Maximillians Grill — Restaurant in Cary

It was a birthday celebration. Reservations were made as such. We arrived 10 min early and were seated immediately. They were very busy.

It took 5 min for them to provision the table and another 5 min for the waiter to arrive with the menu. There was definitely not a cordiality feeling conveyed. The person who brought us to the table did not talk much or tell us who our waiter would be and about how long it would be. The person who brought the napkins and silverware did not even speak to us. The waiter brought the menus, then came back to talk about the specials and never mentioned who he was. I didn't ask.

The atmosphere was VERY noisy, the fan created a cool draft, and the chairs were very uncomfortable. I also felt very cramped at the table.

I ordered a NY Strip Steak special and the birthday girl ordered a grouper & scallop plate. We also ordered a cup of lobster bisque soup and Thai chicken appetizers. The appetizers arrived - the soup was luke warm and the Thai was OK, though the dough wrapping was a little over fried. Neither were outstanding for taste. We told the waiter about the not hot soup and he offered to add some to warm it up but she declined.

The main course arrived. The steak was perfectly cooked medium rare. That is were the fun ended. The meat itself was about the worse cut of NY Strip I have had. I have had better cuts from Kroger cooked at home. There was a heavy strip of grissel on the edge, it was rough and dry inside. The first part of it had a heavy smoke taste where the other end did not. I assume it was not from the cooking fire but from a smoke sauce they applied. Not something I would expect from a high priced class restaurant. The grouper & scallops was very acceptable and the birthday girl liked it.

When the waiter came to clear, I pointed out how bad the steak was and exactly what was wrong with it. I also pointed out that it was perfectly cooked.

We then finished it with a piece of carrot cake and coffee. The carrot cake was different but good and the coffee (mine) tasted slightly burned.

Even though I told the person on the phone that I needed a birthday reservation, it wasn't duly noted and we did not even get a candle with the carrot cake.

There was no offer to compensate for the totally disappointing $38. steak or the luke warm soup.

I have been here previously and it was totally delightful - but I didn't have steak. Based on this experience - I am not going back again for more abuse!

I'll go to the Meat House - for $38. the meat will feed the whole family and it will melt in their mouths.

Can you tell I am VERY...

Extremely disappointed! Will never come back due to very poor service. My boyfriend and I were actually attempting to go to the Maximillian's restaurant to use up a living social deal I had purchased. Upon entering they just said they were totally booked for the next two nights due to the coupons and it was my fault for not reserving as it says on the coupon...we asked if we could sit at the empty bar and they said No...also at this point the restaurant was no where near full or busy. So fine my fault for not reserving so we left.

Since we were there we decided to check out the pizza kitchen next door. The place was pretty empty when we walked in and our host became our very unenthusiastic and inattentive server. We each ordered a beer which was fine and then ordered a full size salad and pizza to share as soon as the server came back. After we ordered I actually noticed that there were specials on a board but our waiter didn't even mention that or ask if we wanted to know about them, which just seems like bad practice to me. The salad came out first quickly and was on one plate, which was fine and was actually quite good. Next we waited for about 25 to 30 minutes from the time we ordered for our pizza which was large and really suitable for 2 people. The pizza itself was also quite good, not the best I've had but not the worst. Sadly the food itself I would have given a much higher rating. Our waiter came back at some point and asked if we wanted anything else, we said no and he rushed away. About ten minutes later he finally came back with a check on which we noticed they had charged us a 'splitting fee', which I entirely didn't understand. We ordered to full size meals and they in now way 'split' anything for us. All they did was offer us an extra plate which I declined and used my bread plate instead. Addi tonally we had a game to get to and the server was taking so long that I took out my boyfriend's card and put cash in just so we could leave, because I was certain it would take at least another ten minutes if he took the card. I personally wanted to leave him basically no tip but my boyfriend insisted on 10%.

After leaving we walked back past the original Maximillian where we wanted to dine and were told no they had too many reservations and there were by no means full.

It is clear that both of the Maximillian establishments has absolutely no desire to have repeat business and certainly won't get ours. I'd rather lose the money I paid for the living social then ever visit either of these...

Excellent family celebration dinner. Party of 6.

Started with champagne (non-alcoholic version available). Ordered drinks & apps. My picky boyfriend loved his Manhattan! Sweater Weather drinks great option for those under 21. I had them make a version of my fav drink from another place. They rose to the challenge! It was really good.

Apps included the Cauliflower Flatbread, Calimari & Fried Raviolis to be shared. Everyone at table had a different fav. Calimari was perfectly cooked - not chewy or drowned in batter like most places - served in a cool wonton bowl. So good. Raviolis were great but my fav was the Flatbread. Wow! I need more of that.

Perfect spacing of time to let that settle before entrees arrived. We all tried each other's. Voodoo of the day - scallops & shrimp - had a decent kick to it. But very good. Lots of flavor. Korean BBQ beef also had a kick but more so a great set up that brought it all together. Duck was perfectly cooked and though I'm not usually a fan of duck, I asked for a second bite. My Shrimp pasta was perfect! Most ppl skimp on shrimp or drown it in sauce - not tonight!! Pasta sauce was creamy but not heavy and really made the dish. I ran out of room to try the Veal another in our party ordered. She said it was awesome and was quiet though usually talkative cause her mouth was full! That's a great sign it's good.

Thought we couldn't possibly eat another thing - then the person we were celebrating ordered the bread pudding. A sweet end to a perfect meal. (Want to go back another time to try the other desserts.i can't possibly eat anymore tonight.)

Staff was attentive, yet patient with our crazy group. Checked in regularly but I noticed them quietly keeping an eye on us as well. I work catering so I recognize and appreciate the space yet always staying aware.

Wow. A great dining experience, a fun night and a great place...