We’ll see you in there.
Connect to customize your food & drink discovery.
By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Maxime's
If you like this, you’ll also like:
Maxime’s is a King West haunt with a name that leaves little room for mediocrity. Inspired by French luxury and culinary renown, with a name that can mean “the greatest,” Maxime’s is a place for over-the-top indulgence that you, and your camera, will greedily gobble up.
If you’re unsure of what to expect at Maxime’s, that doubt will fade the second you walk inside. It’s a space girded by walls of mirrors and plush velvet curtains that block the outside world. Statement lighting gives selfies a suitable glow while floor-to-ceiling screens flash the type of unscripted, idyllic images that can best be described as dreamlike. Add to that an attention-seeking clientele, a roster of dramatic dishes and drinks, and you have all the trappings of a King West sensation.
Still, assures Scale corporate executive chef, Ted Corrado, Maxime’s isn’t just for special occasions. “We get a really diverse crowd here,” he explains. “We get people at 6:30, they’re here for the food and less show. Also celebrations and business meetings.”
Yes, Maxime’s radiates energy and every detail predicts a good time, yet, adds Corrado, it’s not all smoke and mirrors (though there’s no shortage of either in the small space). “From the culinary side, we try to be top notch,” he explains. “We have the best steaks we can get in. It’s not just built around the show, there’s substance to it. I don’t think I could do something if there wasn’t that integrity to it. I can stand behind all the food here.”
“The idea was to be inspired by French cuisine and do it in a fun, vibey environment and layer in this steak and seafood focus,” says Corrado. “There’s a variety of different steaks that we’re carrying, and seafood, caviar, truffles. A lot of those decadent classics that people are drawn to.”
Dive into the opulent options with striking cocktails designed to settle guests into the Maxime’s experience. The team’s riff on a classic gin sour, La Perla is a perky combination of Tanqueray, pistachio orgeat, Briottet Apricot and lemon juice with a frothy cap of egg white. Smooth with a lick of heat, pineapple and lime juice, Hot & Bothered is a sultry way for tequila fans to get their fix.
Poured tableside from chilled mini-shakers, Maxime’s Martinis spew the type of dry-ice fog Instagram can’t resist. Bright and juicy, the Lychee version is an easy-drinking blend of Ketel One Vodka, Soho Lychee Liqueur, fresh lychee juice and white vermouth.
Cocktail in hand, it’s time to focus on food. From quivering oysters with peppy peach Chardonnay mignonette to a Caesar speckled with wagyu beef bacon, starters grab diners’ attention from the outset. As Corrado says, “we could have used regular lardons but we actually created that recipe just for that dish.”
Beef Tartare is a happy amalgam of the usual suspects — think lean beef, cornichon, Dijon, shallots, et al — heightened by caviar, lemon crème fraiche and a coquettish crystal serving dish, complete with a lid.
That decadence chef Corrado mentioned? Sure, it’s peppered throughout the menu but order Maxime’s Smoking Hot Seafood Tower if you crave a massive dose. A striking display designed to drop anyone who orders it directly into luxury’s lap, this is the must-have for diners looking to impress. Stacked with a who’s who of Poseidon’s nearest and dearest, it’s capped off with clams that are showered tableside in lemon-spiked herb butter. Together with the freshness of each bite, the visual and auditory effects combine into Corrado’s ideal of dinner and a show.
Mains are equally luxe, with a current of old-world nostalgia running through dishes like Clams Casino and Spicy Vodka Rigatoni. Available, as are all pastas, in a half or full-size portion, the rigatoni fits into any meal plan as an appetizer, a shared plate, or a saucy, sizzling main for one.
Still, avers Corrado, “our focus is on steak and seafood, %100. You can come in and have a few apps and awesome cocktails but I highly recommend you get into the steak and the seafood.”
He adds, “we wanted to touch Australian, U.S., Canadian, just get the best steaks we can. Then, rotate different things through. We kind of nerd out on where they’re coming from. We bring in different things and keep it fresh.”
On any given day, diners might find Canadian Prime, Japanese A5 Wagyu and the restaurant’s signature, the Maxime’s Cut’s. A wagyu zabuton, Corrado says the cut has “the bite of a steak without being too rich and decadent. We were doing these tastings and then we found that one and it really popped for me. I thought, ‘This has to become our signature steak.’ Just because it’s a little different.” Simply grilled, then hit with the team’s special spice blend, the meat needs nothing more to stand gorgeously on its own.
Silky Truffle Mashed Potatoes and crumb-topped, über-rich Mac & Cheese round out the type of “big feast” Corrado recommends.
Perhaps the most show-stopping of all the menu’s items, desserts are fan-favourite classics revived for a new audience. A culinary relic that’s been around so long it’s seen its popularity rise and wane, then rise and wane again, baked Alaska is a somewhat illogical combination of ice cream and toasted merengue. Get it wrong, and you have a soupy mess. Pushing things one step further, the team at Maxime’s bakes, then flambés its Bananas Foster Baked Alaska. The end result? Irresistible tableside drama followed by rum-soaked, fruity, sweet, caramel-kissed indulgence.
The Tsunami Tiramisu, meanwhile, is a monumental, Frangelico-laced serving. Tenuously held by an acetate girdle it cascades onto the plate into a messy mascarpone pool you’ll fight to lap up.
With options for wild nights out, dreamy date nights, and cozy cocktail hours with friends, Maxime’s is the type of friend you want to keep close, no matter the occasion.
Recommended For You
