Max in Sherman Oaks gets retooled and soaks up good vibes

On a warm Indian summer night in Sherman Oaks, my friends and I occupy a corner table framed by fashionably rusty metal trellises on the sidewalk terrace in front of Max. Outside, couples stroll by, some walking the dog, others, friends out for dinner together, turn in to the door. If any street in the Valley is Main Street, it's Ventura Boulevard, and for six years Max has been a fixture of the neighborhood.

By S. IRENE VIRBILA

October 22, 2008