By KORKY VANN
Hartford Courant
Published: August 10, 2006
After a morning of shopping along the Silas Deane Highway, we hit this pleasant spot for a quick lunch - and depart carrying bags of food for dinner. Along with a menu of satisfying deli fare (overstuffed sandwiches, soups, bagels and desserts), Max Bibo's also offers daily hot entrees and sides to go, the perfect solution for those steamy evenings when it's just too hot to cook.
Selections range from such mom's-meal favorites as sausage and peppers, mac and cheese and individual chicken pot pies to tasty tequila-lime chicken, stuffed portabella mushrooms and bean and cheese burritos. All meals include two sides. Max Bibo's also features an impressive selection of cold salads sold by the pound and a changing mix of homemade soups du jour such as lobster bisque, roasted tomato basil and chicken noodle.
If you love a good sandwich, give yourself plenty of time to peruse the list here. With five kinds of ham; turkey, roast beef, pastrami, Italian meats and liverwurst; tuna, chicken, seafood and egg salad; roasted veggies and more, making a decision can take some time. Sandwiches include your choice of a variety of breads and rolls, along with lettuce, tomato, onion and cucumber. Other add-ons are available for a small charge. The sandwich board also lists several specialty sandwiches, including our favorite guilty pleasure, "Maximillian's Preference," slabs of smoked liverwurst layered with red onions, cukes, mustard and horseradish sauce on dark bread.
It's difficult to get by the dessert case without choosing a slice of chocolate layer cake or fruit pie, oversized cookie or decadent brownie. For those in a hurry, the Xpress case holds prepared salads, fruit and yogurt cups and other grab-and-go-items. Max Bibo's is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
By STEVE & LISA ALCAZARI
Hartford Advocate
Published: 7/2/2004
There may be a few too many area restaurants with the words Mack or Max in their name, but that won't keep us from returning to Max Bibo's in Wethersfield for classic deli sandwiches and a classy and casual atmosphere.
Max Bibo's sits at the corner of a little plopped-down strip mall on Wethersfield Avenue. Inside, it's muted Tuscan colors, tile floors, big windows, and very clean. At the back of the room (depending on which entrance you use) there's a deli counter. When Lisa and I visited last week there were two guys busily fielding lunch orders for specialty sandwiches. Just at eye level, there are several jars of pickled hot peppers. Up the line a bit there's another counter with bean, olive and pasta salads and daily specials like eggplant parmesan and buffalo wings. Bags of boutique "Dirty" brand potato chips line the front of the counter. Then there's the line to the cash register, with jars of cookies, muffins, brownies and fresh-baked twists.
It is difficult to keep from piling on the goodies at Max Bibo's, but fortunately the goodies are good -- not just nice to look at. By the time I got to the checkout counter, I had a sandwich known as "Lorenzo's Indiscretion," which is made with thinly sliced sopressatta salami, provolone cheese, lettuce and roasted red peppers on a hard roll, served with a small tub of olive salad made with cracked green and black olives, celery and garlic. There was also a bag of jalapeno chips, a drink and a dainty apple pastry. I've never much liked the idea of the light lunch anyway.
But Max Bibo's offers the option. There was a specials board with a few "Atkins friendly" items on it. I, however, was headed for some serious carb activity. The special sandwiches get you interested. There's a sandwich called "Maximillian's Preference," made with smoked liverwurst, sliced cucumbers, mustard and horseradish. Some people can't abide by liverwurst for some reason, and I guess it doesn't surprise me that pork liver sausage sends the squeamish running. But it's good stuff, somewhere between bologna and paté (I guess that's not the most convincing endorsement). Just thinking about that one makes me want to go back. Then there's another sandwich made with prosciutto ham and roasted red peppers. You get the picture. Cured meats abound.
When you're dealing with all this meat, one thing that becomes an issue is serving size. There's nothing worse than a skimpy sandwich. Too much bread is fatal, even for the non-carb-averse. The other, opposite extreme -- too much meat -- is more often the problem, but our mouths are finely calibrated for these things; there's a big difference between a nice three-quarter-inch stack of sliced meat and an unmanageable two-inch pile. Max Bibo's doesn't serve those too-huge sandwiches. They get the ratios right. The sopressatta on my sandwich was delicious. A little olive oil and vinegar made it just on the right side of dry.
Max Bibo's also serves hot sandwiches, including pastrami, corned beef, chicken cutlet, baked ham and reubens. And they'll deliver for orders greater than $25.
The lobster bisque was velvety smooth and very hot. Just shy of scalding. The lobster flavor outdid all of the other competing elements, trumping butter and sherry.
Not that it was the best accompaniment to this, but meanwhile I was eating from the olive salad, which was tangy, salty and potent.
On a return trip, I noticed some enticing items in the counter display -- there were stuffed sweet potatoes with peaches and bacon. This time I tried a hot pastrami sandwich, with spicy mustard and Swiss cheese on rye bread. I also sampled a fresh tortellini salad with strips of red pepper, carrots, black olives, baby spinach and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
Max Bibo's has the best of both gourmet deli offerings and casual quick service. On both visits, after placing my order I was asked more than once if I'd already been helped by one of the eager servers behind the counter. I recommend a visit, and while you're there, why not try the liverwurst?
Hours: Open Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
