Maude - Beverly Hills

Sadly, the Maude of yesteryear is no more. When it opened, the restaurant was innovative and fresh. I remember thinking it served the best meal I had ever eaten. That was when there was a rotating menu dedicated to a different region every few months. I'm sure it was a ton of work for the staff, but the effort was richly rewarded.The current iteration of Maude is more like a poor man's French Laundry: The standard wine pairing features wine that are barely escaping the 7-11 chilled section. They've dropped the protein courses in favor of endless desserts and overly sweet wines. The staff and the vibe of the restaurant are still amazing and top notch; the menu not so much. This is not worth the $500 per person you will end up spending. Really sad to see this once great restaurant fall back to earth

We have been wanting to dine here for a long time, so finally been able to dine here (we live in Australia), was a dream come true. The wine pairing was superb. In keeping with other fine dining experiences, I would suggest providing diners with the menu at the beginning of the service, than at the end of the meal. Its always nice to follow the courses and what you are having. Definitely worth the experience. The staff and service were top notch.

Just had dinner at this restaurant, which was going well until … the waitress told us we needed to ‘go to another location’ for dessert. We were taken out the door, along the street and up a sharp set of stairs to a wine ‘cellar’ laid out like a lounge. It was freezing cold (temperature controlled wines), we were suddenly surrounded by wine (although we drank only water through dinner) and were told we could wrap ourselves in blankets if we found it too cold. It was truly bizarre. How you could possibly feel comfortable in the room at the end of the meal is beyond me. Did they need our table? I don’t know. There were only 12 customers in the restaurant. We got up, paid the bill and left. We went back to Beverly Wiltshire (lovely hotel) and ordered dessert from room service. Really, really disappointed, we came a long way to try this place. Approach with caution.

We just spent just under $1000 (excluding tips for a wine pairing dinner for two at Maude (including $12 for a cup of coffee! . When we arrived, they did not provide us with a menu, I actually had to ask for a verbal preview of the courses. No upfront pricing or the mandatory 18% service charge was provided (you get a surprise when you get the bill .Maude does not offer the Michelin experience . You are far better off going to another restaurant such as the Providence for a real Michelin experience.Maude is essentially a converted small store located in South Beverly Drive (not in the heart of Beverly Hills . Clearly minimal investment has been made to make the place attractive. It is so small they only have room for a couple of 4 person tables. There are also 4 uncomfortable seats at the counter reminiscent of a diner seating arrangement. The upstairs wine room is actually a converted office space next to other offices.The service is aloof and business like and at times condescending. You get the impression the staff assumes you 've not been to a Michelin starred restaurant and should therefore consider yourself fortunate to be at Maude 's!For a Michelin starred restaurant the quality of the food was average at best. The wine pairing was below average, not only for the quality of the wine but also the pairing of the wine with each course did not work.

We like to try Michelin Starred restaurants when we’re on vacation and this was our favorite place, so far. We were pleasantly surprised with every tasting and some dishes really knocked it out of the park. I would describe each dish but it’s a changing menu so it wouldn’t be helpful here. I can say that every dish was prepared perfectly, delicately flavorful over the top and most of all delicious. The staff worked together as a team, serving our dishes in sync; they were very informative and expertly described each dish as it was served.I’ve been a fan of Curtis’s for a very long time and he just happened to e there enjoying a meal with his family, which was very exciting for me. I wanted so badly to act like a tourist fan ask for his autograph, but it seemed like it wasn’t the right thing to do, at the time, so I respectfully let them have their meal in peace. I’ve seen his current works on PBS; Field Trip With Relish and he has a special gift of portraying the wonderful feelings of traveling and discovering the local foods in whatever region he’s visiting. I felt that way eating at his restaurant, like being transported through food, to this region. I’d love to be at on of those dinners, Ooh La La! Thank you Curtis for all your creations…We Maude. THE BEST EVER