max's oyster bar, a favorite local haunt

Yesterday was a perfect Saturday. Waking up late to a blanket of fresh white snow, we heard early-on that travel plans to New York had been cancelled...with "found" time on our hands, we set out to do absolutely nothing more than relax.
Other than firing up the new snow blower for the first time (whoa!) and finally purchasing that pair of snow boots I've been promising myself, we frankly didn't accomplish a thing. Well, other than soaking up a truly restful winter day. Our late wakeup meant a late first meal (about 1:00 PM) so by the time we snuggled into a large booth for dinner, in the unusually quiet Max's Oyster Bar in West Hartford Center, it was after 10:00 PM.
Why isn't this brief write up just an "update" to our previous post about one of our favorite restaurants? Because last night Oyster Bar was different. At first, I thought it was the magic of the snowy day that changed the experience...but now I know, "what we made of it" transformed a special occasion spot into a perfect cap on the end of our low key day.
Click here to read about some other times at Max's Oyster BarInstead of exploring the wine list, Allie just had a glass of Sancerre and I ordered Max's Brewtus Maximus beer (made locally by Hooker Brewery). Instead of my usual interest in the raw bar, we shared a house chopped salad (perfectly diced tomato, carrot, scallion, bell pepper, and crisp lettuce in a light vinaigrette with blue cheese crumbles). For dinner, Allie loved the grilled salmon served with a bright but balanced miso broth, exotic mushrooms, and baby bok choy. With my beer, I couldn't resist the fish 'n chips...crispy, light...wonderfully fresh.
Maybe my favorite part of the meal: dessert! Foregoing the usual banana cream pie, we went for the "chocolate melting cookies"...the small serving of 3 warm, literally melty, chocolate wonders had us swooning...
In sum, Saturdays are often for going-out-and-going-crazy, or unusual indulgences, but last night may have been my favorite trip to Max's Oyster Bar ever... Of course it's fun to go out with a group of dear friends, have a large platter of fresh oysters with cocktails, discover the last '07 bottle of Chardonnay on the wine list, order the special entree, and negotiate a "few desserts for the table to try"... But then, looking back on last night and all of our previous, countless trips to Oyster Bar, I've learned that the "usual" Oyster Bar extravagance is what we make of it...and while there isn't more fun to be had...last night was special. The service was spot-on, the food fresh-fresh, and everything was truly delicious...maybe most delicious of all was that Allie and I, just the two of us, discovered a new Max's Oyster Bar...one like our snow day: a place to warm up, keep your voices low, and relax... So, cheers to a favorite local haunt...whatever you choose to make of it.