Maxine's On Main

Okay, I have rated some places in Peoria highly, and some of those have been taking the area into account, however this is one of the few places in the area I would say that would be a smash success in Chicago. This is The Best restaurant in The Peoria area by far. We had two of the flight appetizers which I think a lot of people could get three and could make a meal. We had the cheese flight which had a Gouda, Smoked Gouda, a very aged Blue Cheese and a Brie like cheese all cheeses were great the plate also had dates, cooked almonds and pecans as well as a homemade jam, to spread with the brie like cheese delicious eating all round. The second flight we had was the salmon flight which had salmon ceviche, smoked salmon and cured salmon all were unique tasting and top notch. For dinner my gf had the Salmon over risotto, the salmon was perfectly seasoned and cooked and her risotto was creamy and rich. I had the scallops which were also cooked just right and came with forbidden rice which was tasty. The service was great, our server asked us three times if we wanted to sample a wine before ordering and she was very helpful in describing the wines and food on the menu. Yes it took us two hours to eat but that's the point, I know some people think dinner is eat fast and stuff indifferently cooked crap down your pie hole but in most civilized countries eating dinner is about enjoying and having conversation over food and wine and that's what goes on here so don't listen to any poor reviews regarding service, go here and support a local business that is trying to bring flavor and class to an avantis (craphole by the way) area. Try The Picpoul wine it's great

This former house turned restaurant experience began great, until just a few minutes into the night. A very long story short, the service was bad, the food was pricey, but well above average. Hats off to chef. The mistakes, yes plural, were not only not corrected, but also not taken off the bill. The waitress offered a martini flight, but brought two margaritas flights. When questioned, the waitress responded that she liked the word martini better. These drinks were not taken away, but just left on the table. No correct replacements were ever offered or served. The drinks were also not taken off the bill. We were brought free deserts...not offered or asked a preference...just brought to table.
There were quite a few issues throughout the night. Be advised that at the end of our meal, we were instructed that the dining experience is designed to last 1.5 to 2 hours. The owner could have solved all the issues by simply removing the incorrect drinks from the bill, and not trying to argue with us about the amount of time spent waiting for food. We arrived for our 730pm reservation on time, and no matter what times the food was entered into their computer, by their employees, the main course did not arrive until 850pm...not even mentioning they were out of one of the items ordered...not even brought to our attention until after appetizers and salads were finished.
Conclusion...price high, food good, service bad, professionalism below average. If this meal for 4 was $100, there would be little to complain about. At $200, we expected a much more pleasant experience

Decided to get out of P-town and try something new over in Morton with Maxine's. It is situated in an older style home that apparently mostly burned down inside after being renovated and had to be re-renovated! It has a few parking spots along the side of the house but it looked like the streets were filled with their customers as well. When you first walk in, there is seating on what would normally be a sun porch. The entry has been divided off with a heavy black curtain on either side but the icy wind does cause those curtains to billow up into the sun porch and we got a dirty look from a diner on our way inside. So I would advise requesting interior seating when you make your reservation! The main room is rather small with a littel waiting area to your left. We were sat upstairs which is a little plainer than the main room but was warm and intimate. There were 2 "bedrooms" open for eating, ours had 4 tables and the other only had 2. There are some good choices for wines and at good prices, we chose one at $28 but there were also some at $22 that would've been a steal as well. We started with the Terrine Trio of dips with pita chips. The walnut & feta was my favorite while my date likes the black bean & goat cheese. Least liked: hummus which was very dry and lacked garlic or lemon. They were all extremely cold as well which both made it hard to get them on the chips and decreased the flavor as well.

I tried the pear & arugula salad and my date had the potato soup. The salad was fresh & delicous, LOVED the arugula and sweet preserved pears together. It had EXACTLY the right amount of dressing too. The potato soup was overpoweringly peppery. It must have been white pepper because it wasn't visible and also maybe because white pepper is soooo much stronger than black. It is not used in equal proportions but this time it was! Wow, my date had to get up and blow his nose twice while finishing it off, he did like the flavor and consistency though. He got the ribeye steak which was very tender and cooked perfectly although it had a very bland and mild steak flavor. It was topped with a sauce he found too salty. I had the scallops in brown butter and I loved them. Also cooked perfectly with the bacon jam spinach to compliment it really well. The polenta didn't add much to the dish and would've been better replaced with something that added texture since the scallops & sauteed spinach were both so soft. Even a couscous like the salmon is served with would be an improvement. We didn't try any desserts this go-round but will definitely be back. I LOVE places that change their menus with the seasons and I think this place is a rising star in that regard!