Malibu Cafe
327 Latigo Canyon Road
Malibu, CA 90265
Monday: Closed; Tuesday-Saturday: 11:30 AM – 10 PM; Sunday: 10 AM – 9 PM
Malibu Cafe is one of the more unique brunch locations I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. Located on the Calamigos Ranch, this venue is a bit off the beaten path so you’ll need to plan a bit to get there unless you live in the Malibu/Thousand Oaks area. The restaurant is mainly all outdoors and looks very much like an adult playground. Besides the numerous tables for dining there are activities set up such as a giant chess board, outdoor bowling alley, giant Jenga, Cornhole, paddle boats and rowboats, and of course several bars.
This place is a perfect afternoon spot for big groups if the weather is nice out (and let’s be real, SoCal weather is pretty much always nice). I’ve been told at night the garden lighting in all the trees light up and make for a really cute bistro feel. The food overall was pretty good, the Mac and Cheese balls were fantastic, but the service could use a little work. The waiters were very polite and personable, but they took a long time to get us basic things like napkins, water and our check (in their defense they said the credit card machine was down). Luckily, we wanted to just hang out outside and enjoy the weather anyways so it wasn’t as much of a bother.
Los Angeles is an interesting place to visit because unlike most traditional cities in the U.S., you have a pretty lengthy drive on the highway to get from area to area. No quick hop on the metro or nice walk along the river in this city.
So on my past trip to L.A., I extended my visit a bit to stay with some friends in the area of Silver Lake. Most tourists probably wouldn’t come to see Silver Lake usually; its much more of a residential area for the more alternative crowd. However if you do happen upon this area, there is a bit to offer, most of which is on Sunset Blvd.
Probably my favorite of the two brunch places I went to, Millie’s has a really, really extensive menu. With a lot of outdoor sidewalk seating, this little cafe is a good place to have some good ol’ comfort food while watching the numerous, sunglasses wearing locals stroll on by. I had the healthy green burrito (very Southern Californian of me right?) that was made of egg whites, guacamole and spinach and comes with a side of fresh fruit. It was enormous, and actually quite delicious for the “healthy” option. I’d recommend it, however if you do need the grease and goodness of bacon, sausage, french toast, pancakes etc., don’t worry, they have all that too. I’ll probably go back and have that when I’m not on a health kick.
For a quieter alternative down the street, give Local a try. The ambiance is a bit calmer, and their menu is not as extensive. That being said, for a lazy Sunday type place, Local fits the billing. There isn’t really any sidewalk seating, but their covered patio is large.
Silver Lake, from what I saw, doesn’t seem to be a “going out” type of area, but there are a few places to grab drinks and have a good time. The Thirsty Crow in particular is quite good. It’s a very divey, dark place with a speakeasy, candlelit vibe. Despite its darkness, the place is actually quite vibrant with some great Motown music playing the night I was there. Outside a chef grills up hamburgers to order while listening to Michael Jackson. And if you like whisky, THIS is your place. The whisky list is extensive and you should be able to find one to your liking.
Not far from Silver Lake is the Griffith Observatory (as seen in numerous movies including Rebel Without a Cause and The Terminator). Located at the top of a steep mountain, those of you looking to break a little sweat on your trip should try hiking to the top. You should be in relatively good shape if you want to try the hike, and be sure to bring water, hats, sunscreen, etc. because there is practically no shade on the trail. I’d say the hike was very similar to hiking up Masada. When you get to the top, you can enjoy the exhibits inside the Observatory and there’s a $7 planetarium show that is the perfect recipe for the post-climb collapse.
During one of my work trips to the west coast, I had a chance to partake in a little beach time on the weekend. My friend and I decided to head down to Newport Beach to get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown LA. My friend found the Newport Channel Inn for the night we stayed. It’s located about a quick 5-minute walk from the beach and was a great deal at $159 a night (Note: This was the AAA rate, it would have been $169 otherwise. Prices do vary as well depending on the weekend).
For a little motel on the side of the road, this little inn is a great value and a very good option if you’re staying in the area. As I mentioned before the walk to the beach is 5 minutes, and you’re a 15 minute drive or less to the mall, Crystal Cove State Park, and plenty of restaurants.
Not only is the place in a good location, the staff there is very friendly (I’m pretty sure it’s family run). The inn offers beach towels, chairs, and boogie boards for the guests and the staff are more than willing to help with any needs you may have. For example, I lost my cell phone charger and went to the front to see if there was a Radio Shack nearby. There was one which the staff member told me about, but before I went, he went to the back and came back with a box of chargers and said that I could have any one of them if they fit (A LOT of people leave behind their chargers apparently).
The one knock I have on the place is that the A/C (at least in the room that we stayed in) points right at the bed which is a tad uncomfortable. So you’re either super hot, or have a cold blast in your face. Regardless, I still recommend this place as a good value stay if you’re at Newport Beach. It’s nothing special, but the location and staff make it worth it.
Twice a year my company holds a sales meeting out near the headquarters in Thousand Oaks, CA. In meetings past, the location has been in places like Santa Monica or San Diego, but it’s always around the southern California area giving many of us remote East Coasters and Midwesterners a chance to see the sunny West Coast on our company’s dime.
Obviously, this is a work trip so much of the time is spent in conference rooms, but my company does do its best to treat their employees well and take us out for group activities. And usually after the meetings, most of us take the weekend to enjoy being on the west coast for a little vacation. Here’s a recap of a few of the highlights during that trip.
Westlake Village Inn – Our meetings were held at the hotel where we all stayed. Located in Westlake Village, this resort isn’t really located in any sort of “going out” type area, but is ideal for those looking to get away and enjoy the southern California weather in peace. Because of the size of the resort and the picturesque pond it surrounds, the hotel is a great location for meetings or weddings (my co-worker’s aunt being one such bride). The rooms are extremely comfy, each with a little deck to sit out on and they make you feel like you’re crashing at a rich friend’s summer home. FYI – my deck light was really bright which flooded into the room at night – keep that in mind for you light sleepers.
The resort is also adjacent to a golf course for those looking to play a few holes (and was right outside the meeting room window for all of us to jealously look out onto). Also, Bogie’s bar in the resort apparently is the hot place to be on weekend nights, but since our meeting was during the week I can’t confirm whether or not that’s actually true. The bar itself though was pretty fun when we were there and has a lot of outdoor seating. And finally, the pool and gym are both a little small, which is surprising considering how much nicer the rest of the resort is.
View from my balcony at Westlake Village Inn
While the food was actually quite good at the resort, there are a slew of restaurants within a few miles of the resort. A couple that I’d recommend are :
Cisco’s, a local mexican chain with fantastic Samuel Adams Beer Battered fish tacos and massive margaritas. Boccacio’s, which is situated on Westlake lake and has a tremedous view of the Santa Monica mountains. I would highly recommend the Chilean Sea Bass.
Sunstone Winery – Located in Santa Ynez, CA, this was the first of many wineries I would visit in the days to come (stay tuned). Fans of the movie Sideways will recognize this area as the setting of Paul Giamatti and Thomas Hayden Church’s escapades. And while the vineyard at Sunstone was beautiful and the wine tasty, the 2 hour drive from L.A. only makes the venue worth a visit if you’re in L.A. for an extended period of time and if it’s a nice enough day to enjoy the coastal drive up. If you do decide to visit, the tour is very informative and the tasting room at the end allows you to sample several of their vintages and olive oils – be sure to try the garlic olive oil.
The Beverly Hilton Hotel – Renown for hosting the Golden Globe Awards and more recently, the site of the death of singer Whitney Houston, the Beverly Hilton Hotel has a long history of hosting the rich and famous (myself included). Located at the heart of Beverly Hills, the hotel itself surprisingly seems rather old in some ways, but also new in others. The resort is the type that has a weird Rat Pack feel to it, but also is the type that has TVs in the bathroom. Our room was located very conveniently by the pool (literally, we could walk out of our room and the pool was four yards in front of us), and we took advantage of this by going for late night swims at 2-3 in the morning that the staff didn’t seem to mind.
TMZ Hollywood Tour– I’m not a TMZ fan, I’ve only seen parts of it on parodies such as The Soup. But when our friend suggested we go on TMZ’s bus tour (he’s a big TMZ fan), I decided to roll with the punches and go with it. In actuality, the 2 hour bus tour starting at Mann’s Chinese Theater was quite entertaining and gives you a pretty good “paparazzi’s” eye of Hollywood.
Don’t go on this thinking you’ll see huge celebrity houses in Beverly Hills. Rather, you’ll go down Rodeo Drive to see million dollar cars and stores, drive by Beverly Hills Police HQ and the comedy club where Kramer famously dropped the “N” word over and over again. You’ll also see notorious hotels (where Cher and Elton John own the top floors), sidewalks where naughtiness occured (the curb where Hugh Grant got caught), and restaurants where celebrities frequent (we apparently just missed Halle Barry at one of her favorites). It’s a trashy tour at best, but I can’t say that I wasn’t throughly amused throughout the ride.
Recognize the hotel? It’s the one from Pretty Woman.
Jimmy Kimmel Live – Probably one of the top experiences of the summer was being able to sit in the audience during the taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live. One of my co-workers was able to get a few of us tickets through an old college friend of hers who works at the show. We definitely let the feeling sink in as we walked past the crowds waiting in line outside for tickets and into the backdoor “Green Room” entrance. We were all hoping that we might get a glimpse of the evening’s guests, Jennifer Garner (Alias) or Paul Scheer (The League) back there, but we weren’t that lucky. After downing a couple free beers, they escorted us into the studio where we were entertained by a comedian who gave away t-shirts for various different reasons. The studio itself was shockingly smaller than how it looks on television and when Kimmel came out to do his stand up routine at the beginning, he’s practically in the front row. Obviously, his TV personality isn’t going to be the same as his off camera personality, but Kimmel was certainly friendly enough to the crowd in-between the recordings and entertained us with back and forth banter between him, the band, and Guillermo (his famous Latino sidekick).
No pictures allowed inside, so this is us outside getting into the Green Room. No Guillermo at the door unfortunately.
We were lucky enough to have crowd pleasing guests in Jennifer Garner (who is as hot in person as on TV by the way) and Paul Scheer, so the crowd’s laughter didn’t need to be forced. The musical guest was The Fixx, who before that night I had not heard of and my guess is most of the crowd hadn’t either, so we were strongly told to cheer louder (and we even had to re-tape on of the songs because the audience wasn’t into it enough). Funny part was that when we watched it later that night, they only showed one of three songs that they sung, and not the one that they re-sang. It was a great experience overall and certainly made the Los Angeles experience that much more authentic.
On a final side note: I was surprised at how much seedier Hollywood was than I thought. Yes, the Hollywood Walk of Fame is pretty cool to see, but the sidewalks were packed with the homeless, drunks and solicitors. Definitely not a place where I’d spend a lot of time, but glad I saw it to say I did.
Up next: We jumped in a car and headed our way to Las Vegas.
Here and There 