Traveling through the Spicer/New London area of west central Minnesota not long ago, I wanted to get something to eat at the Goat Ridge Brewing Company in New London. However, I found that their kitchen wasn't open that evening. I remembered that there was a restaurant - the Little Crow Tavern - at the Little Crow Golf Resort located between New London and Spicer that my wife and I talked about going to when we were vacationing in the area a couple three years ago, but never did. I decided to head out there for a bite to eat. However, from the time when we were originally here and when I pulled into the parking lot, the restaurant had gone through a change in management. It is now called Max's on the Green. It wasn't a deal breaker and I went in to check the place out.
The Little Crow Golf Club originally opened in 1969, but in 2017 the golf club was bought by investors who did major renovations to the course, tore down and built a new club house/restaurant/bar, and added a GrandStay hotel and resort along with a small reception/conference center. The new restaurant - Little Crow Tavern and Grill - opened in the spring of 2018, while the hotel and conference center opened in July of that year.
After the golf season was over in 2019, Little Crow Tavern shut down and during the winter the facility searched for new management to run the restaurant/bar. And they found a couple who had experience in running a restaurant - Corey and Traci Buchtel.
The Buchtels had been involved with running the Sheep Shedde Inn - a small boutique hotel in Olivia, MN about 35 miles south of Spicer - along with an attached restaurant/bar called Max's Grill for nearly 20 years. They jumped at the opportunity to take over the restaurant at Little Crow Golf Resort. The Buchtels took over the space and decided to change the name to Max's on the Green to give some continuity to their restaurant in Olivia.
The pandemic pushed back the official opening of Max's on the Green until June of 2020 when they were finally able to open with restrictions with patio only seating. Full in-house dining began later in the year. And whereas the Little Crow Tavern was a seasonal restaurant, Max's on the Green is open year-round.
It was about 6:30 when I pulled into the complex that houses Max's on the Green. (see map) The clubhouse and restaurant are located on the back side of the hotel and I found a parking spot in front of the door to the restaurant.
The outdoor patio was rather large consisting of all-weather furnishings and great views of the golf course. It was a tad cool the evening I was there and there were only a handful of people seated on the patio having dinner and/or drinks.
Max's on the Green features live music on the patio during the summer months. I figured this had to be a hopping spot during the summertime. The patio was very nice.
This is the view of the golf course looking toward the west from the patio. The putting green is in the foreground with fairways in the background. The golf course features three 9-hole courses with a lot of water hazards throughout. If I played golf - I gave it up years ago because I sucked at it - I would have loved to play this course just for the beauty of it alone.
Inside the restaurant, there's a combination bar/dining area. Doors on the side take you into a large reception hall that is used for events and meetings. The dining area was about half filled with people when I got in there.
I contemplated taking a table in the dining room, but decided to sit at the bar. I was greeted by Traci Buchtel who was the bartender that evening. She gave me a menu after I sat down. I ordered up a Kona Big Wave Golden Ale as I immediately noticed the familiar spigot when I sat down at the bar.
The food choices were fairly basis at Max's on the Green. They did feature steaks, ribs, jumbo fried shrimp, grilled salmon, and a grilled chicken breast topped with smoked ham, provolone cheese and a pineapple ring served on a bed of wild rice for their main entrees. They had a number of appetizers - the usual fare such as nachos, chicken wings, and cheese curds. Max's on the Green also featured burgers, sandwiches, flat breads and a number of salads to choose from. Interestingly, they also featured three different variations of bratwurst including the Philly brat that was topped with Swiss cheese, onions and peppers. That sounded quite good, but I knew the onions and peppers would be talking back at me later that evening.
Max's on the Green also features a special off menu item each day. That evening they had beef enchiladas with rice for the special. I didn't even consider that as I continued through the menu.
Honestly, I really didn't know what to get that evening. Sandwiches such as the Classic Pastrami and the pulled pork on a hoagie sounded good. I knew I didn't want a steak, and the BLTA (bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado) caught my eye, but we had our own BBLTA's (basil, bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado) at home over the previous weekend.
I was beginning to run out of options and I had it down to two different burgers - the Big Max, their signature burger topped with cheddar cheese, sautƩed mushrooms and bacon; or the Frisco burger served on sourdough bread topped with Swiss cheese, bacon and mayonnaise. I ended up getting the Frisco burger, only I asked Traci if I could get sautƩed mushrooms on the burger. She said it was no problem.
I had a choice of fries, kettle chips or steamed veggies with the burger. For a slight uncharge, I had a choice of either onion rings or a side salad. I asked Traci if they made the onion rings in house from scratch or if they got them from a food purveyor. She sort of hesitated for a moment and said, "Yeah, we get them from a food service company. They're all right." She didn't sound too convincing in her voice, so I ended up getting the fries instead.
The burger was on two toasted slices of sourdough bread. It was a thick beef patty cooked medium with a hint of red in the meat. The mayo, Swiss cheese, bacon and mushrooms were prominent on the burger that was served cut in half.
The Frisco burger was actually very good. I like a good sourdough bread burger from time to time and this was a spot-hitter for me. The combination of the toppings didn't mask the bold taste of the beef and actually helped enhance the overall taste. The fries were all right, but I concentrated more on the burger having only a few fries along the way.
Max's on the Green was fine for what it is. The menu is basic, the atmosphere of the dining/bar area is laid back, and it's tough to beat the views of the golf course from the patio behind the restaurant. The owner Traci did a fine job of making sure that I had a full beer glass when I needed it, and the Frisco burger on sourdough bread was very good. For a golf course restaurant, I'd call it average compared to some other golf course restaurants I've been to over the years. But there's just something about the New London/Spicer area that makes Max's on the Green a little more appealing that the others.