Maximiliano-Closed

Maximiliano
5930 York Blvd
Los Angeles
323-739-6125

Maximiliano has been on my list of places to try for about a year now.  Maximiliano is owned by the same owner of The Oinkster, which I went to back in 2009.  Located in Highland Park, on the very busy York Blvd, Maximiliano is in a triangular building.  The dining room has a good size bar, along the walls are tables, that are for reservations, and in the middle of the room is a community table.  We didn't make reservations so we sat at the community table.  Luckily the community table wasn't too crowded.

Caesar salad, $7, grated reggiano.  Ok, really?  I know Maximiliano is catering to the hipsters and all, but $7 for a caesar salad that was average quality?  The lettuce was very fresh, the small amount of croutons were good, and caesar dressing was home made, but so what?  A complete rip off at $7.

Deluxe pizza, $15, tomato sauce, fennel sausage, pepperoni, peppers, crimini mushrooms, red onions and mozzarella.  The quality of the toppings is very good.  The fennel sausage and pepperoni were really good., not your run of the mill meats.  The sauce, which there was plenty of, was sweet and balanced.  But the crust was terrible.  I mean a soda cracker like crust?  This isn't what I expected for a 9 in pizza that cost $15.  The crust ruin this pizza for me.

Service was good.  Our server was nice, friendly, and helpful.  But, the noise level is unbearable here.  It was hard to talk to the person across the table from me!

I'm glad I waited so long to try Maximiliano, and now that I've tried it, I wonder why it even got on my list.  I've been underwhelmed with the pizza choices in Highland Park, after eating at Maximiliano and Folliero's Pizza & Italian Food.  Hell, at least at Folliero's the price for the pizza is reasonable.  I would not go back to either restaurant.