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