Max Brenner Disappointed Me.

Happy 2012, fellow dessert fans! Before I jump head- (or, more specifically, mouth-) first into this year's desserts, let's serve, eat, and clean up a few outliers from the last weeks of 2011.

I was eager to eat at Max Brenner as soon as they opened a Boston location! I was familiar with the Max Brenner concept - serving elaborate chocolate drinks and desserts, with standard brunch and dinner fare also available, in a bustling brasserie-style space - thanks to their restaurant in New York City's Union Square; I've ducked in there multiple times to get a treat for the train ride home. But to actually sit down in Max's space, and linger over a dessert? It had yet to happen. I am happy to say that changed in December...though I could have been happier with the dessert in question.

Chris, Andrea, and I managed to find three seats together at their crowded bar on a Friday night - and so it began! Max's Sweets menu was smaller than I had anticipated, but the variety of cravings presented within were a challenge to deal with. I eventually chose the Deep Fudge Chocolate Cake & Shake, since it was essentially many desserts in one. Here it is in its multi-part glory; please forgive the dim bar lighting.

The two best parts of this dessert are pictured in the back - a few sips' worth of chocolate shake topped with whipped cream, at right, and a generous supply of warm chocolate ganache, at left. The shake was extremely rich, bursting with bittersweet chocolate flavor and a good amount of heavy cream. The tiny portion lasted a while, since each thick slurp took some effort. I then drizzled the ganache from the cocktail shaker over the rest of the desserts, and really enjoyed the flavor it added. It, too, was pungent bittersweet chocolate, of a somewhat grainy sort that really stood out against the treats it covered. I only wish it had been thicker. The desserts in front were less remarkable. The milky vanilla ice cream had an interesting garnish, flakes of sweet crepes. But the cake was supposed to be a molten chocolate cake, and it wasn't even molten; the center was barely gooey, and the edges were dry and comparatively tasteless. I would have expected a better signature chocolate dessert from, well, a chocolatier's restaurant.

Chris had the Chocolate Chunk Cookies, an inaccurately pluralized dessert - he only got one "cookie". It looked more like a flattened, dry brownie, and the taste was similarly disappointing. (For tips on how to do a cookie dessert, the Max Brenner folks should read this!) Andrea's White Russian, however, was exactly what she ordered!

Overall, I'd rate Max Brenner as average - workable, yes, but not outstanding in their supposed specialty. I'll go back to Finale if I want to dine on dessert, though I would give Max another try if encouraged. It's still chocolate, after all...