537 Suismon St
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
My boyfriend called me this afternoon to see if I wanted to go to Max's for dinner tonight. He's been there once before, and I've been a few times. The food is always heavy, rich, and delicious - exactly the opposite of anything someone should eat who is trying to maintain a healthy diet. I immediately said yes and spent the next hour decided what I wanted to order.
Max's is a quiant and cozy place in the Northside area of Pittsburgh. The restaurant is divided into two sections, one with a bar atmosphere. The other side has a quieter, more formal feel. I never sit there. Luckily, they give you the option of where to sit, when they have enough open seating to provide options.
The stuffed pretzels are always amazing, being made fresh throughout the day, and served with a good spicy mustard. You get two in an order, so it's perfect for splitting. Our pretzels never arrived, however. That was the first disappointment.
As an entree, I ordered the hasenpfeffer, which is traditionally a rabbit stew. The rabbit was good, but there was no stew. Instead, I got pieces of rabbit on the bone, covered in a spiced red wine sauce. The sauce was rich, but lacking in flavor, and it turned the outside of the rabbit into a sort of mush. The rabbit itself was cooked wonderfully, which made the whole experience mostly enjoyable, despite the fact that I spent a large portion of the meal pulling tiny bones out of my mouth in the most attractive fashion I could, which doesn't say much, because pulling bones out of your mouth is never fashionable.
For dessert, I got the standard German chocolate cake. While I felt the cake should be made with a more bitter chocolate, the complaints end there. The cake was moist, and the chocolate whipped icing went perfectly with the coconut filling between its three layers. The large slice was gone in less than five minutes.
Overall, Max's Allegheny Tavern delivers a good German experience, for those with stomachs than can take the rich German food. While the hasenpfeffer is an acceptable option, I will continue to opt for the sausages in my future goings.
Service: 2/5
Efficiency: 5/5
Quality: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
