We kicked off the weekend by finally crossing Maxwell’s Trading off our list and celebrating a special 26th birthday for Con! We had been eyeing this spot for a while, and the perfect Chicago weather yesterday made the experience even better.
Maxwell's Trading is located in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor, on the edge of West Town, Fulton Market, and West Loop. Right when I walked into the restaurant, I loved how well they accomplished a minimalistic and modern atmosphere, but also kept it really warm and inviting. The restaurant is covered in windows to let in a lot of natural light.
The menu is all shareable plates, and our waitress recommended four dishes for two people—one from each section of the menu, excluding dessert. We went for five and were glad we did; anything more would have been way too much. The portions are sneaky filling. The pricing at Maxwell's was great for the quality of food you are getting. Cocktails were just $14 (honestly a steal compared to some spots these days) and tasted great. I'm definitely excited to go back to Maxwell's —great food and drinks! Here's what we ordered:
Chicory Caesar: the crimini mushrooms and breadcrumbs on this salad were a great addition. direct quote from birthday boy: “this is one of his favorite salads he’s had in a long time.”
Prosciutto & Gnocco Fritto: I loved this dish! It looked relatively basic, but got better with each bite. The puffy gnocco dough balls and the black current pepper jam went well together.
French Onion Dip: I thought this was pretty good. The dip had a similar texture to hummus, which I liked. The truffle oil was a nice touch, but overall, it didn’t stand out to me. I’d probably try a different spread next time.
Leek Stuffed Pappardelle: This was awesome! The crawfish were perfectly cooked, and the sauce was rich and flavorful.
Black Sea Bass: I loved this dish! I always make a point to try sea bass whenever I can at restaurants, and this one was cooked perfectly.
Royal Milk Tiramisu: Great way to end the meal. By this point, we were pretty full, so I liked how light and airy it was. The crunchy hazelnuts on top added a great contrast in texture.
