Max

Max Restaurant Review:

About the décor & drinks: In well-heeled TriBeCa, this low-key, gently priced trattoria is a lovely standby, friendly for family (there’s a kids’ menu), friends and weeknight dinners fueled by Tuscan rosé or Barbera d’Alba by the glass, or perhaps a Prosecco-based Bellini. The food is approachable and better than it has to be in this bi-level spot, where naked bulbs create a pretty glow on the exposed brick walls.

Food: Start with soft, garlicky meatballs in a bright tomato sauce rather than the too-chewy bready calamari, or a caprese salad generous with milky, sweet mozzarella di bufala. Eggplant Parmigiana, served with a side of olive oiled spaghetti, is the ultimate comfort food. Squid ink in the homemade black spaghetti is hard to taste under its blanket of shrimp and spicy tomato sauce, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. A breaded chicken cutlet is surprisingly juicy and flavorful beneath a small mountain of arugula and ripe tomatoes. Get your greens fix from the pleasantly bitter broccoli rabe, sautéed with lemon juice and plenty of garlic. For dessert, tiramisu is boozy and satisfying.