In an area where a restaurant is ready for retirement after three or four years, the ongoing success of Darrel Broek and Oliver Saucy’s Cafe Maxx is a shimmering thread in South Florida’s culinary tapestry. Saucy, who is executive chef working in the back of the house, and Broek, the engaging manager who keeps the front humming, bought the restaurant from Dennis Max in 1988 and have surged steadily forward ever since.
The restaurant has evolved in the past few years, especially, into a convivial club, populated most nights by a crowd of happy habitues who enjoy the friendly service (the turnover rate is exceptionally low) and comfortable atmosphere as much as the consistently pleasing food turned out by Saucy and his crew. Thankfully, even with other satellite restaurants (East City Grill on the beach at Las Olas, another in Vero Beach and more in the works), the energy hasn’t diminished at the mother ship.
Going through menus from several visits over the past few weeks, it’s a pleasure to discover that Saucy can still describe his creations on a single line on the menu and that his efforts continue to explore interesting flavor combinations without forcing diners to bring the Larousse Gastronomique to figure out what is on their plates.
A simple dish like angel hair pasta with a fresh tomato-basil sauce is enlivened by shrimp sauteed in garlic ($11.95), a quail barbecued with Chinese pepper and spices is served with an Asian noodle cake ($10.95), and I’m so happy he continues to bring in New York state foie gras to sautee with tropical fruit, like his pear-banana jam one night, or papaya relish another ($14.95).
These dishes aren’t exactly simple, but they are imbued with a simplicity that releases all their flavors in loving balance. One of my favorite starters is the meaty crab cake with lime tartar sauce and black beans ($13.95), a dish in which the accompaniments accent rather than overwhelm the main flavor. A vibrant starter is an entire ball of mozzarella marinated and wrapped in prosciutto and a large leaf of romaine lettuce, then served with a tangy vinaigrette with sun-dried tomatoes ($9.25). A summer favorite was a cold salad of shrimp, jicama and avocado with an ancho-lime vinaigrette.
About half the entrees at Cafe Maxx are prepared on the grill, including one seafood dish that lingers in the mind, a thick fillet of grouper with shrimp and roasted peppers ($24.95). Another night, a similar combination was available with wahoo as its base, and I recall with equal delight a barbecued salmon with Asian spices and a heady bouquet of ginger and green onions ($24.50). A regular menu item is a sweet onion-crusted snapper with Madeira sauce ($26.50).
Meat dishes are very good, especially a fork-tender, orange-glazed duck breast with roasted corn custard ($24.95). Another popular duck preparation offers the meat with a hoisin and honey glaze ($23). Beef dishes often gravitate to equally tender fillets with a peppercorn crust ($28.75), and a dish as simple as a roast chicken with lemon and herbs ($21) is transformed into an ethereal delight at Cafe Maxx.
The difficulty in writing about this comfortable, satisfying and, indeed, expensive restaurant is that nearly everything comes out in superlatives, whether we’re discussing a jerk-roasted pork tenderloin ($22) or cashew-crusted chicken with mashed sweet potatoes ($21.50). That particular dish had too much vanilla, but if that’s the only complaint one can muster after several filling visits, then Saucy and company are clearly doing something right.
One can’t discuss Cafe Maxx without talking about the restaurant’s exceptional bar and its well-targeted emphasis on fine wines, mostly North American. There’s hardly a boutique bottle that shows up in the wine press that doesn’t also appear on the Cafe Maxx list at one time or another. Best of all, Saucy is sensitive to wine, a quality he shares with the wait staff, which is well-versed on the wine list and wine and food pairings. Prices are high, but so is the quality.
Saucy and his team at Cafe Maxx, including talented pastry chef Lauren Parrish, work together like a tightly knit family, and the results show up every night on the table. One of the hallmarks of a four-star restaurant is consistency, the ability to perform night after night at a high level. The restaurant has both quality and consistency, well, to the Maxx.
M.L. Warren is a pseudonym to protect our dining critic’s anonymity. Please phone in advance to confirm information on hours, prices, menu items and facilities.
Cuisine: American
2601 E. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach
954-782-0606
Cost: Expensive
Credit Cards: All major
Hours: Dinner nightly
Reservations: Recommended
Bar: Full facilities
Smoking: areas allowing and prohibiting
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
* Poor ** Fair *** Good **** Excellent
