Max Restaurant: Taking Fusion Cuisine to New Levels

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.

Filipino American History is Full of Different Dreamers

On November 8, 2008, the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Sacramento-Delta Chapter and the Sacramento Public Library hosted an author and artist showcase at the Sacramento Central Library. Entitled “Different Dreamers: An Afternoon with Filipino American Authors and Artists”, special guests included:

• Anita Bautista, freelance contributor to Filipinas Magazine and Asian Pacific American News and Review Newspaper
• Evangeline Canonizado Buell, author of Twenty-five Chickens and a Pig For a Bride and co-author of Filipinos in the East Bay
• Pamula Bulahan, photographer
• Stephanie Cruz, author of Delta and Dawn: Mother and Baby Whales’ Journey
• Peter Jamero, author of Growing Up Brown: Memoirs of a Filipino American
• Oscar Penaranda, author of Seasons by the Bay and Full Deck (Joker’s Playing)
• Rizaline Raymundo, author of Tomorrow’s Memories

Each presenter talked about their works and read from their pieces to the standing-room only audience. Many shared their experiences growing up in America, as first generation individuals in Hawaii, or children of interracial marriages. Others focused on more universal themes of mother and child relationships or the beauty of the environment. Altogether, it was a great way to look at the multifaceted experiences of Filipino Americans.

The mission of FANHS is to promote understanding, education, enlightenment, appreciation, and enrichment through the identification, gathering, preservation, and dissemination of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the United States. Be on the lookout for other upcoming FANHS events.

Remembering Our Manongs Documentary

I began the month after Filipino American History Month with a strong reminder that October is not the only month that one can teach and learn about Filipino American history. I attended the premier of the documentary Remembering Our Manongs, a documentary on early Filipino immigrants to California. The documentary was produced by The Filipino American National Historicl Society of Sonoma County with funding from the California Council for the Humanities.

It was an hourlong documentary film that told the stories of the earliest pioneer Filipino immigrants in Sonoma County. Filipino American immigrant history is vastly underrepresented in our educational curriculum and historical archives. It is essential that recent Filipino immigrants recognize the important path that was cleared for them by their predecessors.

The film featured interviews with manongs (Filipino community elders) and other key figures and explored the rich history of Filipino immigrants in Sonoma County in the first half of the twentieth century.

Most of the Filipinos who came to California in the early 1900s were farmworkers, including those who came as wards of the state when the United States took possession of the Philippines following the Philippine-American War. By the 1920s, about 100 of the early pioneers, most of them men, stayed because of Sonoma County’s abundance of year-round farm work. It was not an easy life.

Early pioneers were denied citizenship and the right to own property or set up businesses. They lived in labor camps on the various ranches and in rooming houses. Anti-miscegenation laws and the shortage of Filipino women caused many of the early manongs to stay single their entire lives.

Even after serving their country in World War I and World War II, they were never rewarded with citizenship. The few surviving Filipino Americans who served in those wars still await veterans’ benefits for their service.

With all these hardships, Sonoma’s Filipinos thrived, yet their history and contributions are largely forgotten.

This must-see documentary will be shown at two more events this month:

1. Saturday, November 8, 2008 - 1 to 4 p.m. - Sonoma County Office of Education, 5340 Skylane Boulevard, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.
2. Saturday, November 15, 2008 - 1 to 4 p.m. - Finley Community Center, 2060 West College Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95401.

San Jose State University Akbayan Pilipino Club From California Wins 2008 Friendship Games

Spartan Daily - 10/28/2008
Danielle Torralba

SJSU's Akbayan Pilipino Club won the first place trophy in the 2008 Friendship Games this weekend at Cal State Fullerton.

The Friendship Games is an annual event that gathers about 50 Filipino-American student organizations, mostly in CSU and UC systems.

"Friendship Games is a highly anticipated event hosted by Cal State Fullerton's P.A.S.A. (Pilipino American Student Association) Kaibigan," said Austin Toloza, SJSU Friendship Games' head coach. "This event celebrates SPUF (Spirit, Pride, Unity and Friendship) with over 7,000 individuals and over 50 colleges and universities across the nation.

"The Friendship Games began in 1985 to bring together cultural clubs from various college campuses across Southern California," he said.

John Castillo, a junior business management and member of the Akbayan Pilipino club, said the actual preparation for the Friendship Games starts weeks and months beforehand.

"On paper, we have around 250 people, but for the Friendship Games 2008, we brought 150 people with us down to LA," Toloza said via e-mail.

Media Credit: Courtesy of Adrian Ricalde / SJSU’s Akbayan

Members of San Francisco State's P.A.C.E. (Pilipino-American Collegiate Endeavor) move quickly against Akbayan, SJSU's Filipino Club, during the tidal wave event at the 2008 Pilipino Friendship Games held at Cal State Fullerton on Saturday.

All the physical activities of the Friendship Games happened on Saturday of the three-day event, said Kevin Irabagon, the social chair and head coordinator for the Friendship Games.

"Our purpose of going down there was to represent SJSU and to show that SJSU is one of the most spirited schools in the entire West Coast," he said.

Toloza, a senior kinesiology major, explained how the events are divided over the weekend.

"In our team, there were three groups: Roll Call, Games Team and SPUF," he said. "The Roll Call group was the one who would rep SJSU during our one-minute routine. The SPUF team showed how much spirit they have as individuals, how much pride they have as a team, how united they are as an organization, school and, most importantly, how much friendships they develop between other schools and organizations throughout the day. They would try to out SPUF each school through the whole day, which means from 5 a.m. all the way through 6 p.m. Game teams competed in the actual games against other schools. All the groups came together and helped one another out in order for SJSU to be known that day."

The club won the first place trophy in the games event and placed third in the overall event, according to Castillo.

"Each year, this event continues to grow in size and scope," Toloza said. "Friendship Games has come to represent more than just Filipino-American college students. It has given a significant identity to individuals no matter what ethnicity. This is a time when old friends reunite and where new friendships form, ultimately coming together to celebrate the Filipino heritage."

Filipino-American Jon Irabagon Wins the World's Most Prestigious Jazz Competition International

The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition is the most prestigious jazz competition in the world. It has launched the careers of a number of major jazz greats including Joshua Redman, Jane Monheit, and Joey DeFrancesco. This year, a Filipino-American, Jon Irabagon, won the competition. In addition to a $20,000 scholarship, Irabagon was also awarded a recording contract with Concord Music Group. The label plans to release Jon's album in mid-2009.

Jon Irabagon grew up in Chicago and began playing the saxophone at age eight. He received his master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music. He received two Downbeat awards and has participated in Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead and the Henry Mancini Institute. Since moving to New York, he has performed with Billy Joel, Wynton Marsalis, Lou Reed and Debbie Gibson. But tonight this illustrious list expanded: he shared the stage with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, George Duke, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Cassandra Wilson, Terence Blanchard, The Edge and Bono of U2, and the legendary B.B. King.Representatives from The Jazz Society of the Philippines, USA were there during the semifinal and final competition at the Kodak Theater on October 26, 2008 to support this hugely talented Filipino-American. Irabagon has made history by being the first Filipino to hold this most prestigious title. He is scheduled to appear at the 4th Annual Filipino -American Jazz Festival, at Catalina Bar & Grill, in Hollywood, on December 27th.