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38 | March 22, 2018 | The Northbrook tower DINING OUT northbrooktower.com Updated Max’s Deli menu boasts fresh, healthy options Megan Bernard Contributing Editor Max’s Deli has been a long-standing establishment in the North Shore for more than 25 years. To be successful for more years to come, its owner is revamping the menu with more health-conscious and fresh dishes for the future. Joey Morelli, a trained chef, and his brother opened up Joey’s Brickhouse in Chicago in 2004. After a seven-year run, they were ready to take over their grandfather Bernie Katz’s business, Max’s Deli at 191 Skokie Valley Road in Highland Park. At first, like the saying goes, if it wasn’t broke, they didn’t fix it — so nothing changed menuwise at the restaurant. They did, however, eventually add a full-service bakery, so Max’s produces cupcakes, cookies, pies, bagels, bailies, among other baked goods, just behind the counter made fresh for customers. When 22nd Century Media visited last in 2015, the deli owners said they were open to new ideas and responsive to community preferences. For example, we reported that Max’s rolled out a blueberry cream cheese that they said was perfectly delicious, but the community didn’t take to it. Later, the cooks concocted a jalapeno cream cheese and it was then one of the top sellers. Now, Morelli is ready to make some more changes to better the restaurant and keep up with the times. Morelli inspires to turn his “old-school Jewish deli” into a “fun and hip” eatery to welcome a younger crowd and more families, slightly changing the dynamic from the older clientele. “It’s been a process. There is nothing fun and hip about Max’s Deli because it’s been here for more than 25 years, but to evolve to the next level, we are going to have to reinvent ourselves or we’ll die,” Morelli said. The reinvention began about eight months ago, Morelli said, when he switched over the restaurant’s chicken fingers on its children’s menu by trading the “mystery meat” with tenders from Harrison’s Chicken, coating them in extra fine flour and frying them in clean canola oil. “But the kids wanted the same chicken because they were so used to it so I had some backlash,” he said. “I hesitated and got scared. A couple months later, I talked to enough customers and just said ‘Screw it. If someone wants to get mad at me for this then they will have to just be mad.’” The revamping spread to other parts of the deli’s menu, including the mac ’n’ cheese, which previously was shipped to the store with a pre-made cheese pouch. Now, Morelli makes the dish homemade with his own cheese sauce (quality American cheese, milk and butter) and boiled noodles then melts it all together. Other new items include: chicken and waffles, an egg-in-the-hole bagel, a turkey burger made from the scraps of turkey they roast in-house and a veggie burger made with 12 different vegetables. Max’s Deli 191 Skokie Valley Road, Highland Park (847) 831-0600 www.maxs-deli.com Open 7 a.m.-8:30 p.m. daily “Our burgers are no longer brown discs of something,” Morelli said. “They are made fresh in our kitchen with fresh ingredients. They are on homemade kaiser rolls, too, that we bake right here.” There are now also gluten-free options, like bagels, wraps and matzo crackers. And, there’s a new crowd-pleaser: make-your-own omelets. When 22nd Century Media visited again last week, we sampled some of Max’s new dishes and were pleasantly surprised. The fresh ingredients stood out and provided flavor to what could be a bland dish elsewhere. We started with the eggin-the-hole bagel, which was served sunny-side up, and a sesame bagel with lox and chive cream cheese. The portions were generous and the bagels and trimmings were extremely fresh. The mac ‘n’ cheese was next and instantly became one of our favorites. While there are so many varieties of this dish, Max’s nailed it with its homemade take with the creamy, homemade cheese sauce you’d have as a side at Thanksgiving. Another cherished dish was the grilled cheese and tomato basil soup, which replaced canned Campbell’s tomato soup in Max’s kitchen, Morelli said. Any consumer The egg-in-the-hole bagel at Max’s Deli in Highland Park features a sunny-side up egg surrounded by a fresh bagel in a flavor of your choosing. Photos By Jacqueline Glosniak/22nd Century Media would be able to tell the sandwich and soup was thoughtfully prepared and made in-house that day. We also tried the “controversial” chicken tenders and fries, and we preferred them with the current fresh, white meat instead of previous “the sponge meat,” as Morelli described it. Looking forward, along with the reinvention, Morelli plans to host a milkshake bar in the summer for families and children. The deli’s ice cream is supplied by Homer’s Ice Cream in Wilmette. “It used to be chemically-enhanced ice cream,” Morelli said. “Now we get natural, local ice cream from Homer’s and I believe that’s the future of this place. “It’s a battle I still haven’t figured out. For me, it’s all about a healthy and homemade menu so I hope it works.” Mac ‘n’ cheese at Max’s Deli is a classic homemade serving of elbow macaroni noodles in a warm and gooey homemade American cheese sauce. Chicken tenders at the restaurant are now made with fresh, all-white meat instead of frozen, GMO chicken products.
northbrooktower.com REAL ESTATE the northbrook tower | March 22, 2018 | 39 SPONSORED CO<strong>NT</strong>E<strong>NT</strong> The Northbrook Tower’s of the WEEK What: A 4 bedroom, 2.1 bath home Where: 1008 Shermer Road Amenities: Move right into this head-turning beauty with 2.5 car garage ideally located just blocks to town and train plus it backs up to the never-to-be-built upon forest preserves! It doesn’t get any better! Boasting New England charm with attractive shingled exterior, pretty brick walkway, curved archways and moldings throughout, this delightful colonial has been updated inside and out! The sun-drenched living room with inviting wood burning fireplace opens to separate formal dining room. Gorgeous all-white kitchen features a center island/breakfast bar, striking granite counters, stainless steel appliances; a French door opens to the extralarge tiered cedar deck with built-in seating which overlooks the expansive yard and lush woods. Nearby is the delightful family room with sliders also leading out to the two decks. 4 bedrooms are located on the 2nd level; the 4th (w/o closet) is currently used as an office. The master bedroom easily accommodates a king-sized bedroom set and has ‘his and hers’ closets. The finished lower level has a big recreation room, full bath and storage galore. A perfect GEM! Listing Price: $549,900 Listing Agent: Nancy Gibson, nancygibson@atproperties.com (847) 363-9880 To see your home featured as Home of the Week, email John Zeddies at j.zeddies@22ndcenturymedia.com or call (847) 272-4565. FOR ALL YOUR MORTGAGE NEEDS 664 N. Western Ave., Lake Forest, IL 60045 Phone: (847) 234-8484 thefederalsavingsbank.com
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