Alyssa
Next door to Trader Joe’s at the Quarry sits Max’s Wine Dive, a unique restaurant decorated with wine bottles, naturally. The lighting is dim, the music is low and the atmosphere is intimate. I didn’t know what to expect when I cracked open the menu, but I was pleasantly surprised to find traditional dishes with fresh new twists. One menu item in-particular stood out – the Flamin Hot Cheeto Crusted Salmon.
Now, while I thought about ordering the Flamin salmon, my eyes came across jalapeño grits with shrimp, bacon, scallions parsley and a poached egg all in a spicy butter broth with a side of thick toast. My decision was made.
The grits sit beautifully on the plate in three different sections – three different scoops – with two huge pieces of grilled shrimp on top of each. I broke into the poached egg and mixed the yolk with my grits and used the toast as a fork. It was quite amazing and a very filling meal.
We couldn’t leave without ordering the famous jalapeño-buttermilk marinated fried chicken with mashed potatoes, collard greens and Texas toast. The chicken skin was crispy and filled with different spices while the chicken inside was soft and easy to bite into. After tasting the chicken, I made mental plans to come back for brunch and enjoy the chicken with a side of waffles!
After the meal all I could taste was jalapeño grits and while it was delicious during the meal, I had to cleanse my palate with the white chocolate banana fosters bread pudding. Nothing fancy, just a banana fosters bread pudding topped with sweet cream ice cream and Kraken rum salted caramel sauce.
Have you been to Max’s?