Max Brenner
White Corn Croquettes – Paprika dusted white corn and manchego cheese in panko
Cinnamon Apple and White Chocolate French Toast – Brown Sugar Spiced Pecans, Warm Toffee Sauce
Crispy Bacon
Salted Caramel Milkshake – Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Ganache, Caramel, Sea Salt, Milk, Whipped Cream
“OMG” Chocolate Chunk Cookie – Chocolate Chip Cookie with Walnuts served with whipped cream, fresh berries, pure melted chocolate
Having experienced “The Bald Man’s” chocolates in New York many years back and quite familiar with The Forum Shops at Caesars I really cannot explain why my substantial sweet tooth had never indulged at Max Brenner’s eponymous Las Vegas restaurant, but a chance mention by a friend of the space’s pending closure or relocation quickly set me to mend the oversight. Two stories in size and featuring many things chocolate plus a collection of overpriced comfort foods it was just after 10:00am when we sat down at a cozy two top near the base of the stairs and treated to pleasant “everything is good” service typical to such places a five part order was hatched as the restaurant bustled, leaving one to ponder the reasons for any pending change. With service swift it was only a matter of minutes before selections began to arrive, the first a superlative $8 milkshake thick with caramel and rife with vanilla but topped with copious whipped cream to mask what I’d guess to be an 8oz serving, a trend carried over to each plate that followed as large prices met small portions thankfully bolstered by bold flavors. Starting sweet and following with savory due to a kitchen miscalculation it should be noted that each of Brenner’s pure chocolates are well sourced, smooth, and complex by the bar and as such both white and milk versions only served to improve the Custard French toast and Soft Cookie, the later on par with that of New York’s fabled Levain Bakery in terms of taste and texture (though at 2.5x the price) and while I think everyone would have been happier to see the Croquettes first I’d be lying if I didn’t say they were my favorite bite of the meal – the paprika and manchego working smoky, savory magic on the lightly fried kernels.
http://maxbrenner.com/
