Early in its young life, Max Restaurant was an upscale Cal-Asian fusion restaurant. It was with this persona that the restaurant in Sherman Oaks, CA was introduced to me. “We need a Filipino fine dining restaurant,” she said. That was it for me. I was intrigued.
When I had the chance to go to southern California, I made it a point to go to Max Restaurant, at 13355 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. It was an hour away, but the way the restaurant was described to me, I HAD to go. I made reservations for one (Yes, I was on my own) using OpenTable.com (I absolutely recommend it). My first choice of time was not available, so I settled on the only time available—5:30 p.m. It was a good sign; if the restaurant was booked for the entire evening, it must be good.
When I arrived for dinner, the host immediately seated me. I was expecting linen tablecloths and really expensive menu items. Apparently, Max had gone through a transformation this past summer. That was fine by me. I felt comfortable in the warm colors and the more casual setting. I do not dine out often, so I have a really skewed idea of what is inexpensive.
Basically, I think everything is expensive.I thought to myself, however, that if my friend said it was a good place, and I am never in southern California to dine, I should really make it a point to savor the experience. I felt like a food tourist. I even had my camera with me.
I began with a specialty cocktail: a Cosmopolitan Blush—Ketel One Vodka, Triple Sec, Guava Juice, Cranberry Juice, and Lime Juice. Great start. I then asked for a water, to which Laura responded that they only had the .75L bottles of San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water. Under normal circumstances, I would not get that water. Like the food tourist I was emulating, I went for it, and learned the beauty of the water—it serves to clean your palate so that you can savor each bite of your food. It was a good lesson to learn.
For starters, I planned to order the House Smoked Salmon Tartare, described as House Smoked Salmon, Ikura, Yuzu Cream Cheese, Chopped Egg, Herb Salad, and Croustades. Well, when my server, Laura, came out, she mentioned a dish of Shrimp with Mango Glaze. She said mango—I said yes. I was so impressed by the description of the food that I did not have a chance to write it down. Yet as impressed as I was with the description, the taste was so much better!
I had finished the Cosmopolitan Blush so I ordered a Yuzu Saketini. Did he just say “Sake-tini”? I sure did. It was chilled Shoju Sake, Yuzu Lime Juice, and a Dash of Simple Syrup. Just the right mix of Asian fusion.
I moved on to my entrée, which was the Applewood Smoked Baby Back Ribs Glazed in Tamarind-Guava Sauce, served with Sweet Corn, Squash, Edamame, and Succotash. I chose a side of asparagus and, of course, I had to get sticky rice, for the win. It sure was a winner.
I had gotten another saketini halfway through the entrée and was ready for dessert. It was an easy choice—Pear and Candied Squash Halo Halo, which the chef describes as “Filipino sundae with vanilla bean ice cream, caramel flan, coconut milk, classic halo halo jellies, and sweet nuts.” This was the best halo halo I had ever had—EVER. They did not skimp either. It was a good size. It was fulfilling.
By the time I had finished it was 8:30 p.m. The entire time I had great conversation with the people who sat at the adjacent table. The first individual was a retired teacher. He was in a hurry so we did not talk that much, although it was easy for me to compliment an individual that had devoted their whole career toward educating youth. Then a pair of women sat at the table, Monica and Tamara. The former was a reference librarian and the latter a financial advisor. They were so nice they even shared some of their pickled vegetables with me. We talked about education, government, finances, and relationships. I even got an investment tip. I took pictures of my food—they chuckled at my delight.
Another cool part was that the host, Toby, was from northern California. He graduated from Nevada Union High School and had worked for the Paragary Restaurant Group before relocating to southern California five years ago.
ll the great company still was not enough to outshine the masterpieces of Owner and Chef Andre Guerrero. Born in the Philippines, he is the one behind all the Filipino-fusion foods. I have been talking about Max Restaurant for three weeks now and describe the selection as a mixture of Filipino foods with European flair (Pear and Candied Squash Halo Halo) and European foods with Filipino flair (Applewood Smoked Baby Back Ribs Glazed in Tamarind-Guava Sauce). It was so good that I even had to write about it. It is THAT good.
More than that however, is what Chef Guerrero represents. We all know how good Filipino food is. Great food is made by great chefs. Chef Guerrero is succeeding in a field where not enough Filipinos get the credit they deserve. In and through this article, I declare and offer well-deserved kudos to Chef Guerrero.
The next time I am in southern California, I plan to go to The Oinkster, another restaurant owned by Chef Guerrero, where the concept is slow fast food. If you have not heard of the slow food movement, look it up.
The next time you are in southern California, check out Max Restaurant. You will not be disappointed. You can find more information on the Max Restaurant Web site at http://maxrestaurant.com/Home.html.
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