this Italian word. The cheese and butter were perfectly mixed and so rapidly that I was able to enjoy their power whilst tasting the flavors of the peas, mushrooms, the rice and the dish in entirety. I ate ALL of it. Thinking before I placed the order that I would only eat a couple of tastes. Ordering it more to keep Michael company. I always tell people that I get fat eating good food and too much of it.
Yesterday was an odd day for Charlie and I. We had indulged way TOO much the two days before. And luckily both days had included the magical edibles prepared by the London's. And so, in a very rare occurrence for our lives, we only ordered one each of the sorbets. Sorbets made by Wendy London are not sorbets. They are heavenly creations, fit for the Gods, and fit for those that the Gods must worship. These are indulgences that take you to places mere mortals would never visit otherwise. Anyone tasting her desserts, ice creams and sorbets must come prepared to be spoiled for a lifetime, and changed forever. Last night we enjoyed Black Mint, Strawberry and Pineapple sorbets. The pineapple was infused with some rosemary. It was DEEEVINE! Michael, Charlie and I were grunting and groaning with sounds of pleasure as we ate it. But we had similar sounds emanating from us as we tasted the Black Mint, made with wild mint from the London homestead in Greenwich. As steeped in the art of discovering and mixing flavors as the first two sorbets were, the last one, the strawberry, was all about celebrating strawberry. Both Michael and I uttered together that the sorbet was like eating frozen-mashed strawberries that had been picked when perfectly ripe. They were unabashedly strawberry and nothing short of strawberry and nothing more than strawberry. But what can make the enjoyment of anything go beyond just taste? The total experience! At Max London's the sorbets and ice creams come served in special dishes. The sorbets were placed in stainless cups. In NYC, there are chefs with fine reputations and legend that also serve in stainless, but their cups are very generic and ordinary. Trust Wendy and Michael to have found cups with great style. Still old fashioned and comforting to the eye, but for those of us into details, far from ordinary. It is this sort of mixing comfort with elegance, simple with exotic, daring with basic that is always at play when dining at the London establishments. It is this that shall always keep them beyond others, and also keep them a favorite of those of us that want food to be delicious, honest, tasty, comforting, sexy, chic, well priced and special all at once.
We were not alone in enjoying desserts. The ladies at the table next to ours, were indulging in the budino and the panna cotta with the blueberries and strawberries. Once you eat the Budino made by Wendy at Max London's, you get a new appreciation for that dessert and you also understand why Wendy may truly be a Goddess of all things sweet. And I thought Budino was enough of a revelation for us to think Wendy is beyond the mortal realm of pastry chefs. How wrong I was. In her hands, the classic panna cotta that so many chefs do so beautifully takes on new meaning. It is transformed into an utterly delicious and sophisticated dessert that is not just about the cooked italian cream but about the sum of its parts. In the case of her panna cotta it is about a perfect harmony between the cream and the summer fruit. The cream so perfectly set that is just set enough to support the weigh of the berries, but so delicate still that the spoon and my tongue, broke it into a sauce that immediately enrobed the berry with its richness and gave that bold flavors a tempering that exalted them to heights they would have never known had it not been for Wendy. And certainly gave the dish a place at the very high pedestal on which I place all of Wendy's creations. We left the table very comforted, very satisfied and very thrilled. Having had the company of Michael alone was a treat for us, but the food only added to the luster of the magical evening. I told Michael we always remember our meals at Max's forever, and yesterday will be no exception.
Another London I think is ready to rock the world of North Country. And this one is no stranger to people who know Michael and Wendy. It is their beautiful and beyond kind daughter, Sophie. Her husband Felipe and she have moved to North Country, and are poised to add their own magic to the London empire. I cannot wait to see where they land, and how they too add another layer of magic to our lives around here. This little corner as you enter Max London's is Sophie's choice of edible retail items and those items that make it possible for people to create edible gems. You cannot go wrong buying her goods. You will soon be cooking and eating as the London's do. And for that alone you will be so much richer and better. I for one want to see this little nook become a small (not too big) store selling amazingly wonderful edibles and kitchen tchatchkas that only the London's can discover and share with us. For now go indulge in these wares when you dine at Max London's or next door at Mrs. London's.
Max London's Restaurant & Bar
466 Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY
518-587-3535
Mrs. London's is magic indeed. When I want a taste of Paris, I go there and am never disappointed. Every member of my family has their own favorite Mrs. London's pastry.
Max's has the most interesting menu outside of NYC, and everything I ever ate there was luscious. We are lucky to have them so close!!!
Posted by: Sally | Sunday, June 27, 2010 at 06:48 PM
Luscious is a good way to describe all the food at Max's. And yes, we are indeed very LUCKY to have them so close. I count my blessings around that fact daily.
Posted by: suvir saran | Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 10:55 AM