Fried Chicken News

Fancy fried chicken restaurant chain flees Dallas-Fort Worth

Bye Max's, we'll miss you.

Max's Wine Dive

Dallas-Fort Worth has a little less fried chicken with the demise of Max's Wine Dive, which closed its final North Texas location on West 7th Street in Fort Worth on September 1.

Max's is the sophisticated casual concept from Houston that specializes in fried chicken and champagne. Its first location in North Texas opened in Dallas' West Village in 2012, but closed after five years in August 2017.

Founder Jerry Lasco, president and CEO of Houston-based Lasco Enterprises, said in an email that there just wasn't enough business to keep the Fort Worth location open.

"Yes, we had a sad Labor Day weekend as we closed our Fort Worth Max's location after six years," Lasco said. "We are all crushed. It's painful to see something that so many people put their hearts and souls into come to an end."

"We couldn't be more thankful to the community of Fort Worth for their amazing support and classiness over the years as well as to our Fort Worth team," Lasco said. "They built an incredible work family that truly took to heart the hospitality and spirit that Max's Wine Dive was built on."

Max's came to Dallas simultaneously with the debut of CultureMap Dallas — just two plucky but brilliant Houston concepts colonizing DFW. CultureMap Dallas even held its launch party at the Dallas location.

The Fort Worth Max's opened in 2013.

When Max's arrived in DFW, the area was in the early throes of a fried-chicken trend, one that saw more than a dozen fried chicken restaurants open such as WhistleBritches, Quincy's, Farmbyrd, Fat Chicken, Brick & Bones, Street's Fine Chicken, and Chicken Moto, which does fried chicken with a Korean spin.

But the fried chicken category has also seem some shrinkage, with closures such as Sissy's on Henderson Avenue.

"The sole reason that Max's shut down was that it was no longer a viable business," Lasco said. "The restaurant industry can be a challenging one and sometimes despite the best efforts of the good people in place, in the end, the business no longer works as a business. Fortunately, we have been able to offer every member of our Fort Worth team a job at one of our other locations. With this said, we fully realize the impact on their lives and that is what makes it so tough."

The restaurant announced its closure with a note pinned to the door, stating, "With a heavy heart we are saddened to announce that Max’s Fort Worth is closed for business. Each of us at Max’s thanks the Fort Worth community for a number of amazing years."

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Burger News

Fun family-owned Big Mike's Bar and Grill from TV star debuts in Plano

Tommy LeBeouf

Big burger from Big Mike's in Plano

A charming family-owned restaurant from a TV star has debuted in Plano. Called Big Mike’s Bar and Grill, it's an elevated sports bar that just opened at 3200 Alma Dr., in a former Pancho's Mexican Buffet where it's serving tasty Angus burgers and beer-battered onion rings, hand-battered in-house.

Big Mike's is from husband-and-wife Mike Cancelmi and Jennie Marie; she gained fame as the star of the 2018 TLC show Mama Medium. The couple is from Rochester, New York, but fell in love with the Dallas area with their four sons after visiting a friend in 2021.

Their signature Big Mike's burger is a biggie: a half-pound patty with cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a fried egg on a brioche bun, served with choice of hand-cut fries, tater tots, or sweet potato fries, for $18.

They bring their Northeast influence with dishes such as a Reuben sandwich with corned beef on marble rye, and their own version of poutine, the Canadian specialty, which they make with fries, cheese curds, brown gravy, and thick-cut crumbled bacon.

One dish reflect their hometown pride: Called the Trash Plate, it's inspired by the Garbage Plate, a sloppy comfort food dish created in 1918 at Rochester restaurant Nick Tahou Hots which has become the unofficial signature dish of the city of Rochester.

The traditional Garbage Plate consists of a choice of burger or hot dog from Rochester-based Zweigle’s, Italian sausage, chicken, or grilled cheese, served on top of any combination of starchy items like home fries, french fries, baked beans, or macaroni salad.

Big Mike's Trash Plate features macaroni salad, home fries, and choice of two Zweigle’s hot dogs which they fly from New York, or two smash patties with hot sauce, mustard, and onions.

They also do a few entree items like a NY strip steak, their priciest item at $35, served with garlic mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts; and a chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans for $24. Portions are abundant.

Big Mike'sBig Mike's

“I created the menu based on things I like to eat," Mike says. "Everything we make is made from scratch, the way I would do it if I was cooking for my friends."

They host weekend brunch on Saturday and Sunday until 2 pm with a cinnamon roll skillet, frittatas, avocado toast, and a hash version of the Garbage Plate with home fries, mac salad, onions, diced Zweigle's hot dogs, eggs, and meat hot sauce. There are mimosas — they have a full bar — and they also do a daily happy hour from 3-6 pm with appetizer specials and domestic beers for $3.50.

Mike's background as a former contractor can be seen in the restaurant's spiffy remodel. The space sits 270, with enough room to host events that include karaoke every Wednesday, live music during brunch, and a ticketed group psychic event where Jennie Marie draws from her TV show days, performing readings and mediumship, with food and drink.

The restaurant has a wonderful family-oriented atmosphere. Many of their employees are friends of their sons from school or ice hockey, giving the restaurant a comfortable, homey vibe.

“We try to visit every table — that personal touch is important to us," Jennie Marie says. "We want that hometown feel, get people what they want so they come back."

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