Max of Eastman Place

This review is for Max Catering at the Eastman Place venue — just attended a wedding and while the appetizers and dinner were tasty, the dinner was COLD, salad was limp and very small and seemed to have no dressing per several places, no bread & butter plates on one table, not enough rolls for some who wanted two, no forks/​plates provided to eat the wedding cupcakes which caused quite a line up in the ladies room to wash hands to remove the sticky frosting! The dinner napkins were literally snatched from each guest at end of dinner. Later learned that some members of wedding party were to have gluten free cupcakes and the ones provided had NOT been kept aside and were mixed in with the regular ones, really??? The execution to detail was clearly not there and I know the family spent a great deal of money for what should have been a lovely experience. I am sure the wedding party was oblivious to this due to the excitement of the occasion but I can assure Max’s that there will be no later business from many of the guests due to such a poor exhibition of service.

Somewhat disappointed to say that additional visits have not been as impressive. Each return has been work-​related, so we have always had full 3– and 4– course meals with a bottle of wine to impress visitors. The service continues to be good, but the food has been inconsistent. At times good, and at times completely puzzling to me. This has not turned out to be the reliable fine dining establishment I had hoped for, but happy to continue to return for work-​related events.

We won’t be back. Although the food was excellent the service was extremely disappointing. We were not in any rush but it took an hour between when we were seated and when we were served our entrees. We had to ask for our rolls to be served, after noticing that both tables on either side of us had received their drinks and first two courses. I asked to speak to the manager and she demonstrated little understanding. She asked me what I ordered — filet medium rare — as though that might justify the delay. There was no effort to acknowledge the delay, nor any offer to comp any part of our experience. Sorry but this was disappointing.

While the location of this restaurant is not very appealing, just off Main Street and in a boring modern building, once you step inside you are transported to a place of beauty for all the senses. The interior design is impeccable. The excellent service starts the moment you walk in from the hostesss to the servers. The wine selection was very nice and reasonable and the food was better than most. My scallops were to die for and my husband raved about his salmon. It wasn’t too quiet or too loud and it wasn’t stuffy. Our server was so personable we didn’t mind leaving a very generous tip. We look forward to returning very soon. Nice, romantic dinner.

This was one of the first dining experiences I had in Rochester, which is a very good thing as it was quite enjoyable. Great location, pleasant interior design, lovely food, great service. I either shared, tasted, or devoured several dishes between appetizers, entrees and dessert. Some were excellent, other were good, and none were less than either. I did not find any of the dishes to be particularly inventive or extraordinary, but they were consistently good. Seems like a quality restaurant, and I predict this will be a regular go-​to for dinner.

We came here tonight for our 45″ anniversary and we’re blown àway. I had the steak and Niles had a Caesar salad and the loveliest pork chop we have ever seen. We ordered a Du Mol Syrah 2010 which has been described as «drop dead gorgeous» and it was. For dessert we had the warm and deep apple crisp with vanilla gelato. I am ready to celebrate again next week. 5 stars from us *****

Great venue for the Jazz Festival. Experienced two programs on Sunsay for Jane Bunnett and her Cuban friends.
The first program st 6:00PM was softer, jazzier. With a crowd eager to listen to participate. The soft Sun lights filtering and giving the scenario a soft glow.
The program opened with a salute to Yemaya! After that, even if they didn’t play anything else it would have been great.
The second program, at 10:00PM was more Afro-​Cuban in the beat and pace. As Gloria sings” the rythm is going to get you”.
Full bar and limited menu for the show available. Service excellent.

Used for a memorial I was hired to coordinate with special foods and short notice. The service as fabulous the food was excellent staff. Went above and beyond there needs made me look great with my client if the need arises again my first and only call will be to Max’s

We were taken here recently by some friends and we were blown away! We arrived early to get a drink at the bar. The bar had many fine Scotches and bourbons to choose from (I am a bourbon guy) and my companions were impressed with the wine list. The bartender was knowledgeable and friendly. Tje service in the restaurant was also knowledgeable and friendly as well as accommodating. All the meals arrived as ordered and cooked to perfection. Portions were large enough that I didn’t even order dessert (a rare event for me!). This is definitely a place to go to celebrate a special occasion, impress a first date or just to go and get an amazing dinner.

Amazing service and details to dishes! There are a lot of places that «try» to be high-​end, but this place from service to food is definitely a dinner-​type-​of place. The scallop we had for appetizer was memorable. Main dish and salad were great! It’s really a great find for us. Perfect for dinner.

What could be better than this? A delicious dinner followed by a great concert. All 4 of us raved about outstanding dinner. My choice was the rarely seen, 0sso Bucco, any more. Even the bone was removed. A first for me. Chef Tony out did himself. The ladies praised their scallops. My son — law devored his 16 Oz rib — eye steak much to our surprise. The service was performed by an obviously very professional waiter. To top it off, our car was waiting for us by the front door immediately after the RPO performance.

Great location next to Eastman Theater. Great attentive, prompt service. The ambiance is top notch. The food is also excellent, but fell just short of 5 stars. My steak was great but the fries that came with it were not fresh. Would definitely come again, and bring my date!

I dined at Max of Eastman for my birthday dinner, which was a few months ago, so this will be a less than specific review. The staff, selection, wine, cocktails were all great. The food just didn’t wow me as I had anticipated. This was around the time of the PGA Championship and rumors were swirling about Tiger Woods dining here, some of the other golfers, and it always seems to be one of the places that people consider top notch. Honestly I think my expectations might have been to high. Unlike my other «ok» ratings (Black and Blue, 2-​Vine) I would likely come back and try to temper my expectations a bit. Again there was nothing bad, but I had heard so many good thins about this location that I was expecting a meal unlike anything other in my life and the meal was good but not spectacular.

This date night was long overdue and what a perfect excuse for a well-​deserved steak after weeks of packing, moving, cleaning, and unpacking. Truthfully, I was excited to get dressed up and feel like a real person again. No more takeout!
The restaurant was quieter than I expected, perhaps because it was Labor Day weekend. It surprised me even more after I tasted the food and was shocked more people weren’t flocking here for the goods.
We ordered a bottle of red wine (Vina Rufina Alta Gama 1999) and started with the mussels. We attempted to refuse the sourdough and honey wheat bread they offered, but after the waitress reminded us how good it is dipped in the white wine broth, we caved to the carbs. Mind you, it was a spectacular pairing — crusty sourdough softened by the rich buttery broth. I prefer mussels steamed in this manner with a white wine broth and topped with scallions.
For my entrée, I ordered the filet special which came with pan fried fingerling potatoes and swiss chard. The steak was served with a mushroom red wine sauce. It was so rich and flavorful, pulling in a hint of earthiness. I soaked up every last bite with that juice from the Gods — one of my favorite steaks up to the day of my writing this review. P. S. the bf ordered the Ribeye and was jealous of my dish so opt for the special if you can. Although, his fries were amazing. I maybe ate half of them — crispy, topped with thick grates of parmesean. Oh yeah!
We had to finish our meal with dessert, but after stuffing ourselves we opted to share the chocolate molten cake with raspberry sorbet and a cappuccino. I wanted a few bites of chocolate to finish my wine and I got my fill with just that, but the raspberry sorbet was unreal! That’s my kind of dessert. It’s probably best that there was only a scoop on the plate because I would have overindulged otherwise.
The service was wonderful — classy, attentive, kind, and knowledgeable about every item on the menu. Can’t wait to go back.

My wife and I are regulars at Max Eastman because the food is consistently excellent, the staff is well trained, efficient and friendly and the wine list is interesting, eclectic and priced well below what you’ll see at other restaurants. Chef Tony has the formula down and it is executed very well, time after time.
For a special event, bring a table of friends and ask for a 5 course tasting menu. The restaurant always rises to the occasion. We love this place!

Eateries like this are part of what I like best about Roc.
Very classy, impressive dining experience all for the same prices that you would pay for mediocre chain restaurants in a city like New York or Chicago. The setup here is a little peculiar in that it’s located inside of Eastman and there are two dining rooms divided between an atrium. Reservations and seating were handled with ease.
This is a great place for pre-​RPO or other show dinner, and most of the other diners had their sunday best outfits on for that reason, so I’d ditch the jeans if I were you.
Bread service was unique in that, a slice of freshly baked warm bread is served to you rather than being given a bread basket. At first I was like «stingy bastards» but the bread was soooo good I know I would have filled up on it if given a bountiful basket of it to nosh on.
My caesar salad was prob the most unimpressive part of the meal; looked like iceberg lettuce but tasted ok. The pork chop I had was leaps and bounds above any I have had before. Sitting on top of a bed of spaetzle and shredded red cabbage, topped with apples, I damn near inhaled it. The specials seem to be focused on seafood however so I would have gotten some if I liked seafood.
The entrees range from 25 – 35 bucks so this isn’t everyday dining for guys like me, but certainly not prohibitively expensive, although with wine and drinks the bill can add up. Still I think the whole experience is a value. Great place to take a date you want to impress, parents in town etc.

Went for dinner before RPO. very prompt service. Great wine choice and the waiter helped make a selection. all five of us ordered salads which were fresh, well presented and dressing delicious and just the colorectal amt. I selected lamb chop the best I have eaten in recent years. dinner included dessert and coffee/​tea was over in time for the show.
Recommend a meal at Max

My boyfriend and I came here for Valentine’s day last year and I have heard some great reviews for this place so I was really excited to try the food here. Maybe it was just what we order or something had gone extremely wrong that night, the food was blah… no taste… not impressive… plain…poorly executed… need to say more? My boyfriend and I just hate it so so so much. The waiter was really nice but the food was just bad! never going back, waste of my money! no serious, this place was really pricey and for the food that we got, I rather go to the distillery.

If this is one of the best in Rochester, as Alex N. claims, then I feel bad for Rochester. Although the service was friendly and competent, and although the wine list, though short, was well chosen, the food was neither delicious nor creative, and the space is rather awkward. I may be harsh giving it only 3 stars, but I’m not convinced, especially in the great food state of New York, that it deserves any more. Perhaps in the Rochester bubble it is considered fine dining, but to this grumpy gourmet it was far from fine and humdrum dining.

Best we’ve had in Roc so far.
We started with gnocchi and beet salad. The gnocchi was soft and sort of melted in your mouth but had just enough substance. It was prepared with cheese, prosciutto, and truffle butter. The dish was pleasantly light and all of the flavors mixed well. The beet salad had refreshing interesting flavors, but they didn’t really come together. It was prepared with pickled blueberries, goat cheese, and mint. The mint was amazingly fresh and would make the dish worth ordering again for me.
For dinner I had the Pork chop, which was larger than expected, it had a spicy, chiavetta’s type sauce. and came with a nice vegetable mix — great summer dish. My wife had the halibut special, which was the winner for the night — it was served over truffles and fennel. All the flavors combined in every bite. We’d definitely get this special again.
We had molten chocolate lava cake with sour cherry gelato. The cake was not gooey enough in the center but the gelato was very good.
Alex N gave a good description of the dining room and atrium.

We live in NYC and travel to Rochester to visit family. When in town, we always do our best to sample what the city and region has to offer beyond Wegmans, Bowling and Garbage Plates.
Max of Eastman Place is Rochester’s best example of New American we’ve found. We’ve been there a couple times and been pleasantly surprised at the inventiveness of the chef.
It’s a bit pricey and formal, but well worth it for a special evening or for someone craving something a little more original.

Nice restaurant but not as good as I expected. The service was a bit slow even though it is a small place. I had the mahi mahi which was well made but nothing special. My wife had the chicken which was surprisingly good. Very well made.
The atmosphere really depends on who’s sitting at the next table. We ended up beside some chatty folks and it was extremely annoying. So if you’re looking for an intimate evening, this isn’t the place.
The crowd there was a good bit older so if you’re looking for younger people try Good Luck or Lento.
Overall a good restaurant but there’s much better places in Rochester.

One of the best in Rochester. My girlfriend and I went for an early Valentine’s/Anniversary dinner. I found the entrance a bit awkward, as it is located in the Eastman School. They basically own the entire right side of the building. It looked like you can host large parties in the atrium, lounge in the bar, or have dinner in the dining room (both separated by the atrium). The dining area is a bit small, so make sure you make reservations, no matter which day it is.
I found the staff very personable, even when this is probably one of the most expensive places in Rochester. We shared the beef tartare and the baked oysters. The tartare, while good, was nothing special and the oysters came in an odd number (5) which was not exactly a good split, but tasted fantastic. We (again. i think we always order the same thing) had the salmon and lamb. My lamb was the shank rather than the chop (as listed). However, this did not make the meal any less perfect. I cannot attest to the salmon as I was not able to taste (she must have thought it was too good share!).
The most memorable part of the meal was the dessert, which I never would have thought was the strength of this restaurant. It was a crêpe filled with a kumquat gelee, among other ingredients, which for Rochester is completely original.
Also noted, Chef Tony likes to schmooze with the clientele when dinner service starts to wind down. He is a great guy and I’m sure he could be successful outside of Rochester (even though he seems dedicated to this city). The place could use a sommelier, but I really wasn’t here for the wine. I give it a 5 for being among the best in Rochester. After all it is all relative.