If you’re still pining away for Maximo’s on Broad, which closed last June, get ready for Non-Vintage, a new wine bar from Maximo’s owners Amy and Julio Zuniga. It’s slated to open the second week of October at the same address — 2617 Broad Avenue — where Maximo’s was located.
The vibe will be “relaxed” and “chill,” Amy says. “With the focus on wine. We still have a full bar — liquor — as well.”
The decor is different, Amy says. “We have remodeled it. It’s entirely different in here. We have carpet here. It’s nice and quiet.”
And, she says, “The walls are muted blue tones. Blue and gray and green.”
“For a long time I’ve wanted to o pen a wine bar. And when we closed Maximo’s we still had the lease here.”
So, things “fell into place and made sense.”
A wine bar is “where you go and get to try all kinds of different wines you might not be aware of and not heard of,” she says.
Food will include tapas and cheese and meat charcuterie boards. “Just kind of a more relaxed outing than you’d get at a bar and not as big a deal as going to a restaurant. Just more casual.”
She doesn’t want to give too much away about the menu, but, she says they will serve crab cakes and wild arugula salad.
And, “We will serve the Brussels sprouts we had at Maximo’s. Everybody loves those. It’s a winner.”
One of the reasons they closed Maximo’s, Amy said in an interview last June, was they had trouble keeping staff for some time. They hire one person and then they quit and they have to hire another one.
“The staffing issue was the kitchen. So, with this being a more simple menu, it will just be easier to handle.”