Ristorante Macelleria Maxelâ

The New York Times gave a good review on this place so when I was visiting Genoa, I had this in my back pocket of places to go eat. Originally my travel companion and I went to a different restaurant also recommended by the NY Times, but they were closed for lunch. Stumbling around Genoa’s streets, we found Maxela instead. So in a way, it was serendipitous that we get to dine here.
This establishment is divided into 2 sections with a restaurant on one side and the meat shop on the other near the entrance. As soon as we entered, beautiful cuts of meats of all kinds were proudly on display in refrigerator cases. That was the moment as a traveler wishing my kitchen is nearby so I can buy some of the meat and cook up a feast. Without despair, the restaurant would be a wonderful solution to satisfy my desire.
Although this restaurant is famous for its meat dishes, they do serve other non-​meat options such as salad, soup and pastas for lesser meat fans. I wasn’t very hungry for meat that day and was craving for some comfort food after being on the road for over a week. I had a small mixed salad and a plate of Farfalle pasta all amatricina, which is pasta in a bacon (cured in house) in tomatoes sauce with a slightly spicy flavor. My pasta was literally filled with crispy bacon pieces in tangy tomatoes sauce. Absolutely delicious! My hungry dining companion had the steak grilled with a side salad. I did get a taste of my travel companion’s steak and it was very juicy, the texture was very tender, and it was grilled just perfectly medium rare. It tasted like meat, irony, a little gamy, but good!
As we were eating, the dining room started filling up with workers on their lunch break. All sorts of steaks and even hamburger were coming out of the kitchen. They all looked good and the smell of grilled steak was intoxicating. Truly a carnivore heaven! The place is modestly decorated, but the food speaks volume. So once again, it pays to read the newspaper and we found this great eatery.
Date of Visit: May 14, 2012