Café Maximilian - A cultural-culinary delight | | by
Anna Reisman - August 5, 2002. |
Although
I have had the pleasure of dining at Café Maximilian on many occasions,
my girlfriend had never eaten there. The fact that customers can choose between
the beautiful outdoor sidewalk setting and the indoor air-conditioned dining room
also helped in our decision that night (it was incredibly hot outdoors). Café
Maximilian has been around for a long, long time. It was the very first in Puerto
Vallarta to put tables out on the sidewalk. It has participated in the town's
now famous International Gourmet Festivals since the beginning and its cuisine
and service are renowned for their consistent excellence. We
went in and were seated by one of the semi-circular floor to ceiling windows.
Indoors, diners are surrounded by bronze and beveled mirrors, polished wood-paneled
walls and four smoked mirror columns, all reminiscent of a Viennese café
at the turn of the century. The impressive bar and the portraits of Emperor Maximilian
of Hapsburg, the Austrian archduke who was named by Napoleon III to rule France's
"Mexican Empire" in 1864 add to the décor. Very elegant indeed.
Suffice it to say that you wouldn't want to eat indoors wearing shorts and a tank
top… The problem at Maximilian's is always the same:
too many mouth-watering items on the menu for one to make a quick choice. Thank
goodness, owner Andreas Rupprechter is always on hand to help. On this particular
occasion, he had to do something rather unusual: we told him of our dilemma and
he put together a "degustation menu" for us, composed of all the dishes
we were considering. "Just a small portion of each," he promised. At
this point, there is something I must mention so that our readers will understand
our dilemma that night a little better. During the summer, apart from its huge
regular 4-page menu, Café Maximilian also offers a special "Summer
Specialties" menu - with special prices ranging from $199. to $259. pesos
for three satisfying, succulent courses. Please allow
me to describe our "degustation dinner" for you …and yes, it was
decadent indeed!
- Slices of fresh tuna carpaccio-style marinated in a balsamic
vinaigrette with olive oil, grapefruit chunks and a watercress salad and a Dijon
mustard dressing to die for.
- Raviolis stuffed with fennel, light and perfectly
cooked -al dente- served with a julienne of smoked breast of duck, wild mushrooms
and a tarragon sauce that we both cleaned up to the very last drop with the fresh
French baguette bread.
- Escargots with garlic butter encased in an airy puff
pastry served with a creamy Pernod sauce that was sopped up as carefully as the
previous one.
- Spinach strudel with mixed greens and tiny cherry tomatoes
- excellent.
- Cold cucumber soup with yogurt, radish and red and black caviar,
with little chunks of mango and herbs that aren't even mentioned - incredible.
-
Grilled tuna fish on a bed of roasted white cabbage, green asparagus spears and
yet another sauce, this time made with Port wine. Wow!
- Sautéed filet
of sea bass with a ragoût of mushrooms, accompanied by asparagus, a small
serving of polenta, on a red wine and shallot sauce. Light, flaky, delicious and
delightful. By that time, needless to say, we were more
than sated. We could not have had anything more even if we wanted to. As expected,
our dinner conversation was constantly interrupted by oohs and aahs as we sampled
every new dish - which Andreas had described and explained as each was served.
We were however very happy to see what our dessert was: A duo of homemade sherbets,
mamey and passion fruit, that combined the sweet and the tart, making for a refreshing,
surprising and delightful close to a fabulous experience. Had
we stuck to the regular menu, we would have been able to choose from an extensive
selection of other dishes ranging from very light summer fare and seafood as a
main course, all the way to the more complex, savory recipes for duck, lamb, pork,
beef and even venison. The list of desserts covers the spectrum from Mexico's
fresh fruit and ices to the world-renowned pastries of Austria. Café Maximilian
is a little bit of Old Europe right here in the Zona Romantica of Puerto Vallarta. The
average price for a superb, first-class, five-star gourmet 3-course meal from
the regular menu is approximately $280. pesos, not including the new 5% federal
tax, drinks or tips. We should also mention that although
the restaurant is only open for dinner from 6 o'clock on, Café Maximilian
Espresso Bar opens at 8 a.m. This means you can enjoy its wonderful espressos,
cappuccinos, sandwiches and pastries, ice creams and coffees any time, all day
long and well into the evening. Café Maximilian
is located at 380 Olas Altas in the Zona Romantica of Old Vallarta, on the South
Side. Considering that the restaurant was full on the night we were there - traditionally
considered to be the slowest night of the week for restaurants in this town- we
highly recommend that you make reservations ahead of time. Tel.: 223-0760. Closed
on Sundays. Major credit cards are accepted. pvmomto3@hotmail.com |
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