Ric G. wrote: >REALITY CHECK NEEDED HERE: Service/food quality at the Palo Alto Max's in >Stanford Shopping Center seems consistency less than the other Maxs' I've >been to: 1) the short-lived Max's Eatz in downtown Palo Alto, and 2) the >Max's in Burlingham just off Bayshore (not too far from SFO). My pet peeve >is that the PA/SSC Max's just doesn't understand the concept of "lean, lean, >lean" when it comes to a Corned Beef Sandwich. Also, the servers always seem >to have a touch of attitude when I'm there (although it's true - I'm usually >dressed casually) that I don't experience at the others. Hi, Ric, I've visited 5 branches of Max's in the city - Max's Opera Plaza (the original), Max's Diner, Max's Eatz, another Max's at California & Market, and Max's that does chicken (I think it's called Max's Boychick). I've been going to them since they opened up. My experience is that quality varies wildly. I've had some what I considered pretty good deli food there, and some truly awful fare. (I'm a Miami deli snob.) Service has varied from pretty decent to terrible. (Seems better at Opera Plaza in general than at Max's Diner.) I go back once in a while because it's the only place I know of with anything close to what I consider decent corned beef. Sure, I'd rather be in Miami or New York for that, but I'm not. Max's is the best I've found. OTOH their slaw and potato salad have nothing to do with slaw and potato salad. IMO, Brothers' Deli in Boringame is not a very good alternative. I've been quite a few times - I used to work on the Peninsula - and I would consider it substandard imitation deli fare. It strikes me as the kind of thing you get when you go to typical delis in Washington, DC or Philadelphia - their menu looks like it was done in New York, but the food has been done elsewhere. I don't understand why people on this forum keep recommending it. (Yes, I have been there recently.) Good eating! David Goldsmith
San Francisco Bay Area, CA