THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Maxine's Italian Cuisine

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Maxine's Italian Cuisine Restaurant Review:

A completely open kitchen is the stage for true dinner theater as patrons watch the chefs, led by proprietor Bujar Mamuslari, prepare their dinners on a 12-burner gas stove where a huge pot of water is always boiling for the pastas that are served as accompaniments to the main dishes. The prized seats---just 12---are comfortable cane-backed stools at the wood-grained counter overlooking the kitchen activity, but this is far from the typical lunch counter. Mamuslari’s sophisticated dishes, typified by veal casino, chicken and shrimp Florentine and shrimp in roasted garlic cream sauce, very much transcend the modest setting and have won a loyal following since he took over from the founder whose name still adorns the sign. The only drawback here is the lack of a license to serve wine. Still the refined cooking is enough of a draw for many diners. Dinner accompaniments include a fresh salad of mixed greens in the house balsamic vinaigrette and a basket of crusty bread. The chefs are willing to improvise when they receive a request for something that is not on the menu or on the list of specials. One night I watched as Mamuslari put together a bouillabaisse from what was on hand. In addition to the seats at the counter, there are eight tables set a bit away from the action.