Marche' L.A.

Whenever I think of a tasting menu, I get excited. This is an opportunity for a chef to show me what s/he's got. I've been to Palate Food + Wine before and thought the food was good but hated the service. So, when I heard the chef was most recently from there, I started plotting. Finally, I can have the food again. They have both a regular tasting menu and a veggie friendly one. I had the meaty one, of course. The menu changes almost daily to reflect the farmers market availability. Last night, we were served a duck wing amuse bouche, soup, shrimp, steak and dessert of our choice from a massive menu. I was very happy with my meal and even happier there's this great option in the Valley. It depends on the person but there aren't many cons to this place. I liked the accessibility to the chef and the server was a funny guy. But if you want stuffy service to go with your serious wine pairing and tasting menu, head Westside for that. Pros: careful, precisely cooked food Cons: somewhat casual more

the food was tasty but in such small quality that we left hungry. It is really too bad because the chef is good and the ingredients fresh the turbot was half a finger long($ 16), 8 cashew size gnochi at $ 12, 2 scallops ( $ 15) etc.. I have never seen this anywhere in los angeles, in France or spain I would advise the owners to cut the price in half, call their restaurant a wine bar and serve all the dishes as apetizers or double the portion size. Another solution is to eat first at home or elsewhere and then come and enjoy a glass of wine with hors d'oeuvres luckily there was a good portuguese bakery 10 yards down with excellent deserts and that saved our night Pros: tasty food Cons: ridiculously small portions more

Our party of four had an early reservation so the valet wasn't around when we arrived. A bit of a problem on Ventura Blvd., but not insurmountable. Hostess seated us promptly and both she and waiter were friendly and competent. We shared three appetizers. All were good - but the duck rillettes were great. We each had an individual entree, but shared the side dish. Should have ordered two sides, but the entree portion was ample. Lamb was a hit as was my fish. Small, but good wine list. Reasonably priced values on wine list. Waiter gave great recommendations all around. Will definitely return to partake of menu which changes with season and what's fresh in market. Pros: Constantly changing tasting menu Cons: Parking more

Five of us met for a late dinner a few weeks ago and were generally pleased. Food was good and the chef's wine selection an excellent complement. The restaurant was a little cramped and we all found the mirrored walls somewhat distracting. Service was excellent although we felt a little rushed towards the end of the night as the place emptied out. Overall, I recommend Max for a fun dinner out with friends or a date. Pros: Wine selection, food more

Max has lost its friendly, neighborhood appeal and has turned into a "too cool for school" haughty place where the food takes second string. The manager is friendly, but the WITCH they have manning the door needs to be taught a lesson in customer service. I was there the other night and saw how she treated a family that had reservations.....she made them wait for over 45 minutes before they walked out because she STILL hadn't seated them, and was incredibly rude to top it all off. My partner thought it smelled a lot like racism. We will not come back to eat her until they remove her!! more

Max Restaurant in Sherman Oaks recently reopened. It?s just up the street from my house, which made it the choice for nearby special occasion dining. Once or twice a year we would dress up a little bit and head to Max for Chef Andre Guerrero?s tasty Asian inspired cuisine. I especially loved his shrimp and pork Lumpia rolls and Foie Gras with quince puree. So last night I was a little nervous as my husband and I headed to ?the New Max? for dinner. I had read that the decor was completely redone and the menu had much ?lower price points?. Did that mean lower quality food? Or smaller portions? Well, No and No! Dinner was simply scrumptious! We started with the ?Daily Pickle"... PEACHES. Yup? pickled peaches? and pickled okra, pickled beans and carrots. Nice, tart flavors to get your mouth watering. The Shrimp Firecrackers we ordered were skewered and served with a cilantro mint sauce. ENTREES: I had the Szechuan Peppercorn Salmon with Yuzu lime, tomatoes and broccoli. I love hot and spicy and at first didn?t feel any heat on my tongue. Then suddenly it was there, at the back of my throat. Fiery goodness for sure. My husband Peter had the Max Angus Burger. It was seriously one of the most delicious looking (and tasting) burgers ever and was topped with classic thousand island dressing, arugula, heirloom tomato, cambazola cheese, pickles, caramelized onions and a side of belgian fries. DESSERT: Oh the clean, fresh taste of Halo Halo? it?s just such a refreshing dessert after eating a rich and spicy dinner. Pear and candied squash with vanilla bean ice cream, caramel flan, coconut milk, jellies and nuts over crushed ice. So what do I think about the new Max? version 2.0? It?s definitely no longer JUST a ?special occasion? restaurant which is a good thing, because it means we will be going more than once or twice a year. Probably once or twice a month (or more!). MyLastBite more

This restaurant was great! We went there at my brother's suggestion and the recommendation paid off. The food was outstanding. Everyone i... more

Food and service go hand in hand when it comes to great dining experiences. When one fails, the whole night is a waste of time. This would explain my first dining experience at Max. The food was average with hiked up prices, while the service was absolutely atrocious. Never have I felt like I had entered a used car yard as I had dining at Max. The waitress tried to upsell us on absolutely everything. From the $10 bottled water that we never ordered, to insisting that each person in our party order an appetizer with their mains, to finally serving us the wrong wine. The wine list was overpriced for a menu like Max. So our party decided to order a mid-priced bottle of wine (let's say the Toyota of wines), despite the annoying insistence of the waitress to sell us the "Mercedes Benz". We did not realize that the waitress did the shady on us, until she poured us all a glass and we took our first sip. Upon closer inspection of the wine bottle, we noticed that she brought us the $100 wine that we did not order. After calling this to her attention, the waitress insisted that it was the wine that we ordered. Mistake number 1 - never blame the customer. Mistake number 2 was failing to admit to her oversight and just allowing us to continue enjoying the wine as a act of customer goodwill. Mistake number 3 was actually taking back our wine glasses (from which we had already sipped from) and thinking that she could salvage the wine by pouring it back into the bottle. That was absolutely disgusting service and restaurant etiquette. Max was the ultimate max in bad dining experiences! more

I used to love this place. It was a hidden gem in the valley. Not so, anymore. I've given it-- hate to admit it-- 3 chances since a bad experience there, thinking it would get back on its feet to where it used to be. Nope. The attitude of the guy on the phone was unwelcoming when I called to ask about the hours-- he said they'd close 'around 9.' He hung up without saying goodbye. Against my better judgement, we went in for dinner that night. The service was super-rushed... to the point that it was just embarrassing. The food lacked the flavor and innovation it used to have. The prices were high, the portions were smaller than ever. And as for the server... let's just say he creeped my date out with strange comments and a wandering eye. Avoid Max. Pros: None anymore Cons: Too many to count. more

Max is a fantastic little find in Sherman Oaks. Owned by the same man that has Senor Freds down the street, Max is quaint so never too loud, however I would recommend sitting on the outside heated patio. It is covered in little white lights and can be very private. The food is fantastic. The seared ahi tuna is amazing, and my date had the ribs. You can never go wrong with what you order because it is always fantastic. The wine selection is good as well. You won't be sorry you went to Max! Pros: quality, service, and taste Cons: none more

My boyfriend got fed up & said he will pay for the parking and got out of there. I realized she was still holding our ticket to get the car so I asked her for it & she was still trying to make me listen to her excuses saying what should she have done. I told her that she should have just apologized for the wait & would try to seat us as soon as possible..the end! She would not accept this & still tried to argue that she did nothing wrong. I told her to please give me my ticket! I told her I understood how she felt but I did not want to hear her speak anymore. Please give me my ticket! She said that we should have told her we were waiting earlier. What did she think we were doing at the bar. It is a tiny little bar area & I do not think people sit there just to have drinks. After almost screaming at her for the upteenth time to give me my ticket, I was able to get out of there. The woman handled the situation poorly & kept making it worse! It was bizarre how she wanted to be heard & would not let us leave. Unfortunately this incident will force me never to go to this restaurant again. We were told that there were other people with reservations that left because of the wait. I guess they were smarter than us because they did not bother to wait as long as we did, not to be seated. Even as we drove off, no one was leaving so If we had bothered to stay, it would have been past an hour to be seated. It turns out that the woman behind the bar may have been the owner/chef's wife which makes it worse. You would think that the owner would set a better example & show proper customer service. I want to be fair & say that the one time I ate here, I thought the food was very good but good food cannot substitute good treatment/customer service. Pros: Food Cons: Poor customer service more

My boyfriend got fed up & said he will pay for the parking and got out of there. I realized she was still holding our ticket to get the car so I asked her for it & she was still trying to make me listen to her excuses saying what should she have done. I told her that she should have just apologized for the wait & would try to seat us as soon as possible..the end! She would not accept this & still tried to argue that she did nothing wrong. I told her to please give me my ticket! I told her I understood how she felt but I did not want to hear her speak anymore. Please give me my ticket! She said that we should have told her we were waiting earlier. What did she think we were doing at the bar. It is a tiny little bar area & I do not think people sit there just to have drinks. After almost screaming at her for the upteenth time to give me my ticket, I was able to get out of there. The woman handled the situation poorly & kept making it worse! It was bizarre how she wanted to be heard & would not let us leave. Unfortunately this incident will force me never to go to this restaurant again. We were told that there were other people with reservations that left because of the wait. I guess they were smarter than us because they did not bother to wait as long as we did, not to be seated. Even as we drove off, no one was leaving so If we had bothered to stay, it would have been past an hour to be seated. It turns out that the woman behind the bar may have been the owner/chef's wife which makes it worse. You would think that the owner would set a better example & show proper customer service. I want to be fair & say that the one time I ate here, I thought the food was very good but good food cannot substitute good treatment/customer service. Pros: Food Cons: Poor customer service more

Max is a unique restaurant that offers excellent food and wine and finds a way to do it without marking up the menu so that they can pay for the extra dash of snootiness found in other "scene" restaurants (see "Ketchup" or "Mozza"). Chef Andre Guerrero shows off his influences of French, Asian, and Filipino cuisine to deliver an outstanding menu in a very relaxing atmosphere. Start with my favorite of his appetizers, the ahi towers. Delicious sushi grade seared ahi on top of crisped rice columns with nori and Asian sauces. For an entree, the miso cod is excellent but so is the short ribs and the duck breast on risotto. And you need to save room for dessert because the pastry chef has some outstanding creations to end your meal. Honestly, there isn't much that misses on the menu. You can go to another restaurant to eat but you go to Max to dine. Pros: Simply put, the food more

If you are looking for a quiet romantic dinner with amazing food and a polite staff, MAX is the place to go. They have really great salads and fantastic ribs. I would definitely reccommend the Braised Beef Short Ribs or the Slow Roasted Beet Salad. So if you happen to be in the Valley, come check out this lovely little restaurant with excellent service. Pros: food, service, ambience Cons: small more

As i was walking down ventura blvd. one afternoon, i stumbled on a small restaurant nestled in between La Fondue and Maria's Italian Kitchen. I had seen the Fondue restaurant before but i had never eaten there and i had also seen maria's but ate there at another location, so i was familiar with their cuisine. Max's location is what drew me to come inside and as i entered its small and quaint atmosphere had me coming back for more and more. It has a beautiful enclosed patio and though their seating is limited, they will always find some sort of way to accomadate you and your party. not only is this restaurant beautiful, its food is simply AMAZING. For an appetizer, i would reccomend Max's ahi tuna towers, this delicate appetizer is plated beautifully with a small rice round piled high with seared ahi tuna wasabit tobiko, seaweed, ginger, and cucumber salad. this dish only serves three but its taste will linger as you await to order your next course. As an entree, i prefer the lemon-rosemary seared ahi, the lobster risotto, braised beef shortribs, tamarind-guava glazed baby back ribs and the filet mignon. All of these dishes are well prepared in good size portions. the chef uses the most fresh ingredients and the weekly specials keep Max's us regulars very happy! However, a good meal is never over until it is finished off with something sweet. Max's whips up my favorite dessert, a granny smith apple galette, this fantastic finish is almost like a tart. They use a small plate size rounded piece of puff pastry and tops it off with atleast one granny smith apple. The apples are sliced in rounds and it creates this beautiful spiral decoration is topped off with ice cream and caramel sauce. This restaurant, bottom line, hands down, is the best place to go for great service, great food, and a wonderful atmosphere. Pros: Amazing Food, Amazing Service, Amazing Ambience Cons: Limited Seating, and they aren't open for lunch! more

The atmosphere at Max was very warm and inviting. The entire restaurant was fully packed, although it was one of the smallest restaurants I've ever been in. Still, that added to the coziness of the ambiance. The food was Modern American cuisine with a pan-Asian influence. The quality of the fish was outstanding. For appetizer, we ordered the ahi tuna tower and it was amazing! For entree, we had the cod in miso glaze and it was delicious. It literally melted in your mouth! I would definitely recommend this place! It's not exactly a quiet night out, but very entertaining and delicious! Pros: Quality of food & warm, cozy ambiance Cons: nothing more

I had valentines day dinner at Max Restaurant this year! it was a wonderful 5-course meal. I loved everything about it!! the service was wonderful too even though they were very busy that night. Pros: Food and Service Cons: Tables are very closed to one another.. more

I took my father to Max for his 70th birthday, and we had a wonderful time. The small seasonal menu is filled with creative entrees that showcase the pacific-asian influences of the chef, who is Filipino. the Ahi Towers appetizer is a must-try, and their bread pudding is amazing. Since this restaurant is small, reservations are definitely recommended. more

The limited menu is really a turn off, it never seems to change. Trust I live in the area and when I walk by and look at the menu it's always the same. Oh well limited menu, limited shelf life for this Borish restaurant. more

My boyfriend and I went here for our anniversary. We had never been here before and not heard much about it. We were both very pleasantly surprised. The food was delicious. We shared two appetizers, both got an entree and shared dessert. All of it was fabulous and the mood was very romantic, and the bill was very reasonable. We will definately be back! more