I think many readers will agree that we sometimes frequent a restaurant with good food that unfortunately offers a relatively uninteresting atmosphere and, for one reason or another, we sometimes choose a restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere but with barely palatable food.  Fortunately, in Ithaca, there are many restaurants that offer both a friendly atmosphere and beautifully cooked, and attractively presented food.

Maxie’s Supper Club and Oyster Bar is one of the latter. And yet, the interior of the restaurant is nothing special…. a few adjacent rooms with tables and chairs and some large picture windows overlooking nearby streets and a parking lot.  I would call it “functional”.  So, where does the friendly spirit come from?  I think it’s mostly the staff who seem to really enjoy working there and are genuinely dedicated to helping customers. I’d also give a nod to the cuisine and menu.  I’m not aware of any other restaurant in our area that offers lighthearted food such as “Jambalaya Me-oh-my-a”, “Soul-Servin’ Classics”, or beverages listed as “Festive Liquids”. Maxie’s has been serving meals to Ithacans for 24 years and is deservedly popular. There’s a definite slant to Cajun cuisine throughout the menu and the food I’ve tried there has always been tasty and well prepared. 

I try to arrive shortly after their 4 p.m. opening to take advantage of their Raw Baw early prices.  The Fresh-Shucked Raw Oysters are $3.50 each during normal business hours but are reduced to $2 at the opening.  Not only do I avail myself of the almost 50% discount, I usually opt for a “sampler” which means a half dozen of one type and a half dozen of another. This week, it was PEI (Prince Edward Island) Malpeque’s and NS (Nova Scotia) Caribou’s. By the way, the last time I reviewed Maxie’s, five years ago, they were serving about 3,000 oysters each week.  All diners are offered unlimited homemade cornbread and butter…. a nice touch.

One evening, after polishing off a dozen oysters, I selected the Chicken Fried Chicken ($22) and received a large, butterflied breast that had been egg washed and heavily breaded.  It was slightly dry however the surrounding tasso ham gravy, made from cream, cayenne pepper, and smoked ham served as a zesty dipping sauce.  The chicken was accompanied by well whipped homemade mashed potatoes and a small bowl of tender collard greens which had been braised in a maple liquid that made them my all-time favorite collards.

Another evening I selected part of a shellfish platter, ¼ lb. of shrimp, from the Raw Bar section of the menu, (The other part of the platter consisted of two clams and six oysters). I received eleven relatively spicy Cajon seasoned shell-on shrimp.  Peeling the shrimp removed most of the seasoning which was fine with me.

That same evening my entrée was Cajun-seared Ahi Tuna ($36). When it arrived, it looked like a Filet Mignon: a large round piece of tuna layered atop some sauteed spinach and a horseradish potato cake.  The tuna had a slightly spicy, crispy crust and a tender rare interior with a hint of maple flavoring. Yum!

Each evening there are blackboard specials labeled “Mini Plate” and “Maxie Plate” (Get it?) The smaller plates cost about $20 and the larger are usually in the mid-$30’s.

Other main course favorites are Blackened Catfish ($18) and Fried Oysters ($19). Among the soups is a Crab and Corn Chowder, offered in two sizes ($8/$11) and a hearty, robust “Maxie’s Mighty-Gumbo” which is offered in three sizes and features andouille sausage and chicken over rice. The largest portion ($14) could suffice as a meal for some.

Now a word about those “Festive Liquids”. There are more than a dozen interesting looking “Signature Drinks”, mostly in the $10-$12 range, and lots of draft beer as well as an interesting selection in bottles and cans.

The format of the wine menu has changed since I reviewed it five years ago when wines were grouped by price: $20, $30, $40. Now they’re by color and type: white, red, rosé, and sparkling. You’ll have no trouble finding a bottle under $40, and management deserves a lot of credit for listing grape variety, e.g., Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon; country of origin; and vintage. The assortment of roughly a dozen wines is excellent although, in this area I might have offered a Finger Lakes Dry Riesling to replace the Riesling blend from Argentina.

Maxie’s is still serving consistently well-prepared, savory, quality niche food after more than two decades.  

Tid Bits: Maxie’s is usually quite noisy due to low ceilings and an exuberant staff and customers.

Their gravel parking lot is not paved and can be quite sloppy after it rains.

Maxie’s, 635 W State St, Ithaca, Weds.-Sun 4-9, (607) 272-4136