Max's Wine Dive

You've heard me exclaim my love for Restaurant.com and their extremely discounted gift certificates. Well, I loaded up a few weeks ago and snagged one for Max's Wine Dive in Austin. This place specializes in down home, fried, big serving goodness. My friend Lisa and I ventured for dinner this week to catch up. We walked into the long narrow restaurant and were greeted by a sweet laid back waitress. I ordered a glass of Jade Mountain Cabernet (one of their 9 glasses under $9, and a new favorite for me), Lisa went for a glass of Rose. After looking at the menu, we were set on some southern classics. I went for the Max & Cheese under the Max's Classics Small Plates (Cavatappi pasta tossed in truffle cream with fresh mozzarella, white cheddar, gruyere, and Grana Padano cheese blend). Yes, it was heaven wrapped in cheese sprinkled with the amazingness of truffle. I also got the Southern Fried Chicken (Three pieces of chicken with Max’s own jalapeno and buttermilk marinade, deep fried slow and low and served with chipotle honey, mashed potatoes and collard greens). Talk about juicy, spicy, crispy, perfectly fried chicken. Fantastic! The collard greens had a little too much kick for me, but the lumpy mashed potatoes more than made up for it. Lisa went for the Pork Belly under the Seasonal Sensation Small Plates (Coca-Cola braised all-natural Berkshire pork belly, roasted crispy, with micro German potato salad, and Lonestar Beer-steeped cabbage). Did you just read that description? Ugh, yeah! The small plate was not so small, it was huge! The pork belly was a thick piece of juiciness. Lisa also got the Damn...Yankee Pot Roast (Texas-raised Kobe beef cheeks slowly braised and served with roasted root vegetables, mushrooms and Yorkshire pudding – all swimming in a sumptuous red wine braising jus). We both DIED when the fork hit our mouths. Velvety, tender, taste each spice and flavor, kind of meat. You have got to try it, especially on a cold night. We enjoyed another glass of vino and marveled at our ability to consume comida. Impressive. We both got boxes to go, and vowed we'd stop by again. Their food is something you've got to try, but don't forget their extensive wine list too.

Max's Wine Dive
Twitter (Austin): @after_midnight
Twitter (Houston): @winediveMAX