Restaurant Review: Max's Wine Dive

Champagne and fried chicken? We’ll take two.

The owners of The Tasting Room have brought us the much anticipated Max’s Wine Dive (4720 Washington Ave), opened just a few months ago at the new strip center on Shepherd and Washington. This hip urban joint is far from a dive, though the exposed brick walls, concrete floors and juke box might fool you. The Texas-size bar extends almost the entire length of the narrow restaurant, while leather booths and teeny round bar tables make up the rest of the seating. During peak hours, patrons squeeze shoulder to shoulder for room at the bar or a wait at one of the tables.

Houstonist hasn’t yet decided if Max’s is a bar with a foodie problem or a restaurant with a drinking problem but whatever it is, it seems to be working. The wine selection boasts over 150 options that can be ordered by the glass or by the bottle.. We would recommend purchasing by the bottle since the by-the-glass options are on the expensive side. Whether considered smart business strategizing or just plain stingy, Max’s doesn’t offer much else in terms of beverage – no soft drinks, no ice tea, the occasional root beer and the local flavor of Houston tap water. Drinks aside, Houstonist was there for the fabled upscale southern comfort food. After putting our name on the waitlist (over an hour and a half at 8:00 p.m. on a Friday night), we managed to find a small bar table (no chairs so we stood) and ordered a bottle of wine and an appetizer. Our plate of deluxe fries were piled high on a huge platter, smothered in venison chili, black truffle oil, gruyere cheese and two fried eggs. After a split second to admire the decadence, the plate was cleaned spotless by our greedy little fingers. How is it possible that we have never had fried eggs on top of chili fries?! Genius! And the gruyere and truffle oil took the common fried potato to a whole new level.

After our first taste of what Max’s had to offer, we decided to continue our glutinous extravaganza at our teeny table - standing wasn’t so bad if the food continued to be this good. The menu highlighted Kobe beef burgers, shrimp and grits, haute dogs and pork chops. Our decision was easy: fried chicken. Our plate of fried chicken came out with four modest pieces on top of a bed of collard greens. And, haute diggity, that was some tasty fried chicken – the best we’ve had in a long, long time! Seasoned perfectly with a bit of a kick, the chicken was fried with a thin, crispy top layer crunch so you can actually taste the seasonings and the succulent meat.

The owners wanted to create a comfortable, relaxed establishment with great food and great wine. They clearly achieved the food and wine part but with the trendy patrons and barely breathable crowds Max’s is not always comfortable and relaxed. The prices are a bit on the high side, but Houstonist recommends sharing the wine with a few dishes to get the most out of your buck.

The verdict: Southern comfort food never tasted so good and decadent, especially paired with a great wine. Go on a weekday or late on a weekend to avoid the crowds. Acoustics are terrible, so prepare to shout your mmmm’s for the fried chicken.