Max of Eastman Place

Location

25 Gibbs Street, Rochester NY, 14604

Hours (as of February 2024)

Lunch

Tuesday - Friday: 11:30AM to 2:30PM

Dinner

Tuesday - Saturday 5:30PM to 10:00PM

Phone

585 697 0491

Website

http://maxrochesterny.com/eastman-place-atmosphere/

Facebook

Foursquare

Max of Eastman Place is a upscale restaurant on Gibbs Street across from the Eastman Theater. It is one of several places named Max in Rochester that are all run by Tony Gullace.

This Max is in the heart of the East End cultural action and its lobby-atrium is generally one of the venues for the Rochester International Jazz Festival.

The space was originally given to a super-upscale restaurant called The Brasserie when Eastman Place opened in 1989.

Comments:

Note: You must be logged in to add comments

See Archive Page for comments prior to 2008.

2008-01-24 19:59:42   I ate here once last summer, and had the filet mignon. It was really good, although not surprisingly, you PAY for it, dinner (including salad and a drink) came to about $50. So this place is definitely good for special ocassions, but I wouldn't go here everyday.

The service was good, very classy but not snobby, and another thing I like - they DON'T keep coming over every 2 minutes to bug you. Some upscale places do that - things like they keep refilling your water everytime you take a sip of it, etc. and that can get annoying. Here, they are totally attentive to your needs with their service, but they don't go overboard, which is definitely appreciated too. —EricArdis

2008-01-24 22:25:10   Very convenient to the RPO but not particularly noteworthy. I would recommend it for fine dining proximate to the RPO. I would recommend others ahead of it for the same price-point in Rochester. —JohnCocktosten

2008-02-05 22:04:13   My experience here was okay, not great. I first had a lobster bisque special. For $9, this soup should've tasted a lot better. It was comparable to canned lobster bisque. My boyfriend ordered shrimp and I had seabass. Both were very good, though the seabass was accompanied with ham, which was a little strange. The service was what made my experience not so great. My waiter was incredibly awkward and treated my boyfriend and I like kids (we both go to the University of Rochester). I don't consider 21 to be a child's age, and I don't know why he was so unwelcoming.

Overall I don't think I'd go back again. The food was pretty good...compliments to the chef on that, but I felt really awkward the ENTIRE time and found it hard to enjoy my experience. —RochesterCalifornia

2008-02-06 01:47:33   I hear you on the awkwardness of the waiter. I had a similar experience over the summer where it felt like our snobby waiter felt put off by taking our order. Not a single smile, and almost no eye contact. Might have something to do with the fact that Max caters to an older crowd. Food is undoubtedly classy, even if the items could be a few dollars cheaper. —WegmansFiend

2008-05-01 11:06:06   I've always heard great things about Max's so decided to give it a try. I was disappointed that there was no roasted garlic as mentioned in the online menu, however, the appetizers were fantastic! There were more mussels in the dish than we could handle and the broth paired well with it. Wine prices are reasonable for a restaurant and there was a decent variety. They actually carry my favorite chianti in the year mentioned on the list! Dinner entrees were good - a little underseasoned but good. I can not wait to try the chophouse. —NightlifeCher

2008-10-16 22:51:54   this place is amazing.. we are both in our mid twenties and easily the youngest people there, but we were not did not feel akward at all! i have high class place, they sent out a tasting appetizer to try, the chef checked on us personally, the waiter was very knowlegable. our entrees were both fantastic, as was everything we tried for that matter! the bill came to about 140 which included appetizer, salad and a bottle of wine. but, we both had some of the most expensive things on the menu. definitely a special occasion place unless you are wealthy, we went here for a birthday and were very impressed with the entire experience! —ParkAveGirl

2008-10-22 22:07:36   Max of Eastman Place just launched a new web site. It contains a menu, a PDF of the entire wine list and lots of photographs of the interior. It is included in a site for "Max Rochester", the original address re-routs to the maxrochester.net location. Very exciting to see Tony take his brand serious and clean up the design of the "Max" organization. —mydarndest

2009-01-05 21:30:11   This is one of the best restaurant's I've ever been to. This includes service, food, courtesy, and presentation. They have valet parking and coat check, and reside within an absolutely gorgeous space.

I went here New Year's Eve with 3 friends. We had a reservation but they were behind, so we had drinks at the bar. The bartenders were awesome, and they have a serious wine list. The bartenders all know the menu and specials, and you can eat at the bar, if you really want to. She began by telling us the special appetizers of the night. Two of us ordered a risotto with lobster, and then oysters and the steak tartare. Our table was ready before the apps came, so we moved from the bar to the table. The apps were all brought to our table without issue.

The food? Utterly amazing; every course. From presentation, to taste. We did drinks, apps, entrees, and desserts. There was nary a flaw to be had. They also slipped in a salad because our table wasn't ready at the reserved time; also delicious. Fresh greens and great dressing. They're not serving iceberg lettuce jammed onto a plate.

I had their duck. I ordered it cooked medium, and they did it perfectly. The best part was the presentation of it. It's a breast, but they slice it for you. I've always kind of had the duck breast plopped on my plate, but their presentation (not to mention the flavoring and cooking) of it were just outstanding.

This was my first time here, and I will be back. The 4 of us dropped $238 before tip, and it was 100% worth it.

One of the best places in Rochester I've ever been to. And easily rivals my favorite restaurants in other cities.

—VinceC

2009-01-05 21:36:19   Oh and I just want to add, we are all in our 20's. Also our waitress was fantastic.

And as one final note, none of us could figure out how they did the Tiramisu. Because it wasn't a small piece cut from a larger piece. The entire thing sat inside a dessert cup, as a creme brulee would. Can they possibly make each one individually? That would be impressive.

Either way, delicious. —VinceC

2009-05-08 15:10:00   This just might the best restaurant in Rochester. My girlfriend and I had pushed back our reservation time and there were no problems when we arrived. The hostess was pleasant, as was our waitress. We ordered the oysters, which tasted good and were cooked well, and the beef tartare, which was good and presented nicely, but nothing special. For entrees, I ordered the lamb shank (which turned out to be a lamb chop) and she ordered the salmon. This was by far, the best lamb I have ever had, even with the switched-up cut and her salmon was fantastic (I know because I didn't get to taste it). Dessert was a kumquat crepe, which was unique in that I have never seen it in Roc. Decor was clean and neat, service prompt, and even the Tony himself was out schmoozing with the diners. We will definitely return. —TryingtheBest

2009-08-23 09:55:50   We went to Max's for my birthday after reading the reviews above. The menu was not the most innovative in the area, but the dishes all sounded delicious that we had to have three courses. We started with the mussels, which were good. Not the best I've had, but the broth was delicious. Nice combination of wine and garlic. Next, my wife had the special caprese salad which was great. There were three or four different types of tomatoes which had different flavors which really added to the dish. I had the steak tartar which was outstanding. The quail egg and dijon mustard really brought out the flavors of the meat. For main course, I had the lamb chops which were cooked to perfection and had a wonderful basil-salsa verde (almost like a pesto with tomatillo). My wife had the special filet which she loved. For dessert, the white plum tart was a surprise. It was delicious! Finally, and our favorite part about this restaurant, was the $50 Grab Bag from the wine menu. They have wines that range from $60-120 that they literally wrap like a christmas gift and bring to your table. We ended up with a 2006 frech burgundy which really worked with the meal. This was a great option for us as we love learning about new wines. Overall, top 2 or 3 restaurants we've been to. We will definitely be back. —BGR

2009-10-05 17:06:16   After reading the current write ups on this restaurant, I would tell anybody to think twice and look for another restaurant than this one. I have eaten at almost all the restaurants listed under upscale & this one falls short. I had started with the mussels, not cooked & had to send back, then tried their "excellent mac & cheese" which was not. My entree was skate & tasted bland to say the least. My boyfriend had the veal shank bolognese & that was awful. Our server forgot our salads, which we had at the end of the meal. After talking with others at work on Monday, I found out that they were not happy with this restaurant either. A lot of money for very little value! —KarenCarrigan

2010-02-12 22:05:54   Bizarrely empty on a Friday night at 9pm (3 other people)?! The service was good and the wine list was excellent but horribly lacking in NY State wines. The pork chop was perfect although served with a strangely flavored potato pancake. The lamb shank was close to perfect - too much salt, though. Didn't get dessert because we didn't want to keep the staff. Excellent service. —bjnlbn

2012-05-15 09:28:07   We have gone to Max many times over the years - it is our "go-to" place for special occasions. We believe it to be just about the finest place in town for the combination of food, service and atmosphere. Of course that comes at a price, but it is worth it. Every dish we have had there has been creative and well-prepared by Tony and his staff. The service is always polished and professional. The room is comfortable usually with soft jazz playing in the background allowing for adult conversation over dinner (unlike many trendy restaurants that intentionally for for the "high energy" vibe that doesn't allow you to speak with the person next to you). We took some friends recently and they agreed that it was one of the most enjoyable dining experiences of their lives. We will contine to go back as often as the budget allows. —JGerek