We were all hungry and getting crabby, so we grabbed the first half decent place we found. It was a deli on Time Square called Maxie's and had a large Time Square style, well lighted sign.

We entered and it looked more like a TGIF or Applebee’s than a New York deli. We were seated and looked over their long menu. The entire place seemed a little dirty.

I ordered a hot dog (a pretty safe bet) and matzo ball soup. The kids ordered burgers and Chris ordered a pastrami sandwich. Our waiter seemed flustered and just couldn't get the order right and repeated it back to us several times, completely incorrect.

Finally the order came – well, at least part of the order, as he never turned my son's order in at all. Several items were wrong, but we accepted this, as it just wasn't worth the effort. We did ask the waiter to place our son's order and he started to argue that it was our fault and we just weren't clear enough. All we wanted was for him to resubmit the order.

My hotdog was okay, but the fries were mushy and soggy. My matzo ball soup was watery. Our drinks were never refilled and the kids never did get the hot chocolates that they ordered. They meal was one big flop.

To Maxie's, it's all about location and they have a good one. They have great signage and I am sure they lure a lot of first-time travelers through the doors. I doubt many locals eat here, and they don't care about repeat customers.

In doing my research later I found several bad reviews that sound a lot like our experience. This is by no means a REAL New York deli. It's a bad imitation that uses the word "deli" to attract tourists. The prices are out of line and everything about this lunch was not up to our expectations. I suggest walking a few more blocks and eating at a real New York deli like the Carnegie Deli.