Knock Another off the List

Finally made it to Max's, a restaurant owned and started by famed Pilipino chef, Andre Guerrero. This place has been getting rave reviews since it started, as evident not only from the reviews linked on their website but also from other foodies I've met in La La Land. I think this restaurant has been in existance since 2002 and has garnered a sister restaurant, Senor Fred's in the past few years. Both restaurants are named after Chef Guerrero's son and was able to meet him when he presented a food demonstration during The Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture in September of 2003.

The food at Max's is known for having a ton of influence from Chef Guerrero's Pilipino upbringing. He started his career working in his parents' restaurant years ago and left Linq restaurant to start Max's. Pastry chef, Jan Purdy, sounds like she left with him.

We started off the evening with an appetizer of ahi tartare...LOVED IT! After looking at the menu again on their website, I think we should have just ordered all of the appetizers on the list. Something to note for next time. Joe had the rare filet mignon which contained a variation of beef steak sauce, a typical comfort dish that my mom makes oh so fine. He should have just asked for the cow it came from. I have never seen pinkish red meat! I had the velvet shrimp entre which was pretty much a version of chow mein but a little more on the higher end. I liked it. The dessert was pretty damn good, too. I went light with the wine, getting a Pinot Grigio. It's summer time and most red wines are too heavy for me to take when it's balmy outside.

I really want to go back and try their lunch/brunch menu. Chef Guererro has been doing some good things. I ate at his other establishment, Senor Fred's, quite some time ago. It's very different from Max's in that it's more casual and the menu is mainly Mexican inspired. I wasn't too impressed by the food but I hear people were raving about the bar.

Not that Complete

One of my dearest friends was in town tonight so we started the evening checking out the Silver Lake Wine. If it was anyone who was going to enjoy that place, it was Les. Randy, one of the owners was very personable. Tastings happen every Monday, Thursday and Sunday for a small nominal fee. The environment is very chill and completely unsnobish. I'd definitely go back there considering my knowledge of wine doesn't really extend from what Les and other foodies have recommended to me.

Second stop for dinner was Cobras and Matadors. Apparently, Lenny Kravitz likes to hang out at the Hollywood location. Les spotted an actress from Crossing Jordan...eh...whatever. Same thing can be said for the dessert there but let's start at the beginning, shall we?

First of all, I'm starting to love eating out on Mondays, Sundays and Tuesdays. They're the slowest nights of the weeks to eat out! No fuss, no crowds and no excuse for bad service. Don't make me have to put a server in place for bad service.

Cobras and Matadors is strictly a tapas bar/restaurant. Well, more winebar than anything else. The list of tapas we had for the evening include sweet chili shrimps; game hen with apples, a few other fruits and some kind of wine reduction; artichoke with goat cheese; paella (as a tapas, not entree); asparagus with some kind of nuts and machego; soca (chickpea crepes); tortilla de papa and something else I can't quite remember now. The story about Jeff's Mormon Spanish teacher explaining the definition of "wey" or "pinche" is clouding my memory at the moment. Overall, the tapas were pretty good. It was totally the dishes I was expecting, traditional but with a few twists here and there. (For those looking for a more traditional Spanish restaurant, check out Spain Restaurant on Glendale Blvd., on the way to the 2.) Overall, the tapas weren't that exciting either, particularly for the price. I've had tapas in San Francisco that have been better and cheaper. We brought our own bottle of wine so the corkage fee was $15. Sangria was optional but we chose to finish our new bottle. Maybe nex time, if I never find a better Spanish restaurant. The desserts could have been passed. $5 for two scoops of ice cream that was no where near the quality of Maggie Moo's was muy terrible! I think the only thing relatively good about the desserts was the Mexican chocolate that was used for the chocolate syrup dip for the chocolate churros, which could have been passed, as well.

Let's turn to environment, shall we? I think they only had four cds on rotation and had nothing to do with the environment of the restaurant. Um...Spanish music at a Spanish restaurant...what a novel idea! Too bad they didn't think of it. It went from some kind of electronica cd to Les Nubians, who I dearly love and adore, to some kind of Dixie Chick-esque disk and something else that I can't remember right now, either.

For those of you looking for good Spanish tapas, this is an ok place but I've been to better. I think Cobras and Matadors is more known for the ambience and scene more than anything else. So try at your own risk.