Maynards Market & Kitchen

Reviews 4

A

A Private User

This is the tragic story of an infatuation that ended on an abrupt and very sour note. Went to Maynards in November of 2009 for dinner and considered the experience a revelation. From the cocktails, which were scrumptious, to the appetizers (Spinach frisee salad, mussels, beet salad) to the main courses ( lamb shank, sea bass, and bouillabaisse), nearly everything was very good (except for the lamb shank which was undercooked and tough). And this is a rare experience in Tucson where I have never been to a restaurant that can succeed in providing a competent dining experience beyond a single course (either the meat/vegetables overcooked/undercooked, too much sauce, dressing, desert too sweet etc...). It is in other words a town that by and large does not understand proportion or restraint when it comes to food. I thought on that fateful November night that I had finally found a restaurant that proved me wrong. The moules frites were delightful. The mussels were cooked to perfection. The broth had a fine balance of acidity and cream. And the fries were exquisitely crisp and thin, just like in a French bistro. The salads were fresh with just the right amount of dressing. And the sea bass was simply terrific. It stood out from all the other dishes in terms of being cooked to perfection and having a nice complement of flavors with the crispified leeks, creamy polenta, and fresh grapefruit slices. This was simply one of the best fish entree’s that I’ve had in a long time. The service was beyond reproach. Our waitress was very friendly and funny, prompt and competent. And this brings us to the sad experience I had last night in February 2010. Three months later I found myself seated in the upstairs dining room where service was painfully slow due to the fact that the wait staff was running up and down two flights of stairs. The cocktails were sublime just like last time- perfectly balanced with crisp clean flavors of fruit and spice and the right amount of alcohol. Unfortunately, the same appetizer-salads mentioned above were now saturated with dressing. I made the mistake of not ordering fish. The Casooulet I ordered was inedible because someone had decided to get freaky with the salt. This was really tragic since the duck was nicely cooked- crisp on the outside and soft on the inside- and the acidity of the sauce was well balanced. The dish was ruined and I couldn’t eat it. The manager didn’t charge me and did offer a free desert—a tiramisu which was way too sweet. He seemed quite vexed and discombobulated. It wasn’t a good night for Maynards. And sad to say, I don’t see myself going back there any time soon. As things currently stand, Maynards is probably the best place in town for cocktails. Just be sure to BYOF- bring your own food .

DA

Dan Hollings

$121 Wasted. Unbelievably bad food. Avoid. This was our second visit to Maynards, the first time it was pretty good (everyone ordered the Seafood Bouillabaisse) and it was good enough to venture back a second time... WHAT A MISTAKE. This time our party of 3 ordered, the Vegetable Scrapple, the Seafood Bouillabaisse and their special of the night (Bass). The Scrapple was so burnt it was black. Literally chard beyond recognition. No chef or waiter in their right mind would serve something like this. It was horrible. When we told the waiter he promptly brought out a replacement dish literally one/fourth the portion as the burnt original on a small coffee saucer with no side vegetable, no sauce, nothing... it was embarrassing and yet he delivered it to the table as if after being served burnt food, Id somehow be delighted getting a joke on a saucer. Keep in mind this was a $24 dish. The Seafood Bouillabaisse was almost as if it were a different recipe this time... "edible" would best describe it. Nothing more. We made it half way through the dish before pushing it away. And the special of the night was clearly the restaurants way of dumping old fish on a customer so the garbage man would not have to carry it away the next day. This fish had seen better days. It was awful. I think we lost $26 on that. And what respectable "French" restaurant serves only Jewish RYE bread with the meal. What are they thinking? This is not a Jewish deli. And the wine... we had to send that back as well. I know the wine list called it something else, but if this wasnt Walmart vinegar, I dont know what it was. There was zero attempt by the waiter to make anything right. Oh, less I forget, he did assure us the first wine we were served and returned would not be on our bill. No matter how many review you read that say this is a good restaurant, trust me, it is not. If I could give it less than one star I would. YUCK!

AN

Ann Baldwin

Today I went for brunch at Maynards with my family. My daughter was visiting from California so it was a special treat. Both my son and daughter ordered the baked eggs. My daughters was cooked perfectly and my sons was a mess. We sent it back to the kitchen and it came back the same. I thought that at least they would have cooked a fresh one but they didnt. When the bill came I thought the bad dish would be gratis, but we still had to pay for it. I looked at the reviews of Maynards after my disappointing experience today and found that exactly the same thing happened to someone else last week. This is what they said: "Baked eggs were drowning in a pool of cream and the experience was like eating a bowl of swamp goop. Sent it back to be cooked further and it was still the same. They should have bought me a new dish." Come on Maynards. At least learn something from your mistakes. If you want to be thought of as a high class restaurant it is ESSENTIAL to be consistent. I am not going to risk bringing another guest to Maynards if I cant even be assured that their meal will be edible. What a pity - the ambience is so unique and delightful and you spoil it by hiring staff who dont care.

A

A Private User

Do Not believe the angry reviews. The food is absolutely fabulous. The staff is knowledgeable and efficient. The inside space is small and seating limited, so it is wise to make reservations. This issue has been the only glitch in my experience, and some people can be quite angry if they cant get a seat (immediately). The costs are consistent with other restaurants of this quality. The menu is seasonal and the food is fresh. On the current menu (1/10), the beef filet is prime and comes with a veal reduction sauce to die for, and the salmon draws a shout out too. The sides are superb. A mascarpone polenta for 7 bucks is great (not the 20 buck gripe from an angry reviewer-jeez). The lunch menu is excellent and priced right for lunch – I swear by the Cuban pulled pork sandwich and the wife goes with soups and salads. Desserts are competent – some are exciting and fun. The wife wants to see the lavender ice cream on the menu more often. The wine selection is limited, but good quality, and reasonably priced. I have taken people from Tucson, Chicago and LA here and they have loved it.