Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

For date-night dining, Max ticks all boxes

Dave Trimmer And Dan Coyle Correspondents

Too many busy nights had kept getting in the way of date night when one of us found himself at home too tired to cook and feeling too guilty to ask the boss.

Time to squeeze in that date night.

Fortunately we’re both lucky: A burger and a beer or pizza and wine often works in those situations.

But this was one of those times where your often clueless correspondent knew that more was better. Trouble is, spur of the moment in the Valley doesn’t leave a lot of options.

Usually it means a trip to Ambrosia Bistro in Millwood or out to Hay J’s in Liberty Lake.

On this occasion, though, a memory clicked, and we went to the Max, a place friends frequent and frequently recommend. We’ve been to the restaurant in the Mirabeau Hotel at the Sullivan exit before for what is a great happy hour, but with the established restaurants in our area, a hotel restaurant just didn’t register.

The Max pulls off that balancing act of casual dining with a formal feel. The wait staff was uniformed and informed, especially about the extensive wine menu. The linen and upscale place settings, along with a subtle decor, lend themselves to an upscale restaurant without a stuffy air.

And we were pleasantly surprised to see so many familiar faces as we enjoyed our dining experience.

The happy hour, from 3 to 6 p.m., has prices that, although not cheap, are quite comfortable considering the offerings. The choices range from oysters on the half-shell or ahi tuna to chicken quesadilla or beef teriyaki.

There is a wide variety of entrees, starting with a handful of steak options. The menu includes veal, pork and rack of lamb and seafood from fish and chips, mahi and tuna to lobster. Entree salads and chef-inspired sandwiches make the hardest part of dining at the Max deciding what to order. That makes the Max a great destination for those times you’re not really sure what you’re in the mood to eat.

Maybe that comes from being in a hotel, which has to cater to many different appetites to keep customers in-house for meals. The attentive servers made it easy to navigate the choices.

Although we try to steer away from the always-too-subjective comments on the food itself, we can say that everything we’ve tried during our happy hour visits, and now dinner, has been good, and the bang-for-the-buck is right where it should be.

We had three different (good) salads – spinach ($7.90), caprese ($7.90) and chicken Caesar ($13.90) – and an unusual but pleasing fried brie appetizer ($9.90).

Our main choices included the signature huckleberry ribs ($26.90) and crab cakes ($16.90), while our friends at a nearby table raved about the pork chop they split.

We caught the half-price wine and a tasting, featuring Five Star in Walla Walla. The bottle was expensive, but doable with the special.

The wine specials and appetizers are more likely to draw us in on a regular basis, but we are pleased to know there is another nearby place to direct friends for a big-time dinner – and we would be happy to join them.

Former longtime S-R writer Dave Trimmer and former restaurateur Dan Coyle forged a common bond over dinner and drink. They know it takes more than great food to make dining out worth the money. They share recent finds and longtime favorites in this column. Reach them at  daveanddan@hotmail.com.