It’s the end of the month and therefore another installment of Travels with Frenchie, the monthly food series in which a trio of culturally mismatched San Antonians explores the city in search of dining adventure. As always, the culinary vice squad consisted of Frenchie (aka Fabien Jacob, celebrated local sommelier), Carlos the Bike Mechanic (aka Carlos Montoya, a man who eats only obscure fruits and grilled meats), and me (occasional vegan and known street food enthusiast). For our guest this month, we were joined by Adam White, drummer and keyboardist for local indie rock band Big Soy
With wine in mind, we headed over to the recently opened Max’s Wine Dive in the Alamo Quarry. Max’s seeks to combine elements that normally don’t go together: upscale comfort food, the feel of a dive bar, a rock and roll atmosphere, and wine. That’s a lot going on.
To Max’s credit, they’ve created a place for our confusing times. I understand the upscale comfort food angle – the economy is tanking and the upper middle class can no longer afford foie gras. So we retreat into the safety of the American past with food from the Old South. Personally, that will always be weird to me, but this is the psychology of our public consciousness, and so as a business move, comfort food makes perfect sense.
There is nothing divey about this wine bar. Quite the opposite. The interior is new and modestly elegant – perfect for comfortably drinking with friends. Max definitely pushes a rock ‘n’ roll vibe, at least in the choice of music coming through the speakers. Guns N’ Roses was cranking when we came in at happy hour. I know this appealed to Carlos because he can play Appetite for Destruction note for note on guitar. Combining wine with rock reminds me of the late ’90s when sushi bars were made accessible to a mass audience by similarly pushing the rock vibe as a way to Americanize the experience. Max’s gets that. And calling it a dive further lets people know this isn’t a place for wine snobs. But “Sweet Child ‘O Mine” shifted into jazz an hour later, so I think the rock vibe isn’t fixed in stone.
The food is what had me thinking the most. On one hand it’s basically burgers, hot dogs, and fried chicken. But not any burger — it’s a Kobe burger. Not just a hot dog — it’s an haute dog. While we waited for our fried chicken, we dabbled with a savory gator beignet appetizer. Adam found the gator to be surprisingly soft with deliciously crispy fried outer edge. The spicy aioli dip was an added touch, but next time I’d probably try the macaroni and cheese.
The menu can be separated into small plate appetizers at around $9-$12 and full plates at around $13-$17. Bottom line: the food isn’t as good as the prices suggest. Does that mean the food should be better? Not really. The fried chicken was great — moist and dripping with juice. I just think the prices should be lower. This is comfort food. I can’t see any fried chicken being worth $15. The comfort should be more than just escaping one’s problems through the delirium of fried chicken. The prices should be comforting as well. It’s almost as if you’d have to be drunk to want to pay those prices.
Which brings us to the wine. Thinking of Max’s as a straight restaurant is the wrong way to go. The wine is the real draw. Adam was very impressed with the interesting selection and modest wine prices. Also, the wait staff was very helpful. While Adam searched the menu for a tempranillo, our waitress mentioned a large selection of wine by the glass from previously opened bottles. Ordering from this selection of bottles affords an even cheaper option. Frenchie was ecstatic about the wine selection. “It’s very well thought out and amazingly well priced. It’s like retail prices. Also they have a genius system where people can put money on a card and self serve a variety of wines from a jukebox-looking machine called the Enomatic.”
Our waitress had a T-shirt that read: “Fried chicken and champagne ... why the hell not?!” In the end, it’s very simple. Listen to some Guns N’ Roses. Get drunk. Eat food. Have fun. Nothing complicated about that. For those who like to go out and drink wine, Max’s will probably become the place to go.•
Max’s Wine Dive
Alamo Quarry
340 E. Basse Rd
Suite 101
210-444-9547
5 Questions for Adam White
Most people in town know you for playing drums in local indie rock bands. Tell us the transition from that to making wine. Or were these two parallel interests?
Did playing in DIY bands inform your winemaking?
Can you describe some of the challenges to making wine on a budget? What have you had to do differently than other winemakers?
What is the next step for you making wine? (Feel free to mention any plans you have with the good doctor, and what you two have been working on and done so far in the last few years)
How will your wine compare to other Texas wines?