by Steven Doyle
Brunch is that soothing fixer of all ill deeds and nothing needs more repair than New Years Day after a righteous night of revelry. We prepared a short list of some of the better brunches you will find throughout the Dallas area, and wish you a fantastic 2017. We actually have one option good enough for Ron Swanson.
Filed under Steven Doyle
by Steven Doyle photos by Joey Stewart
The most interesting thing about Max’s Wine Dive, besides the outrageously delicious pairing of champagne and fried chicken, is that each of the handful of restaurants smattering the Texas dining landscape have a talented chef and allow them free reign on half of the menu. In Dallas we have chef Patrick Russell. Russell is originally from Dallas, and attended the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. He has fantastic culinary peers including Alton Brown, and locally Abraham Salum. Continue reading
Filed under Joey Stewart, Steven Doyle
by Andrew Chalk
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Last Thursday, it was Max’s Wine Dive located in Fort Worth’s buzzing West 7th Street area. The restaurant hosted one of the most macabre dining events I have been to anywhere in the area: a 12-course Alice In Wonderland themed dinner with matching wines. The event, apparently a creative joint venture between GM Chad Wherry, execuchef Stefon Rishel and, from corporate, Alex Bell the Max’s chain “Creative Content Manager” (as well as being involved with wine buying).
Staff dressed up as characters from the book with Alex Bell as the Mad Hatter who proceeded to punctuate gaps between courses with a rhyming dialog that he had memorized (!) based loosely around the food and the book. Continue reading
Filed under Andrew Chalk
by Andrew Chalk
Max’s Wine Dive, the popular restaurant with the slogan “Fried Chicken and Champagne?…Why the Hell Not?!” just revamped their menu for Fall and Crave was at the media event to roll it out. From small plates to large, it looks like a winner.
Go to the section of the menu entitled “Chef Stefon’s Fall Menu” and start with PB&J Wings ($10), chicken wings in Max’s signature batter and slathered with thai peanut sauce and blackberry coulis (a variation on sweet and sour). But take plenty of napkins as this can be a messy dish as well. Continue reading
Filed under Andrew Chalk
by Mike Marrero
This week’s date night is on a Thursday, and starts off at Max’s Wine Dive to participate in Battle of the Grapes. Max’s Wine Dive excels in serving gourmet comfort food paired with your choice of spectacular wines and champagnes from around the world. If you’re craving “Chicken and Champagne” then you need to visit Max’s.
Executive Chef Patrick Russell prepares unique edibles using fresh, seasonal ingredients. The spread is comprised of two sections: on one side you have traditional Wine Dive Classics, with the other side being creative and seasonal specialties. This gourmet comfort food entices customers with unique flavor pairings that seduce the palate. Continue reading
Filed under Mike Marrero
by Andrew Chalk
When the Max’s Wine Dive PR peeps told me that this Sunday is “National Fried Chicken Day” it gave me the perfect opportunity to ask them if I could do the challenge that I had been waiting for ever since they opened: Does fried chicken really go with Champagne?
Busting my script, they took me up on the challenge. Kevin Usher, Wine Sales Manager at Max’s Dallas location put together a tasting of their popular Famous Southern Fried Chicken ($17), three pieces of chicken (breast, thigh and leg) with mashed potatoes, Texas toast and some of the best collard greens in Dallas, with Mumm’s ‘Cordon Rouge’ non-vintage Champagne. For completeness, and in deference to Dallasites who drink their sparkling wine from all over the world, he threw in four more popular sparkling wines from Max’s 15 selection list labeled ‘Bubbles’. I tasted each on its own and then with chicken. There was a surprise winner for best match with chicken! Continue reading
Filed under Andrew Chalk
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