A Mighty Drink
On Sunday night, Geneve and I went to Max Downtown, one of "Hartford's premiere restaurants".
The appetizer (Spicy Shrimp Firecrackers with mango chili glaze) and dessert (Chocolate Bomb--a platter of three chocolate-based items, including a huge scoop of chocolate mousse) were very, very good, but the mains (Tuna Ahi and Canadian Salmon with lentils) were only slightly above average.
The food at Max Downtown, on the whole, was good--not great--and so we came away underwhelmed. When expectations are high ("the toast of the town", claims the 2004 Zagat) and the execution only average, it's hard not to be disappointed. Of course, the Zagat also touts the quite good Arugula in West Hartford Center as "a nice change of pace from the wild West Hartford scene," so it's probably safe to say that my definition of what qualifies as "good" or "wild" is slightly different from the average Zagat CT contributor.
The real star of the evening at Max Downtown, however, was the tea. I'm generally not one to rave over hot beverages, but the Ginger Twist tea from Mighty Leaf was easily the best tea I've ever had. The lemongrass in the tea is what caught my eye, but it also has Australian ginger, orange and lemon slices, wintergreen mint, papaya, apple, ginseng and licorice. Add some fresh lemon, and, well, it's a hot beverage to rave about.
At $7.95 for 15 pouches from the Mighty Leaf website, it's hardly inexpensive, but you might be able to find it closer to home with the store locator. Highly recommended if tea is your thing.