805 Living October 2018 by 805 Living

OC TOBE R 2018

THE BEST OF FALL

You are going to need a valid pilot’s license. For the plane, too. The nation’s first and only standalone AMG® showroom has landed at Mercedes-Benz of Thousand Oaks. With over 3,000 square feet of iconic, modern design, the AMG Elite Performance Center is the latest manifestation of 50 years of fanatical dedication to the pinnacle of automotive performance. Come experience the soul-stirring rumble of hand-built V8 motor, or configure your dream machine in life size on a video screen that’s bigger than most garage doors. The world’s fastest family finally has its own home, and it’s right here in Thousand Oaks. Fly on in any time.

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Singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer and extraordinary gentleman Damon Castillo has been electrifying audiences with his unique blend of funk, pop and soul for more than 20 years. T-shirt and jacket by H&M, pant by Banana Republic, Von Zipper sunglasses from Moondoggies, and classic Puma basketball shoes from Shoe Palace. www.sanluisobispocollection.com #sanluisobispocollection

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Contents OC TOBER 201 8 • THE BEST OF FALL

FEATURES

THE MANY SIDES OF PARADISE

By Joan Tapper Photographs by Nathaniel Gray

SPELLBOUND!

The owners of the Magic Castle are conjuring up an exciting new venue. By Joan Tapper Photographs by Gar y Moss

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

GARY MOSS; COVER: © DUET POSTSCRIPTUM/STOCKSY UNITED

A new book project reveals a complex portrait of a community.

Contents

OC TOBER 201 8 • THE BEST OF FALL

DEPARTMENTS Pulse

Mind Body Soul

Finds

Banishing sedentary lifestyle habits may make you smarter as well as stronger.

35 Tracking the Beat of the 805 39 Blackout

Create a moody effect with these dark and stormy tabletop wares. By Jennie Nunn

42 Wild Things

Get spotted in these feline-inspired fashions. By Frances Ryan

44 Travel By Erin Rottman

Insider By Heidi Dvorak

48 Local Events & Family Fun 50 Hot Ticket 52 Show Your Support 55 Worth a Drive 55 Give Back

56 Thinking on Your Feet

By Linda Kossoff

Faces in the Crowd 58 Ivan Amodei

This master illusionist presents magic, music, and a message. By Nancy Ransohoff

Arts & Culture

60 Fashioning a Career

Newbury Park–based multimedia artist Carrie Jean Walker combines fine art and clothing design. By Joan Tapper

Upgrades

65 Knotty and Nice

Venture into the woods to spruce up any room in the house. By Frances Ryan

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

Good Deeds

68 Ganna Walska Lotusland

94 DINING OUT:

Rustic Reigns A new dining concept at Text and photographs by Mark Langton The Monarch in the Montecito Inn centers around local Taste ingredients roasted at a 88 FOOD: wood-burning hearth. Churro Change Up By Victoria Woodard Harvey A trio of pastry pros’ recipes Photographs by Gary Moss reveal their takes on the popular sweet fritters. 97 Dining Guide

and Rolling for Pink

By Jaime Lewis Photograph by Gary Moss

92 COCKTAILS: Are You Ready to Rock? Get out to try these original rocktails—cocktails inspired by musical icons—or try them at home. By David Gadd

P.S. Sketchpad

112 Pumpkin Spice Season in the 805 By Greg Clarke

In Every Issue

18 Editor’s Note 24 Masthead 30 Behind the Scenes

Visit Us Online! 805living.com Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest keyword: 805Living Check out the free digital version of 805 Living on our website and on issuu.com. It’s smartphone and tablet compatible. Become an 805 Living Insider! Sign up to receive “The Insider,” our free mid-month newsletter that provides additional suggestions for local events and activities, last-minute getaway ideas, and little extras—like food and wine tips—to help you get through the month. Insiders will also receive special offers, contest news, event invitations, and more. Subscribe at 805living.com.

44: MAHEKAL BEACH RESORT; 60: CARRIE JEAN WALKER; 88: GARY MOSS

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Team Nicki & Karen Welcome Kyle Forsyth Kyle Forsyth is a hands-on real estate professional, with over 17 years of experience at Colony Capital where, as an operations executive, he specialized in exclusive resorts, private islands, ranches, luxury property management, marketing, residential development and single family estate acquisitions & dispositions. Kyle is an alumnus of UCSB, and as an active member in the community is involved in many charitable, social and school activities throughout Southern California.

nickiandkaren.com Kyle Forsyth 805.298.2908 kyleforsyth.com DRE 01705093

Nicki LaPorta 805.390.6591 nicki.laporta@compass.com DRE 01233940

Karen Crystal 805.625.0304 karen.crystal@compass.com DRE 01346860

Compass is a licensed real estate broker (01991628) in the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdraw without notice.

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Top NextGen Advisors, 2018 (Seth Haye, #11 of top 1000 in U.S.) —Forbes Magazine

FRONT, LEFT: Stephanie Hartmire: Senior Registered Associate; Barry Garapedian:

Managing Director-Wealth Management, Financial Advisor; Seth Haye: Executive Director, Financial Advisor; Anna Quirino-Miranda: Registered Associate; BACK, LEFT: Clint Spivey: Consulting Group Analyst; Vanessa Renna: Client Service Associate; Carlos Garcia: Financial Advisor; Elisa Decker: Group Director

Top 40 Under 40, 2018 (Seth Haye, #13 in U.S.) —On Wall Street

* as of August 1, 2018

The Oaks Group at Morgan Stanley | 805-494-0215

Source: Forbes Magazine (July, 2017). Data provided by SHOOK TM Research, LLC. Data as of 3/31/17. SHOOK considered Financial Advisors born in 1980 or later with a minimum 4 years relevant experience, who have: built their own practices and lead their teams; joined teams and are viewed as future leadership; or a combination of both. Ranking algorithm is based on qualitative measures: telephone and in-person interviews, client retention, industry experience, credentials, review of compliance records, firm nominations; and quantitative criteria, such as: assets under management and revenue generated for their firms. Investment performance is not a criterion because client objectives and risk tolerances vary, and advisors rarely have audited performance reports. Rankings are based on the opinions of SHOOK Research, LLC, which does not receive compensation from the advisors or their firms in exchange for placement on a ranking. The rating may not be representative of any one client’s experience and is not indicative of the Financial Advisor’s future performance. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors pays a fee to Forbes or SHOOK Research in exchange for the ranking. For more information see www.SHOOKresearch.com. On Wall Street's Top 40 Under 40 asks brokerage firms to nominate their top young brokers. Of those nominated, On Wall Street bases its rankings on quantitative and qualitative criteria. Financial Advisors are ranked by their annual trailing-12 month production (as of Sept 30, 2014). The rating is not indicative of the advisor's future performance. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its financial advisors pay a fee to On Wall Street in exchange for the rating. ©2018 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC

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Editor’s Note

Fall Spirit KATHRYN DOYLE, A CONTRIBUTOR TO THE NEW YORKER, RECENTLY DUBBED AUTUMN IN CALIFORNIA AS “HOTUMN,” AND I THINK SHE’S ONTO SOMETHING. WHILE MOST OF THE COUNTRY PULLS THEIR cable-knit sweaters out of storage and sips spiced pumpkin lattes, I’m cranking up the AC. Yes, October can be warm, but that just means it’s easy to get out and enjoy the season’s bountiful offerings. Lucky for me, I have a team of in-the-know editors whose discoveries fill this Best of Fall issue. I hope it will serve as your road map for making the most of this month. As the days get shorter, our cultural scene goes into full swing with top-notch art exhibits, concerts, performances, and festivals. As always, senior editor Heidi Dvorak’s Insider column, on page 48, is a cornucopia of fun ideas that will keep you happily busy for days. Some of the activities on her list celebrate the spirit of Halloween, and throughout the following pages, you’ll discover a multitude of connections to the holiday of tricks, treats, and indulging your imagination. Our fascination with magic inspired several stories this month, including contributing writer Nancy Ransohoff’s profile of Ivan Amodei, a master illusionist whose new show weaves together artful deception, life’s mysteries, and the great masterpieces at the Louvre. How? Turn to Faces in the Crowd on page 58 to find out about Amodei and his conjuring skills. In our “Spellbound!” feature on page 82, contributing writer Joan Tapper and photographer Gary Moss bring to life Santa Barbara’s Magic Castle Cabaret, a new local outpost of Hollywood’s renowned private club where close-up and strolling magicians dazzle the audience. If you walk away from this issue without a checklist of things to do, I suspect that the warm weather has gone to your head. Add a little ice to your pumpkin latte and savor the season. While you’re cooling off, make sure to visit us online on our Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages, and, if you haven’t already done so, sign up for “The Insider,” our free e-newsletter, for ideas on what to do in between the issues. See you in November.

Lynne Andujar Editor in Chief & Publisher

GARY MOSS

edit@805living.com

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

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EDITOR IN CHIEF & PUBLISHER

Lynne Andujar

edit@805living.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Bernard Scharf MANAGING EDITOR

Kathy Tomlinson DESIGNER

Sophie Patenaude PHOTO EDITOR

Gary Moss

photo@805living.com SENIOR EDITOR

Heidi Dvorak CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Mark Langton (Philanthropic Events), Jennie Nunn (Shopping), Erin Rottman (Travel), Frances Ryan (Fashion, Interior Design) CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST Jaime Lewis CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Ryan Brown, David Gadd, Victoria Woodard Harvey, Linda Kossoff, Nancy Ransohoff, Joan Tapper CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR

Greg Clarke RESEARCH EDITORS

Gaylen Ducker Grody, Tajinder Rehal CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Gary Moss CONSULTING EDITOR

home furnishings

interior design

805 Living content may not be used or reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopy, without the express written permission of the publisher. 805 Living is not responsible for loss of or damage to unsolicited manuscripts, unsolicited artwork, or any other unsolicited material. Unsolicited material will not be returned. 3Digit Media, LLC, and its affiliates, contributors, writers, editors, and publisher accept no responsibility for errors or omissions with information and/or advertisements contained herein. 3Digit Media’s liability in the event of an error is limited to a printed correction. 3Digit Media does not assume liability for products or services advertised herein and assumes no responsibility for claims made by the advertisers.

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805 LIVING, OCTOBER 2018

FLAWLESS INTEGRITY

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Travel, entertainment, dining, food and beverage, education, health, fitness, beauty amra@805living.com 310-924-2631

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Automotive, financial/banking, mortgage, nonprofit organizations lisa@805living.com 818-268-8001 ADVERTISING DESIGN & PRODUCTION

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805 LIVING, OCTOBER 2018

Behind the Scenes

The work of artists, dancers, musicians, vocalists, actors, and other creative types often inspires us. The 805 is chock-full of talented individuals and here our featured contributors recognize some who have touched their lives. Heidi Dvorak “I’m inspired by Eddie Tuduri, a professional drummer and founder of The Rhythmic Arts Project in Santa Barbara,” says senior editor Heidi Dvorak (Pulse, page 35, and Insider, page 48). “His dedication to improving the lives of children with developmental and intellectual disabilities is a work of art in itself.”

David Gadd “Some say architecture is the highest art form, and I would agree,” says contributing writer David Gadd (Taste/ Cocktails, page 92). “I’m very inspired by the work of Richard Landry, the French-Canadian architect who has transformed the local landscape with his daring projects, including houses in Malibu and Montecito.”

Grace Fisher, whose Grace Fisher Foundation helps children with disabilities through art and music, impresses contributing writer Nancy Ransohoff (Faces in the Crowd, page 58). “A gifted musician, Grace became paralyzed due to a virus during her senior year at Santa Barbara High School,” says Ransohoff. “Through local art events, the foundation sparks therapeutic movement, creativity, and joy.”

RANSOFHOFF: STEPHANIE BAKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Nancy Ransohoff

Meeting the challenges of tomorrow! Serving grades K-12

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All OPUSD schools are California Gold Ribbon Schools, and OPUSD students are the highest achieving in Ventura County Personalized reading and writing curriculum for all elementary students 2018 Best of Green Schools National Green Ribbon School District US Department of Education and the EPA

Accepting District of Choice applications for 2019-2020 through December 31, 2018 Join us for an opportunity to learn more about the Oak Park Unified School District.

Wednesday, October 24 at 6:30 p.m. - Oak Park High School Pavilion 899 N. Kanan Road, Oak Park, CA 91377

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Educating Compassionate and Creative Global Citizens

Behind the Scenes

Our featured experts tell us about the talented locals who have made a personal impact. “I’m a big fan of Hoobastank, and I often listen to them when creating new desserts.” —Leo Lopez

(Taste/Food, page 88) pastry chef Q Sushi Westlake Village qsushi.com

“The craft beers guys are doing an amazing job at representing our budding culture of great food and drink from the 805. I look forward to all of us growing together.” —Daniel Kelley

(Taste/Cocktails, page 92) managing partner The Amendment and Basil & Mint Vietnamese Cafe Camarillo instagram @theamendmentbar phobasilmint.com

“I draw inspiration from classical music. The Santa Barbara Symphony fuels my soul.” —Nathaniel Gray

“Jack Johnson. His philanthropic work is very inspirational.” —Johannes Sauer

(Mind Body Soul, page 56) CEO Yaasa Studios Inc. Santa Barbara yaasa.com

KELLEY: SAM BENTOVOJA; GRAY: NATHANIEL GRAY; SAUER: MADELEINE FOSTER

(“The Many Sides of Paradise,” page 74) owner and photographer Santa Barbara Project santabarbaraproject.com

WHERE

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Try over 25 eateries at The Collection and The Annex. Visit thecollectionrp.com for menus and details. 805-988-7527 Located off HWY 101 at Oxnard BLVD.

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Wells Fargo Private Bank provides products and services through Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., the banking affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company, and its various affiliates and subsidiaries. Brokerage products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors. Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker/dealer and nonbank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. Trust services available through banking and trust affiliates in addition to non-affiliated companies of Wells Fargo & Company. Insurance products are available through insurance subsidiaries of Wells Fargo & Company and underwritten by non-affiliated Insurance Companies. Not available in all states. ÂŠ 2018 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLSR ID 399801 IHA-B03854

Pulse

T R AC K I N G T H E B E AT O F T H E 8 0 5

GARY MOSS

BUGS’ DESCENT

Eek! October is the month when creepy crawlies send shivers down your spine, so what better way to see them than in a place where they can’t wriggle down your shirt? Spiders, beetles, wasps, ants, cockroaches, lice, silverfish, and butterflies are all safely pinned (and in the spirit of Halloween—dead) under glass at the new Wall of Insects at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (sbnature.org). Like any scientist who spends time with bugs, curator and entomologist Matthew Gimmel, Ph.D., had a method to his

madness when deciding how to display his lovelies. “I set out to arrange the insects in a pattern that showed their relatedness, basically a genealogy of the insect tree of life, which goes back over 300 million years,” he says. Locals should be thrilled to know that the 25 insect orders and arachnids represented are sourced from within a 200-mile radius. So don’t freak out if an earwig in the exhibit looks eerily like one you recently extinguished at home coming back to haunt you.

—Heidi Dvorak

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

Pulse

SANTA PAULA’S NEW SCENE OF ARTS

an expanded arts library, art shows, live music performances, and art classes, such as collage making, interactive installations, sculpture, still life in oils, bookmaking, and painting on yupo (watercolor paper), suminagashi (Japanese marbling), and historic photography. Future plans include open studio hours for drop-ins to engage in free art activities. —H.D.

SOUP’S ON

SPECIAL MEASURES

To further its mission to provide young musicians of the Ventura County area opportunities to perform with a professional orchestra, the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic (tophil.org) is hosting a fundraising gala on Sunday, October 21, in The Sunset Ballroom at Los Robles Greens. The gala features a recital by internationally renowned pianist Sean Chen (seanchenpiano.com), an Oak Park native who struck a chord with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic in his youth. “There isn’t a program like what the TO Phil does in any place that I’ve been to,” says Chen, who’s performed in such noted locations as SubCulture in New York City, the Salle Cortot in Paris, and the National Concert Hall in Taipei. “That the TO Phil has been doing multiple concerts a year, featuring only young artists in concerti, speaks to the wonderful support of the community, and conviction of everyone who is involved.” The event includes a gourmet dinner and an auction; tickets are $150.  —Ryan Brown

Want to get cozy this fall? Santa Barbara Soups (santabarbarasoups.com) makes vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free soup kits for tasty homemade meals. “It feeds the whole family and is as simple as you can get, with depth and delicious flavor,” says creator and owner Alanna Wiltshire, who adds that, at just $12.99 each, the 4- to 6-serving kits, such as Corn Chowder and Coconut Lentil Curry, won’t break the bank. Bonus: Order online for free delivery within Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, and Goleta. —Jaime Lewis

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

TOP: LISA-MARIE MAZZUCCO; BOTTOM, LEFT: ROBERTO ALTIERI; BOTTOM, RIGHT: ANDREA RUSSELL

To walk through the Santa Paula Art Museum (santapaulartmuseum.org) is to get a sense of its town’s rich artistic heritage. To witness the community’s artistic development, visit its new Cole Creativity Center, a place for educational programs,

Character. Communication. Commitment.

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Finds S H O P P I N G / S T Y L E / T R AV EL

Blackout

Create a moody effect with these dark and stormy tabletop wares. By Jennie Nunn

“Udine” vase ($440 each); Miri Mara Ceramics, Carpinteria, mirimara.com. OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

Finds

1 2

3 4

1. Black matte and copper wine glasses ($60 for a set of four); Williams-Sonoma at The Oaks, Thousand Oaks, La Cumbre Plaza, Santa Barbara, The San Luis Obispo Collection, and Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park; williams-sonoma.com. 2. All-purpose pantry towels ($20 for a set of four); Williams-Sonoma at The Oaks, Thousand Oaks, La Cumbre Plaza, Santa Barbara, The San Luis Obispo Collection, and Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park; williamssonoma.com.

3. La Chamba four-quart oval casserole with lid ($123); A Beautiful Mess Home & Garden, Agoura Hills, abeautifulmesshome.com. 4. Menu “Propeller” trivet ($20); The Copenhagen House, Solvang, thecopenhagenhouse.com. 5. L’Objet “Tulum Rings” serving set ($225); Coast 2 Coast Collection, Santa Barbara, c2ccollection.com.

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

6. “Sloan” dinner plate ($11); Crate and Barrel at The Village at Topanga, Woodland Hills, crateandbarrel.com. 7. HG ceramic candle stand ($55) and hand-dipped pillar candle ($25); Hudson Grace, Santa Barbara, hudsongracesf.com. 

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Finds Style By Frances Ryan

Wild Things

Get spotted in these feline-inspired fashions.

1. Marc Fisher Ltd. “Fenetly” booties ($190); Nordstrom at The Oaks, Thousand Oaks, Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara, and Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park; nordstrom.com. 2. Rag & Bone “Zoe” fedora ($225); rag-bone.com.

3. Barton Perreira “Arlequin” square open-temple sunglasses ($640); Neiman Marcus at Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park, neimanmarcus.com. 4. Saint Laurent “Leopard” genuine calf-hair hoop earrings ($795); Nordstrom at The Oaks, Thousand Oaks, Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara, and Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park; nordstrom.com. 5. Zara pleated combined-print scarf ($18); Zara at The Oaks, Thousand Oaks, and Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park; zara.com.

6. L’Agence “Julieta” dress ($525); Sharon Segal, Nina Segal at The Promenade at Westlake, Westlake Village, facebook.com/ sharonsegalninasegal. 7. Rag & Bone “Aslen” mules ($395); rag-bone.com.

8. Alexander Wang “Roxy” leather and genuine calf-hair bucket bag ($750); Nordstrom at The Oaks, Thousand Oaks, Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara, and Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park; nordstrom.com. 9. Xirena “Katt Tais” bra ($102); Sharon Segal, Nina Segal at The Promenade at Westlake, Westlake Village, facebook.com/ sharonsegalninasegal. 

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

Finds Travel By Erin Rottman

PLAYING IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN

very Saturday around lunchtime, fishermen from Playa del Carmen motor their boat from the Gulf of Mexico to Mahekal Beach Resort (mahekalbeachresort. com; from $164), delivering their morning catch to an area on the beach set up with a scale and cleaning station. When the executive chef spots the boat and rings a bell, swimsuit-clad guests gather around to pick the grouper, corvina, or octopus that will become dinner. Engaging with these fishermen is just one way visitors can experience the local culture while at the resort. The hotel itself is a collection of palapastyle bungalows decorated with clay pottery, colorful textiles, and furnishings made with wood from the Mayan forest. The beach, with lounge chairs and dining service, feels exclusive, but it’s easy to walk along the water and take in the changing vibe:

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

locals with their families, young people partying, and vendors offering paraglide rides. And Playa del Carmen’s main street, the pedestrian Quinta Avenida, is a five-minute walk away. “The guests now are looking for authentic people,” says general manager Attila Gombos. “We are a true Mexican hotel.” Every couple of months, Gombos brings in young Mexican chefs specializing in regional cuisine and stocks mezcal and local microbrews, including a beer made specifically for the hotel. Lunch at the hotel’s Mayan culinary casita, an outdoor space with walls of palm trees, starts with a traditional blessing accompanied by the burning of incense and refreshing drinks of tamarind and green tea lemonade. Chef José Balam speaks mainly a Mayan language but shows with his hands how to make lime and chicken soup and welcomes help from guests

to prep the marinated fish wrapped in hoja de momo (a fragrant leaf ) and roasted in a pib (an underground oven), as in pre-Columbian times. Head concierge Ignacio Jesus Boli, who started working at Mahekal 23 years ago doing laundry, enjoys connecting guests with authentic experiences. For adventures outside the hotel, he recommends El Sueño, a dark underground freshwater cave where guests can snorkel beneath

stalactites and spot fossils in the rock formations, and Yal Ku Lagoon, a juncture of ocean water and fresh water from the underground rivers, which is teeming with tropical fish. It all builds an appetite for dinner at the resort eatery, Fuego Restaurante y Cantina, where garlic, herbs, a wood-burning oven, and a view of the ocean are all that’s needed to enjoy the morning catch. >

MAHEKAL BEACH RESORT

A stay in one of the palapastyle bungalows of Mahekal Beach Resort near the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula is a seaside immersion in Mayan culture.

B E L M O N D E L E N C A N T O , S A N TA B A R B A R A

THE ART OF GASTRONOMY

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Finds Travel

never expected that she’d get requests for lounge tents and meditation tents with floor pillows and plants. However, these can easily be part of the packages the company arranges for individuals, groups, and parties in Joshua Tree, Malibu, or wherever comfy bedding in the wilderness sounds good. The experiences get even more over the top with add-ons like an on-site camp butler to keep the fire stoked, a farm-totable dinner, and the Bubble Tap Trailer, with three sparkling wine taps to keep the party going.

SERENITY IN PASO

ON THE GO IN CARMEL

After an alfresco evening by the fire at Carmel-by-the-Sea’s The Getaway, retire to a homey guest room and wake to breakfast (right): yogurt parfaits and smoked salmon– goat cheese toast.

While PlumpJack Hospitality Group’s first Carmel-by-the-Sea property, The Hideaway, suggests romance and relaxation, its second property, The Getaway (thegetawaycarmel.com; from $295), offers a more active vibe. The recently redesigned 34-room boutique hotel sits at the top of Ocean Avenue, about 10 blocks from the beach, and is, according to PlumpJack president and partner Hilary Newsom, poised to speak to the next generation of Carmel visitors. “There’s cornhole and a lot of board games,” she says. “It’s playful, there’s music, and it’s energetic.” White-washed brick walls lend a clean, refreshing feel, and in The Getaway’s living room–like lobby, guests don’t have to feel shy about putting up their feet. Canine lodgers are welcomed with dog beds and treats. Outside, a modern fire feature encourages alfresco gatherings on the spacious deck. Complimentary breakfasts include build-your-own avocado toast, and late afternoon snack time comes with sparkling wine and fresh juices. Rental bikes are available for excursions.

esearch shows that the practice of meditating to sound can reduce fatigue and improve mood. Based on that premise, the new sonic labyrinth at Allegretto Vineyard Resort (allegrettovineyardresort.com; from $349) in Paso Robles aims to leave guests in a more serene state of mind. As guests walk through the labyrinth, their movement sets off the tones of a prerecorded flute. The tones start out soft then build as walkers move closer to the labyrinth’s center; when they arrive at the center, the tones go silent. “It’s like a touch on your spirit and your mind,” says general manager Rich Verruni. Dotted with olive trees and surrounded by vineyards, the Tuscaninspired resort is a convenient base for wine tasting, but plenty of activities await guests right on the property. Docents offer tours of an on-site art collection, which includes paintings by local artists, carved Italian limestone sculptures, and a Buddha idol from India. At the boutique spa, opt for the Indian head massage or the Cabaletta, a four-handed rubdown. 

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

TENT: MICHAEL SHARP; PATIO AND DISH: THE GETAWAY; LABYRINTH: ALLEGRETTO VINEYARD RESORT

HOT TIP

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Insider EVENTS IN & AROUND THE 805 By Heidi Dvorak

Ken Jeong

10/12

Through December 2

October 12

October 13–15

POP! 50 YEARS OF ART & POPULAR CULTURE FROM THE FREDERICK R. WEISMAN ART FOUNDATION

KEN JEONG

OJAI STUDIO ARTISTS TOUR

Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez. He must have been a hoot as a real-life doctor, but since Jeong left his practice, his remedy to relieve others’ pain is the joy of laughter. Get a healthy dose at his one-man show; chumashcasino.com. October 13

Ojai locations. Take a selfguided tour of more than 65 studios of painters, ceramists, jewelers, a woodworker, a clothing designer, and digital, glass, and fiber artists. Party with these creative pros at the French Twist Gala. On Sunday, enjoy a post-tour wine social; ojaistudioartists.org.

SOLVANG STOMP: A FOOTIE WINE FESTIVAL

October 27

Frederick R. Weisman Museum, Pepperdine University, Malibu. Soup cans, kitchen toasters, manhole covers, and other unusual items comprise this historic Pop Art exhibit, which includes works by Red Grooms, Claes Oldenburg, Richard Artschwager, and Yayoi Kusama; pepperdine.edu.

Downtown Solvang. Grownups can be Solvang Stompers as they shuck their shoes and step into a vat of grapes for this celebration of local wine heritage. The adults-only soiree includes live music, dancing, lots of sipping, a Lucy and Ricky Ricardo Look-a-Like Contest, and the opportunity to drink pink in the I Love Rosé Lounge; solvangusa.com.

SPAZMATICS HALLOWEEN PARTY

October 11–14

October 13

REYES ADOBE DAYS

PIONEER DAY

THE GREAT GRAPE STOMP

Reyes Adobe Historical Site, Agoura Hills. The westernthemed fair honors the state’s history with activities that hark back to 1845, when the event site, a California adobe rancho, was built. Historical demonstrations, pony rides, crafting, museum tours, art exhibits, and a parade, fill the bill; reyesadobedays.org.

Downtown Paso Robles. Get a Pioneer Pin at this old-time jamboree—pinless peeps are thrown into the hoosegow. There is an old-fashioned parade as well as contests for cowboys, cowgirls, and even pets; pasoroblespioneerday.org. October 13

Kalyra Winery, Santa Ynez. Since when are wineries just for adults? Here’s one that not only encourages kids to visit but also to go barefoot, jump in a grape-filled vat, and squish away at this event. Pack a picnic or indulge in food truck fare. Live music plays all day; kalyrawinery.com.

SO CAL ETSY ARTISAN MARKET

October 31

October 12–14

The Oaks, Thousand Oaks. Break away from the online site for this Etsy event that makes buying local a breeze: The mall’s perimeter makes way for regional crafters, artists, and other DIY vendors to sell their handmade goods, such as jewelry, art, bath products, leather accessories, T shirts, and artisanal foods; shoptheoaksmall.com.

October 9 STING & SHAGGY

Santa Barbara Bowl. It’s a mash-up like no other. And hearing tunes from their new island-inspired collaborative album 44/876, as well as their own individual hits, is the perfect way to say so long to summer; sbbowl.com.

10/13

Revel in the majesty of classical music played by the world‑class instrumentalists of Santa Barbara’s oldest arts organization, the COMMUNITY ARTS MUSIC ASSOCIATION OF SANTA BARBARA. In honor of the organization’s 100th anniversary, 11 special concerts are planned over the course of the season in two series: the International Series at The Granada Theatre and the Masterseries at the Lobero Theatre. Appearances from prestigious virtuosos and orchestras include British conductor Daniel Harding, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Richard Goode, conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale, London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the Russian National Orchestra; camasb.org.

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

LOMPOC CHALKS

Cypress Avenue and I Street. Artists from all over the state are expected to participate, but local kids can purchase a square to draw their own sidewalk creation. Artisan vendors, food trucks, live music, and a beer and wine garden are also part of this Lompoc Theater Project fundraiser; lompoctheatre.org.

SIMI VALLEY HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL

Rancho Santa Susana Community Center. This spooktacular gathering promises “screamin’ fun.” Aside from getting tons of treats, kiddos can take part in hayrides, carnival games, shadow dancing, face painting, a photo booth, and jumping on inflatables; rsrpd.org. >

10/13: DAVE SKINNER/DAVE SKINNER PHOTOGRAPHY

Family Fun

Pioneer Day

Here’s an Idea:

The Canyon, Agoura Hills. Founded by a Thousand Oaks physics teacher who lost a bet, this cover band is not only local but also sustainably sensational when they recreate the great songs of the eighties and nineties and deliver musical tricks and treats; wheremusicmeetsthesoul.com.

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Book your seats now for these hot upcoming events. OCTOBER Through October 14: Chaos and detail provide an unusual balance at BARRY McGEE, an eponymous exhibition of the San Francisco–based artist’s work. McGee incorporates improvisation in many of his paintings, drawings, and sculptural objects, which are juxtaposed against found objects, ephemera, and other artists’ creations; Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara, mcasantabarbara.org.

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Through October 14: What is the meaning and purpose of art? A solid white painting stands at the center of a debate on this question as SLO Rep presents ART, a Tony Award–winning French-language play written by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton. As three comrades hash out the answers, their friendship is tested in this comedy that brings serious issues to the forefront; San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre, slorep.org. Through October 14: Within a darkened space, 24 color televisions mounted on pedestals are arranged on an arc in late artist Nam June Paik’s exhibit TV CLOCK. This work, created by a trailblazer of video art, is on view for the first time in nearly a decade. Each electronic image was created by manipulating televisions to compress its red, green, and blue color into a single line against a black background. Rather than using a videotape, disc, or computer chip, Paik created an image by manipulating electronic elements in a way that resembles measuring time; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, sbma.net. Through October 31: At the FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL, five themed weekends—Friends of the Farm, (dedicated to first responders), Farm Country Weekend, Antique Tractor Weekend, Wild West Weekend, and All About Pumpkins—offer activities such as a pumpkin drop, animal shows, singing cowboys, tractor parades, a cornstalk labyrinth, and pig races; Underwood Family Farms, Moorpark, underwoodfamilyfarms.com. Through April 2019: Elegant design and handcrafting are the hallmarks of the French builders of cars such as Bugatti, Citroen, De Villars, Vanvooren, and others. In L’ÉPOQUE DES

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CARROSIERS: THE ART AND TIMES OF THE FRENCH COACHBUILDERS Concours-winning vehicles

are on view, including the famed 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic; Mullin Automotive Museum, Oxnard, mullinautomotivemuseum.com. October 1–31: The scarecrows are coming! The scarecrows are coming! When more than 150 straw-stuffed characters pop up on benches, curbs, outside businesses, and around corners, it’s a lot of fun and a bit frightening. Made by

join us in helping to save children’s lives... local business owners, these scary guys and gals vie for the Harvest Cup: Best in the Valley award at the SANTA YNEZ VALLEY SCARECROW FEST. Cast a vote; Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Buellton, and Ballard locations, syvscarecrows.com. October 1–31: Two towns are invaded by 500 scarecrows, which makes for a downright Halloween-y spirit at the 10th annual CAMBRIA SCARECROW FEST. These handcrafted dudes and dudettes could be bowling, skiing, swimming, or actually scaring crows. Some are traditional, some are animated, and some are even solar powered; Cambria and San Simeon locations, cambriascarecrows.com. October 16: It’s a circus the likes of which audiences have never seen when steel structures, wheels, pedals, and assorted crazy contraptions comprise the apparatuses employed for the spectacular stunts performed in 42FT–A MENAGERIE OF MECHANICAL MARVELS. Machines are the stars of this theatrical production, along with a performing ensemble known as Cirque Mechanics. The 42FT reference is derived from the diameter of a traditional circus ring; Pepperdine University, Malibu, arts.pepperdine.edu. October 19–21: The onset for autumn is cause for repeated toasts at the HARVEST WINE WEEKEND, when more than 100 wineries participate in this extravaganza devoted to vino. Sip and socialize at a grape stomping, barbecues, winemaker dinners, winery tours, barrel samplings, live music performances, and primo parties, all taking place throughout wine country; Paso Robles locations, pasowine.com.

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CHLA Blood Drive Bus taking donations

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Live treatment demos, food & drink, raﬄes and giveaways

October 20: Have A NIGHT ON THE TOWN WITH THE CITY OF ANGELS SAXOPHONE QUARTET,

a Los Angeles–based wind ensemble that has graced concert stages for more than 25 years. The group’s performances present a unique angle by focusing on the human stories behind their music selections. Recent appearances include the Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles and a shared bill with Itzhak Perlman at the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival in Florida; Santa Paula Theater Center, santapaulatheatercenter.org. October 25–28: Sit under an oak tree and get chilled to the bone by listening to a harrowing story about Halloween. Or discover the secrets of how the words of poets can romance the cynical and scorned. Readers, listeners, and writers can benefit from the educational and entertaining programs at the 18th OJAI STORYTELLING FESTIVAL. The art of storytelling serves as inspiration for a variety of performances, lectures, and workshops for all ages. Special evenings include Laughing Night, Tales of Mystery and Suspense, and Naughty Tales Under the Stars; Libbey Bowl and Ojai Art Center, ojaistoryfest.org. >

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Insider NOVEMBER

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November 1–11: The OJAI FILM FESTIVAL encompasses groundbreaking and uplifting films that enrich the human spirit and provides filmmakers with enthusiastic audiences and exposure to industry professionals. Along with screenings of documentary shorts and features, animation, narrative features, narrative shorts, and Gold Coast local films, there is a mini-festival of films and panels that focus on environmental issues and a question-answer session with Malcolm McDowell; ojaifilmfestival.com.

Show Your Support

Fun and fundraising go hand-inhand at these local events. •We Deliver •Compounding •Pet Prescriptions •Immunizations •Fine Gifts•

OCTOBER October 7–29: On October weekends, fall frolickers can go out of their gourds trying to figure their way out of a five-acre corn maze at the SANTA PAULA ROTARY PUMPKIN PATCH. Diversions include a hay pyramid, face painting, pumpkin catapulting from a trebuchet, and live music. Proceeds benefit Rotary charities; Limoneira Olivelands Ranch, Santa Paula, pumpkinpatchatlimoneiraranch.com. October 13: Show off those toned legs at the 10-mile and 10K races of RAD RUN, an integral part of Reyes Adobe Days. The courses follow scenic views of the Santa Monica Mountains, Agoura Hills, Paramount Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park, Malibou Lake, and Mulholland Highway. Live music, giveaways, and massages are part of the action. Proceeds benefit the Community Center Alliance; City Hall, Agoura Hills, radruns.org.

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October 13–14: Shine up those rusty cogs and gears and roll on over to the STEAMPUNK FESTIVAL, a peculiar get-together where the future meets the past. The mechanical mash-up benefits the Oxnard Heritage Foundation and Friends of Heritage Square. Enter the costume contest, and duel with parasols; Heritage Square, Oxnard, oxnardsteampunkfest.com. October 18–21: Play detective at the Lompoc Valley Art Association’s ART HUNT, in which 30 local artists have donated their works for a town-wide scavenger hunt. Participants get to canvas (get it?) the area for hidden paintings, line acrylics, pottery, glass, and gourds and keep what they find. An artist reception takes place at the hunt’s conclusion at the Cypress Gallery; Old Town Lompoc, explorelompoc.com. October 20: President of CSU Channel Islands Erika Beck is the emcee for the STAND UP FOR KIDS GALA, which benefits the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley. Dinner, silent and live auctions, live music, and dancing fill the

entertainment bill. Honored are Tom and Shelley Schlender, and Joe Seetoo is presented with the Cal Johnson Award; Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, bgcconejo.org. October 21: Shop, eat, and dance to the beat at the ROTARY CLUB OF THOUSAND OAKS STREET FAIR. With approximately 370 vendors, there are housewares, toys, clothing, jewelry, and arts and crafts. Food trucks and vendors dish out food, and two stages spotlight live entertainment. Kids can hang out in a fun zone, and everyone can shake the hands of local politicians, firefighters, police officers, and community service providers; Moorpark Street between Wilbur Road and Hillcrest Drive, thousandoaksrotary.org. October 26–28: Watch the top 54 PGA Tour champion players in the Charles Schwab Cup standings compete at the POWERSHARES QQQ CHAMPIONSHIP. This is the second of three events that conclude the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs. This event supports the Sherwood Cares Foundation, which benefits more than 30 local charitable organizations in the Conejo Valley, including FOOD Share, Boys & Girls Clubs, The First Tee, Many Mansions, and others; Sherwood Country Club, Thousand Oaks, goinvescoqqq.com.

Coming Soon to Ventura!

October 27: Get moving at the WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S. It’s a mere two miles, but money raised goes a long way to further the efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. Kids and babies in strollers can participate, too. Registered walkers receive a Promise Garden flower; 3011 Townsgate Road, Westlake Village, act.alz.org/westlake. October 29: Doors’ guitarist Robby Krieger and sports artist Scott Medlock join forces to put on a fab fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Their ROCK AND ROLL GOLF CLASSIC provides players with continental breakfast, golf carts, player gift bags, driving range balls, an on-course luncheon, and prize giveaways, as well as the opportunity to compete in hole contests throughout the course. After the tournament, the fun continues with live music, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres provided by top local restaurants, and the presentation of golf awards; Moorpark Country Club, themedlockkrieger.com.

NOVEMBER November 2: Join community members and the Conejo Valley Kiwanis Club at the chapter’s yearly philanthropic effort, UNCORKED, which features gourmet hors d’oeuvres, wine tastings, a silent auction, a wine raffle, and live music. The event benefits local and national charitable efforts, such as Rocky & Lon Morton Boys & Girls Clubs, college scholarships, Key Clubs at Newbury Park School and Agoura High School, and the Bumblebee Foundation; Los Robles Gardens, Thousand Oaks, conejouncorked.com. November 3: Learn about what farmers do on a free, self-guided tour of 20-plus farms and agricultural businesses at VENTURA COUNTY FARM DAY, hosted by Students for Eco-Education and >

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Insider Agriculture. The organization’s mission is to teach students about the origins of their food through agricultural education programming; Ventura County locations, venturacountyfarmday.com. November 3: Support children and young adults with developmental disabilities at the Thousand Oaks–based Center4Special Needs’ BRIDGING THE GAPS OF HOPE GALA. The affair includes a cocktail reception, silent and live auctions plus a special jewelry auction, dessert wars, dinner, a DJ, live music, and dancing; Grand Vista Hotel, Simi Valley, center4specialneeds.org. November 3: Tackle a 5K walk or a shorter, quarter-mile jaunt through a rose garden to raise money for the WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S. Every registered participant raising more than $100 receives a T-shirt; Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, act.alz.org/santabarbara. November 3: When veteran, Amgen employee, and Newbury Park resident Mike Nosco died in a car accident, his brother Jack, an avid cyclist, jumped on his bike and traced his brother’s final journey to the Camarillo crash site. The annual MIKE NOSCO MEMORIAL BIKE RIDE retraces that 80-mile path. Along with pro cyclists and athletes, hundreds of participants are expected to ride in this event that supports the Michael P. Nosco Foundation, which provides financial relief to those caring for loved ones with life-threatening illnesses. A celebratory meal follows the ride; Borchard Community Center, Newbury Park, mikenosco.com.

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November 4: Purchase a handmade ceramic bowl to be filled with soup donated by a local restaurant at BOWLS OF HOPE. Proceeds support Many Mansions residential service program for families in need; Cal Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, manymansions.org. November 5: Combine the pleasures of buying stylish handbags and jewelry with the joys of drinking champagne in the name of raising money for Big Brothers Big Sisters Ventura County at BAGS, BLING, & BUBBLY. A Big Sister and Little Sister of 2018 share stories of their unique relationship and special recognition is given to what the organization’s members call “A wise wonderful woman of 2018”; Las Posas Country Club, Camarillo, bbsvc.org. November 9–11: It’s a shopping opportunity on steroids: Yard art, tapestries, china, porcelain, Bakelite pieces, jewelry, accessories, period furniture, silver, glassware, clothing, and more are on offer at the ANTIQUES, DECORATIVE ARTS & VINTAGE SHOW AND SALE. The show benefits CALM, the Child Abuse Listening & Mediation program, a nonprofit agency that helps prevent, assess, and treat child abuse in Santa Barbara County; Earl Warren Showgrounds, Santa Barbara, calmantiqueshows.com.

Worth a Drive

Venture just outside the 805 for these choice events. October 13–14: Mascot Gourdy welcomes everyone to the HALF MOON BAY ART & PUMPKIN FESTIVAL. Featured fun includes a Smashing Pumpkins Battle of the Bands, the Great Pumpkin Parade, a haunted house, four entertainment stages, crafts, home-style foods, a sculpting exhibition of a 1,000-pound pumpkin, photo opportunities with the Grand Champion Mega-Gourd, and pie-eating and costume contests; Main Street, pumpkinfest. miramarevents.com. Through October 21: Fashion is often a driving force for social, economic, and political change. If there’s any doubt about that, witness ICONS OF STYLE: A CENTURY OF FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY, 1911–2011, an exhibit of more than 160 fashion

photographs as well as costumes, illustrations, magazine covers, videos, and advertisements representing the artistic contributions of more than 80 photographers, including Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Arthur Elgort, and Bruce Weber; J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Center, Los Angeles, getty.edu. Through January 27: As the most comprehensive Porsche exhibit outside of Stuttgart, THE PORSCHE EFFECT showcases a historically significant collection of the German brand’s street and race cars as well as artifacts, historical documents tracing the marque’s history in engineering, kinetic art, branding, and the new underground Porsche Vault Tour, which presents some of the marque’s rarest automobiles; Petersen Automobile Museum, Los Angeles, petersen.org.

Give Back

Whatever your interests, there’s a volunteer opportunity just right for you. Meet Max, Ivan, Kisa, Athena, Kachina and Kanati, and Puku. As education ambassadors of SANTA BARBARA AUDUBON EYES IN THE SKY—the only licensed raptor education program in Santa Barbara County—this impressive team is masterful at teaching children about the survival of wild birds. But the group needs assistance because the individual members are a great horned owl, a redtail hawk, a Peregrine falcon, a barn owl, American kestrels, and a Western screech owl, all of which are rescued and rehabilitated. Volunteers are needed to accompany them on public tours and give informative talks about the birds and their survival. Help is also needed feeding them, cleaning their aviary at the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum, managing the website, and applying for grants. Handlers must make a one-year commitment and be at least 18 years old; eyesinthesky.org.  If you would like to submit your event or organization for possible inclusion in Insider, please email the information and a contact number/email to insider@805living.com. Please submit your request no later than 14 weeks prior to the issue in which you’d like the information to appear.

By Linda Kossoff

Santa Barbara furniture company Yaasa has developed a sleek new table, available in three contemporary finishes, that allows for switching from sitting to standing while at work with the touch of a button.

Thinking onYour Feet

edical science tells us that avoiding prolonged sitting is beneficial to our muscles, heart, circulation, and overall health. New research reveals that spending a little more time on our feet each day can even improve brain function. Published in the medical journal PLOS One and highlighted in The New York Times this year, a study by Prabha Siddarth, Ph.D., and his colleagues at UCLA examined the effects of sedentary behavior on adult subjects aged 45 to 75. The results showed that a daily habit of prolonged sitting reduced the thickness of these subjects’ medial temporal lobes.“The [brain’s] medial temporal lobe is involved in memory,

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

and thinning [of that lobe] is associated with memory impairment,” says Muhammad Asif Taqi, M.D., a neurologist at Los Robles Regional Medical Center (losrobleshospital.com) in Thousand Oaks. “Exercise induces uptake by the brain of insulin-like growth factor-I, a circulating hormone with potent neurotrophic [nervous tissue growth] activity. Sedentary lifestyle diminishes this effect.” So standing more is better, but what if you work at a desk? Taqi suggests taking breaks throughout the day and, if possible, altering your environment to enable you to stand while working. Increasingly, we see people using standing desks to afford them more time on their feet while on the job. One such option is made by Santa Barbara–based adjustable furniture company Yaasa (yaasa.com),

YAASA

Banishing sedentary lifestyle habits may make you smarter as well as stronger.

FLUIDSTANCE

whose new height-adjustable table is designed to be décorfriendly as well as functional. “We looked into what’s on the market and realized that our competitors were missing out on the design aspect of the product,” says Johannes Sauer, who founded Yaasa with a team of investors in 2016. “Plus, their products were very heavy and complicated to assemble—so light weight, simplicity, and design were key factors in Used while working at a standing desk, a FluidStance board encourages our product development balance-building movement. process. Also, with more people working from home, we wanted to create a product that fits well with home décor and still allows for switching between sitting and standing positions throughout the day.” Constructed using laminated paper honeycomb and hidden electronic motors, the Yaasa Adjustable Desk offers button-touch height control (from 27 to 46.5 inches) and is available in white, bright, and dark finishes. Varying between sitting and standing is great, but how can a desk worker incorporate some actual movement? Joel Heath, founder of FluidStance (fluidstance.com) in Santa Barbara, has an answer. A naturally active person who began to experience back and hip pain after working 60 to 80 hours a week at a desk job for a footwear company, Heath found that logging hours at a standing desk only shifted his pain to his knees and hips. He decided to develop a product that would allow the body to move while remaining in a confined space. “The goal was to embrace natural movement while at a desk— increase activity level by 10 percent but impact on the body by only 1 percent,” Heath explains. Using the research of Geoffrey Alan Gray, D.P.T., founder and president of Heeluxe footwear testing and innovation lab in Goleta, Heath developed FluidStance, a boardlike device he calls a deck, which allows the user to remain at a standing desk and maintain focus on the work at hand while shifting from side to side. The device is intended to create just enough instability to require that users control their center mass, ultimately improving their ability to maintain balance. “Users have told me, ‘I didn’t know it would be this easy’ and ‘I can stand so much longer with it than without it,’ ” says Heath, whose 80-year-old mother spends time on the board while watching television. “Balance is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition, and we all know that lack of balance can result in debilitating and even life-threatening falls. A little bit of gentle instability on the board can help you gain that control.” Four types of the FluidStance deck are made from different combinations of sustainable materials, and one is intended specifically for children. “We always tell kids they need to sit still to learn, but I think that often the opposite is true,” Heath points out. “After all, balance inside and outside encourages the process of connectivity in the body—of course that’s going to make us smarter.” 

Faces in the Crowd By Nancy Ransohoff

Ivan Amodei

This master illusionist presents magic, music, and a message.

t’s through no trick that master illusionist Ivan Amodei has risen to the height of his profession. He did it through persistence, passion, and practice, practice, practice. The acclaimed Amodei, who has performed his one-of-a-kind 90-minute show Intimate Illusions for the last 10 years at the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills and has

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

toured internationally, brings his new stage performance Secrets & Illusions: Unlock Your Destiny (secretsandillusions. com) to Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza on October 6 and to the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara on November 10. It’s a homecoming of sorts, as Amodei graduated from Thousand Oaks High School and Cal Lutheran University and now lives in Somis

with his wife and 12-year-old twins. Amodei became captivated with magic and illusion when he was 5 years old. A family friend performed some tricks at a party and young Amodei was smitten. While growing up in New York, he was a regular at the local magic store and first learned sleight-of-hand skills from a book given to him by the owner. “When I wasn’t home on time my mom would call the magic store,” he says. In addition to persistence and practice, patience was essential. “A five-minute trick could take five years to master,” Amodei explains. Sometimes the young magician got creative in finding practice opportunities. During high school and college Amodei worked as a busboy and waiter at the Velvet Turtle restaurant (since closed) in Thousand Oaks. “I did magic five or six nights a week at the restaurant for my customers,” he says. On weekends, he performed at corporate and private events. Over the years, Amodei has honed a signature style for his shows, incorporating thought-provoking vignettes, audience participation, and storytelling. Secrets & Illusions is set on the streets of Paris and in the Louvre Museum. A live concert violinist accompanies Amodei as he explores life’s mysteries through his illusions, performed in various sets. “My show isn’t just about magic,” he says. “It’s about life, how to face your fears and go with your gut instincts, and the value of time. There’s a storyline and a message. It all comes to a great conclusion.” With his creative and entertaining approach, Amodei says, “The goal isn’t to fool anyone. I lead you down this road and say, ‘Let’s just enjoy the ride.’ ” 

TODD TYLER

Over the years, Amodei has honed a signature style for his shows, incorporating thoughtprovoking vignettes, audience participation, and storytelling.

Arts & Culture By Joan Tapper

Fashioning a Career

arrie Jean Walker still remembers the prom dress she designed and sewed for herself when she was a senior in high school in Newbury Park. “It wasn’t in style then, but it is now,” says Walker, who moved back to the community three years ago. “It was two pieces, burgundy—a long flowing skirt and a cropped and beaded top.” And it was undoubtedly just one of the reasons why her classmates noted in the yearbook that she was most likely to become a famous artist. Art, especially fashion, has been Walker’s passion and >

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

ILLUSTRATION: CARRIE JEAN WALKER; PORTRAIT: HALEY LARA PHOTOGRAPHY

Newbury Park–based multimedia artist Carrie Jean Walker combines fine art and clothing design.

SANTA BARBARA

ART DISTRICT

10 West Gallery

Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Mon - Sat 11 am - 5:30 pm Sun 12 - 5 pm. Closed Tues 10westgallery.com

Tues - Sun 11am - 5 pm, Thurs evenings 5 - 8 pm sbma.net

10 West Anapamu Street 805-770-7711

Karin Aggeler, The Answer to Your Question. Acrylic on canvas.

Sullivan Goss

An American Gallery 11 East Anapamu Street 805-730-1460 Sun - Wed 10 am - 5:30 pm Thurs - Sat 10 am - 8 pm sullivangoss.com

Patricia Chidlaw, China Town II, Full Moon. Oil on canvas.

1130 State Street 805-963-4364

Claude Monet, Villas in Bordighera (detail), 1884. Oil on canvas. SBMA Bequest of Katharine Dexter McCormick in memory SBMA, of her husband, Stanley McCormick.

Indigo Interiors 1321 State Street 805-962-6909

Mon - Fri 10 am - 5 pm, Sat 11 am - 5 pm indigointeriors.com Anthony Askew, Keep On Keeping On. Viscosity monotype on paper.

Waterhouse Gallery

Santa Barbara Fine Art

11 am - 5 pm daily waterhousegallery.com

Thurs - Mon, 10 am - 5 pm santabarba santabarbaraﬁneart.com

La Arcada Court 1114 State Street, Suite 9 805-962-8885 Ralph Waterhouse, Morning Light, Bird Refuge. Oil on canvas.

Arlington Plaza 1324 State Street, Suite J 805-845-4270

Richard Schloss, Last Light. Oil on canvas.

©2018 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties (BHHSCP) is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. BHH Affiliates LLC and BHHSCP do not guarantee accuracy of all data including measurements, conditions, and features of property. Information is obtained from various sources and will not be verified by broker or MLS.CalDRE# 01209580, 01317331

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Arts & Culture

career path. “My mom is an artist, extraordinarily talented,” she says. Her grandmother loved to sew. “My mom would be doodling, and I’d sew on my grandma’s vintage Singer sewing machine, making pillows, patchwork quilts.” Of her three sisters and one brother, she says, “I was always the one dressing in weird fashion!” Walker studied fine art and fashion at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and immediately after graduation was recruited by the youth-oriented fashion brand Abercrombie & Fitch in Ohio, where she created clothing designs for children as well as adults. “I worked on the Hollister line,” she says. It was the company’s California-inspired brand, and she specialized in dresses and sweaters, which was a surprise, because “I didn’t know anything about sweaters,” she says. “But they wanted a fresh eye. It was a blessing in disguise. Now I love knitwear. Yarn is amazing; you actually create the fabric.” Abercrombie & Fitch gave Walker the opportunity to travel around the world, and she embraced the chance to broaden her understanding of people and cultures. To balance the highly technical aspect of fashion design, she painted in her free time. “I felt like I was looking for more creativity and was coming up with different techniques,” she says. She has continued to do that since returning to California

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

and devoting her time to building up a fine art business. “I do multimedia,” she says, “which makes the artwork textural and gives the piece more interest.” For her abstract works, she’ll mix acrylic with water or resin to achieve a certain viscosity, then use her breath to move the paint on the canvas. For mosaic pieces, she’ll create little thin tiles out of clay, then apply color and resin. She sells her work online (carriejeanfineart.com) and at area art fairs and will do commissions. But Walker hasn’t abandoned the fashion world. “I work with Betabrand as a freelance designer,” she says. “I like my designs to be clean with a twist, different from everything else.” The global merchandiser has a flagship store in San Francisco, but most sales are online. Customers go to the website and vote on the styles proposed by designers. The number of votes determines if a garment goes into production. Walker’s indigo-patterned wrap dress in a woven draped rayon fabric was made in four sizes and sold out. “I enjoy this platform,” she adds. “They don’t have to focus on seasonality, and they take care of all the production.” For her next Betabrand submission she’s working on a sweater project. Meanwhile, she continues to sketch runway fashions, which are, she says, “no holds barred.” She explains: “Retail fashion has to be economically viable, the cost restraints are tough. In contrast, runway fashion is a show. It’s over the top.” Her Fall 2018 Moscow Collection was inspired by past travels, especially Italy, where she became obsessed by the wealth of art and culture and particularly taken by patterns and textures that were unique and different. For these designs, she also researched Russia to add elements of structured fashion. She sketched six different looks, including silk tops and dresses, a quilted leather coat, a jacquard coat, and a denim jacket. “I wanted the collection to be super-soft fabrics juxtaposed with structured jackets.” Her favorites: A green dress and a leather coat and embroidered denim pants paired with a fluffy top. Fashion isn’t static. Designers usually work far ahead of the current season. So Walker is now sketching for fall 2019. “I’m loving jewel-toned colors,” she says of the next collection. “Teal, dark purple, forest green, maybe burgundy. But I love contrast, so there’s lots of shine, sparkles, and gems. It’s moody but outgoing, for someone who wants to be noticed.” 

CARRIE JEAN WALKER

“I like my designs to be clean with a twist, different from everything else.”

Upgrades

RH “Aspen” French oak sideboard ($1,871); RH at The Promenade at Westlake, Westlake Village, and Santa Barbara; rh.com.

Knotty and Nice Venture into the woods to spruce up any room in the house. By Frances Ryan OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

Upgrades 1

5 1. Century Furniture “Bowery Place” oak dining table ($4,497); Alderman Bushé Interiors, Thousand Oaks, aldermanbusheinteriors.com. 2. Verellen “Parma” lamp ($1,905); A Beautiful Mess Home & Garden, Agoura Hills, abeautifulmesshome.com. 3. Bernhardt “Rowe” dining chair ($1,398); Cabana Home, Santa Barbara, cabanahome.com.

7 8

4. Bernhardt “Irving Bunching” table ($864); Cabana Home, Santa Barbara, cabanahome.com.

5. “Ibiza” reclaimed teak root divider ($830); For Your Home Furniture, Ventura, fyhfurn.com. 6. “Live Edge” wood slabs for multiple uses, including cutting boards, shelves, and dining tables (multiple species from $95 to $1,990; finishing services, legs, and bases available); Conejo Hardwoods, Westlake Village, conejohardwoods.com. 7. Palecek petrified wood bookends ($439 for a set of two); The Sofa Guy, Thousand Oaks, thesofaguy.com.

8. Celerie Kemble for Arteriors “Clover” stool ($975); Designs of the Interior, Westlake Village, interiordesignwestlake.com. 9. Verellen “Elly” ottoman ($3,330); A Beautiful Mess Home & Garden, abeautifulmesshome.com. 

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

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Ojai November Film1 - 11,Festival 2018

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Full screening schedule and tickets online at www.OjaiFilmFestival.com Breeze

V e n t u r a Your Hometown Paper

Good Deeds By Mark Langton

Ganna Walska Lotusland

In late July, the annual major fundraiser and 25th anniversary celebration of Ganna Walska Lotusland (lotusland.org) entitled Lotus Rising: Lotusland Celebrates Gems of the Garden was held at the 37-acre Montecito property. In addition to the lotus flowers for which it was named, the botanical public garden features more than 3,000 different plants from around the world. Guests enjoyed a showing of floralinspired Oscar de la Renta pre-fall and fall fashions. The late designer was a big fan of the garden. Funds from the event go toward ongoing maintenance and programming.

1. Alex Bolen, Gwen Stauffer 2. Yasmine Zodeh, Belle Hahn 3. Marni Marjoram, Nati Smith, Ashley Hollister 4.Â Anna and Michael Probstel, Winnie and Hod Dunbar 5. Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree, Brian King 6. Daryl Stegall, Eileen Rasmussen, Jennifer and Kelsey Martin 7. Kim Hunter, Lynne and Chris Brown 8. Joseph Marek, John Bernatz, Lori Ann David, Brian Sesby 9.Â Rodney Baker and Robert Ooley 10. Rebecca Anderson, Lori Johnston, Freddy Janka 11. Oscar de la Renta fall fashion Photographs by Mark Langton

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

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Good Deeds By Mark Langton

Rolling for Pink

Resulting in one of the more raucous fundraisers in the 805, in late June Rolling for Pink (rollingforpink.org) hosted Bunko—a fast-paced game that requires teams to roll dice for points—to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (bcrf. org). About 400 attendees gathered at Santa Rosa Valley Park in Camarillo for this year’s tournament. The event marked the 10th anniversary of the organization, which was started by a group of women whose friends and families were affected by breast cancer. Men were welcome, but only as volunteer Bunko Boys, who donned hot-pink shirts with bawdy slogans and provided refreshments for the players.

1. Wendy Reed, Jessica Rust, Chris Rabushka, Sue Stonehouse, Jennifer Chastain 2. Mike Ward, Mike Ward Jr. 3. Chris Corrente, Cary Glenn, Kimberly Rodrigues, Jennifer Colitti 4. Kammie Skrzypek, Alison Lindquist, Kathy Cody 5. Jane Lebel, Patty Taylor, Janice Blake, Leslie Van Dalsem, Jennifer Ward, Jessie Eckardt 6. Avery Thorne, Candace Coleman, Bailee Malyszek 7. Danny Leong, Howard Leong, Kim Wilker, Karlyn Hale, Kevin Leong 8. Bill Van Dalsem, John Stonehouse 9. Jody and Gregg Bruno 10. Carly Armacost, Rachel Shaw, Cynde Maguire 11. Matthew Johnson, James Litiatco, Nick Ditto, Alex Rabushka, Jack Wong Photographs by Mark Langton

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

A DV E R T I S E M E N T

REALTORS of DISTINCTION

CINDY ALEMAN, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Realty cindy4homes.com | sold@cindy4homes.com 805-857-0291 | 2860 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks

Cindy is a lifelong Conejo Valley resident and an experienced Realtor with three decades of helping buyers and sellers achieve their home goals. Clients have trusted her with home listings and purchases because of her extensive knowledge of the marketplace and ability to negotiate the best deals. However it’s her integrity, dependability, and communication skills that’s translated to a network of repeat clientele. Call Cindy today to make your home dreams into a reality.

DONNA VELLA, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Realty thousand-oaks-homes-for-sale.com | donna@donnavella.com 805-469-0777 | 2860 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks

Donna Vella has been selling homes throughout both Ventura and Los Angeles County since 1987 and has received Top Production Awards ever since. She is a member of the Chairman's Circle Gold, and a Legend Award Recipient for Outstanding Sales. These honors distinguish Donna as one of the Top Real Estate Professionals Nationwide. Donna's success can be credited to a strong work ethic, integrity, and dedication to helping her clients! Her motto is Dedication + Service = Results!

SIGI ULBRICH & PAM MORAN Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Realty sigiandpam.com | sigiandpam@sigiandpam.com 818-879-2999 | 1155 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village

This powerful, highly dedicated, real estate team is perennially honored for their presence in the industry’s top 1% nationwide in earnings. No other sales team in the Conejo Valley dedicates as much time, energy, experience, and investment in marketing to provide the best possible client service in this ever-challenging market. There is no substitute for the experience of Sigi Ulbrich & Pam Moran.

CINDI GORTNER, MBA & SUZI LIU Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Realty suziliu.com | cindigortner@gmail.com 818-489-1226 | 2860 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks

Passionate about real estate, Cindi and Suzi provide unparalleled client service and have been recognized as “Top 7% of Agents Nationwide” and “Rising Stars.” Committed to giving back to the community, between the two of them, they serve on four non-profit boards. With extensive knowledge of local public and private schools and a deep understanding of residential and investment properties, they are regarded in the industry as extremely knowledgeable, hardworking, and creative.

A DV E R T I S E M E N T

REALTORS of DISTINCTION

CHERYL SCHOOLLAND Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Realty cherylschoolland.bhhscalhomes.com | cschoolland@bhhscalhomes.com 805-312-0702 | 1155 Lindero Canyon Road., Westlake Village

KAREN SANDVIG, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage karensandvigproperties.com | karen.sandvig@camoves.com 818-941-7437 | 883 S. Westlake Blvd., Westlake Village

As a lifelong resident of the 805, Cheryl combines her passion for Real Estate with an unparalleled knowledge of the Conejo Valley. Licensed since 2002, this Top Producer approaches each transaction with the highest degree of ethics and integrity. Additionally, with a background in interior design, she is able to uniquely assist sellers and buyers realize the best potential for their most valuable assets.

As a President's Circle recipient, Karen is ranked in the top 5% internationally. With more than a decade of experience in the Los Angeles and Ventura County markets, she works hard to provide each client with the best possible real estate service. Her success is fueled by her understanding of her clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lifestyles, caring about their needs, and earning their trust. She surpasses all of her clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expectations which is why they continue to refer her to family and friends.

GLESSIE DONAR, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CA Realty heroesnest.com | airforcewify@gmail.com 805-844-2740 | 1601 S. Victoria Ave., Suite 200, Oxnard

KATY HO, Century 21 Troop Real Estate katyho.com | katy@katyho.com 818-929-5109 | 4165 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 100, Westlake Village

Glessie is a proud, hard-working Berkshire Hathaway Realtor and a powerhouse when it comes to getting the job done. With experience in fixer-uppers, investment properties, buying, and selling, she's a shrewd negotiator, devoted, patriotic, and all about integrity. Glessie genuinely loves people and enjoys making their real estate wishes a reality while creating a win-win deal for everyone involved.

Katy is a highly respected real estate professional with a career spanning nearly 30 years. Her market knowledge and experience as a skilled negotiator are two of the many strengths that assist her as she guides her clients through a smooth transaction process. A native of Taiwan, she is fluent in both English and Mandarin Chinese. As a trusted advisor, she is dedicated to serving her clients with integrity and exceeding their expectations. DRE Lic # 01040691 Broker DRE Lic # 01994886

A DV E R T I S E M E N T

REALTORS of DISTINCTION

TAMARA CAMPBELL, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage calltamara4homes.com | tamara@calltamara4homes.com 805-750-6577 | 883 S. Westlake Blvd., Westlake Village

MARIA POWELL, Pinnacle Estate Properties mariapowell.com | maria@mariapowell.com 818-535-3303 | 971 Westlake Blvd., Westlake Village

Global Luxury specialist Tamara Campbell has been recognized among the Top 100 Coldwell Banker agents in the Greater Los Angeles region. It is her knowledge, experience, and reputation that set her apart from the competition. A happy and satisfied client is Tamara’s greatest reward. As a trusted real estate advisor, Tamara creates exceptional real estate experiences for her clients every day.

For more than two decades, Maria has specialized in residential real estate sales throughout Southern California, with an emphasis on the Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, and Oak Park areas. She attributes her success to her honesty, hard work, caring nature, and sense of humor. Maria is consistently a top-producer, selling large volumes of homes while treating every client like they’re the only client, always devoting 100 percent.

ROSEMARY ALLISON, Estate Director, Coldwell Banker Residential callrosemary.com | brokeragerosemaryallison@aol.com 805-479-7653 | 883 S. Westlake Blvd., Westlake Village

KATHY BERNAL, Compass thebernalgroup.com | kbernal@thebernalgroup.com 818-519-3510 | 2945 Townsgate Road., Suite 300, Westlake Village

One of the country’s most successful realtors, Rosemary set the standard for excellence throughout her career. Her vision and reputation as a trendsetter in the science of marketing the finest estates established her as the most innovative leader in real estate. Rosemary’s dedication and strong work ethic have earned her a reputation as one of the most trusted and admired real estate professionals. Call Rosemary for a confidential consultation to discuss your real estate needs.

Kathy is a consummate professional. Her team—guided by her strong work ethic, honesty, and values—supports, represents, and achieves her clients’ best interests in buying or selling their homes. It’s never just simply about closing the deal! Kathy, a top-producing agent in the Conejo Valley for more than 24 years, holds both foreclosure and short sale certifications. When you work with Kathy you find a professional whose clients always come first.

The Many

WHEN YOU ASK PHOTOGRAPHER NATHANIEL GRAY what prompted him to tackle a book as monumental as Santa Barbara Project (santabarbaraproject.com), he says, “This showed up like a tsunami. I couldn’t not do it.” For the last two years the Salt Lake City native, who moved to Santa Barbara in 2015, has been spending evenings and weekends interviewing people, arranging logistics, and creating photographs of some 200 folks who represent a broad spectrum of the community. After moving to the area, Gray, who has practiced photography since he was a boy, had begun working for nonprofits in the community on various social issues—the homeless population, youth and foster care, and sex trafficking, among others. One day, after a meeting about an especially disturbing local sex-trafficking case, he happened to overhear a group of diners toasting life in paradise. The contrasting perspectives struck him and he decided then and there that he wanted to tell the stories of all the different strands that made up his new community. “We need all parts of it,” he says, but at the time he wondered how to ask Santa Barbarans who should represent them. “At first, I literally knew no one,” he says. He started by contacting nonprofits and businesses and asking for suggestions on Facebook, which brought in hundreds of comments. Eventually, he spoke to about 500 people, getting a sense of who they were, then asking half of them to write an essay—1,000 words—about their lives. “It’s really brave to put yourself out there,” he says. The photo shoots were done, for the most part, in a studio with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II large-format camera against a black backdrop with a ring light that accentuates his subjects’ faces. Included are heads of nonprofit organizations, artists, writers, and performers, business and religious figures, members of the LGBQT community, and homeless individuals. “It is important that they have a voice,” he says, adding that he went out to photograph homeless people, because many of them had a difficult time getting to the studio. “I’ll never be the same person,” he says. “I’ll never look at the world the same way.” His biggest hopes for the project, he adds, are “that people will have more insight into other people’s existences—that it broadens perspectives and breaks down barriers.”

Paradise

A new book project reveals a complex portrait of a community. BY JOAN TAPPER PHOTOGRAPHS BY NATHANIEL GRAY 74

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

The following autobiographical essays have been condensed.

Sides

THEPO TULKU Tibetan Lama. I believe that all beings are my relatives and that every living thing is lit with a sacred spark or Buddha-nature. We are all connected! Control is largely an illusion, and often

the only thing we can control is how we respond to life as it meets us. I strive to meet life with kindness, which makes all things possible, especially when it takes flight in the forms of compassion, unity, and love.

And so although I am a Buddhist, I am with His Holiness the Dalai Lama when he says, “My only religion is kindness.” May all beings practice kindness, and may peace fall like rain over all the earth! OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

SALLY COOK It was not part of my 25-year plan to live on top of a remote mountain in Santa Barbara. It was not a part of my plan to build a place of refuge for girls rescued from sex trafficking. It was not part of my plan to leave behind friends and family to fight the modern-day slavery that exists on my own doorstep. Luckily, it was a part of God’s plan. And because of it, I am more of the woman I was created to be. Without a doubt, co-founding Hope Refuge is the hardest thing I have ever done, but by far the most rewarding. Fighting this kind of evil for young, vulnerable victims has been incredibly intimidating as it can often seem insurmountable. It’s in those times that I remind myself that even if all of this was just for one child’s restoration, it would still be worth it. I believe the heart of man was made to be compassionate and caring. I believe people can change when given the chance to dream, to hope, and, above all, to receive love. I believe Santa Barbara can lead the way in ending sex trafficking!

ROGER

POWELL

I’ve been in Santa Barbara since 1974, and I’ve got no plans to move anywhere else. I was born in Hawaii, but we moved around a lot because my dad was a preacher for a Baptist church. The first time I decided to run away and seek freedom I was 15. A year later I ran away for good. I was a full-time caregiver for the elderly for about 35 years. I took care of all sorts of people, and I still do. I’ve got so much love in my heart, so much desire to help and to heal. I look around me, and I

see everyone searching for love. But they are looking for love in material things—all these fancy cars and big houses. It’s not there. That’s not where you find enlightenment. No man, the heart’s the way in and the way out. Now when I wake up on the streets, I am still a caregiver. I offer my time as a shoulder to lean on and someone to talk to. Being human is like being a caterpillar. We bide our time, go through our days with what life has handed out to us. But you gotta choose to become the butterfly no matter what. OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

JACKSON GILLIES My life changed in seven collective minutes on the stage of the 2,000-seat Arlington Theatre. It happened on the night of February 25, 2016, when I was crowned the winner of Santa Barbara’s Teen Star contest. After winning Teen Star, I came to the realization that performing folk, blues, and rock music was my true passion and what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. An amazing opportunity soon presented itself. Kenny [Loggins] invited me to sing with a group, which included some of Santa Barbara’s finest musicians. For my final project for a city college class, I chose to create an awareness concert for a skin condition I have called hidradenitis suppurativa (H.S.). The project started small but grew into a major event at SOhO music club. I gathered all those band members, and they donated their time to back me up for a night of music. If you’ve lived in Santa Barbara for a while, you’ll understand that serendipitous energy. H.S. affects over 230 million people globally. Hundreds of millions of people suffer in the shadows, without telling a soul. I hope to use my music as a platform to help all with H.S. and discover a cure.

ď&#x201A;&#x192;PEGGY OCHOA I was born and raised in Santa Barbara. Most people who are not from here think I must be rich and live in a big house. They laugh when I tell them I grew up in the projects on the west side. I am the first-born U.S. citizen in my family. My mother was born in Sonora, Mexico. She had always dreamed of living in Santa Barbara. I am a Chicana who grew up around poverty, abuse, drugs, gangs, prison, and prostitution. I am still a proud Santa Barbaran. Hope is the one constant thing that has helped me through the roughest of times. I now work at San Marcos High School, the same school that pushed me away when I became a teen mom. I run the Intervention Center. I am an advocate and interpreter for Spanishspeaking families. I am a club advisor, a tutor, and a support to students. I am a wife and a mother. I never had someone that I could look up to and want to emulate. I am the person I needed when I was young. I am here to help youth and reassure them my story is similar to theirs, that I know, I care, and I am here for them.

Santa Barbara Project will be published in December and available online at santabarbaraproject. com ($85). On October 13 Gray will read six excerpts from the book at Trinity Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara.

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within the department, retiring in 2002 as a division chief–fire marshal. Along the As James Taylor sang, “I’ve way I was honored as both seen fire and I’ve seen rain.” the County Employee of the I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 3, 1947, Month and Firefighter of and in 1959 we moved to Santa the Year. I am also proud to have volunteered for a whole Barbara. I took up surfing, bunch of nonprofits. I’ve went to work offshore, and cooked tri-tip or breakfast in 1967 I was drafted. Upon for 200, made 100 pounds my return to Santa Barbara, of my grandmother’s I eventually was hired by the famous English toffee every Santa Barbara County Fire Christmas, and salsa by the Department. I worked in pretty much every discipline gallon. But I always had

ANDY ROSENBERGER

help doing it. Getting picked to represent our whole community is an honor. So many others have done so much more than I that any of my accomplishments pale in comparison. Perhaps, though, I can represent everyone who has in some way helped to make Santa Barbara a better, healthier, and safer place to live. And as James Taylor continued, “I’ve seen sunny skies that I thought would never end.”

ECHO I was born and raised in Santa Barbara, and I’ve been an artist my entire life, but it wasn’t until I used makeup as a medium that everything clicked. I wasn’t very good at first, but makeup spoke to me in a way that acrylic, oils, and charcoal never had. Drag is about much more than the makeup. It’s the opportunity to create a new persona and to step on a stage and entertain an audience. Echo is never the same from one performance to the next. That freedom with drag is something that I actively encourage in others as well. I love to see drag being more and more accepted as an art form, and I take an active role in mentoring others as they seek to grow their own skills. I believe the best way to grow as an artist and as a person is to teach, support, and collaborate with others. 

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

Spell In a corner of the main room of the Magic Castle Cabaret, behind an elaborate torchère acquired from an auction at MGM decades ago, hangs a full-length poster of Otis Skinner, a renowned stage actor at the turn of the 20th century. Opposite: “Pick a card, any card”— Magician Mark Collier has the audience in the palm of his hand.

! bound The owners of the Magic Castle are conjuring up an exciting new venue. BY JOAN TAPPER PHOTOGRAPHS BY GARY MOSS

pen the door to the Magic Castle Cabaret and

you enter a world of illusion—willingly, playfully, and with the assurance that there’s probably nothing else quite like this combination of a magical entertainment venue and an extravagantly decorated parlor. The enterprise is a longstanding dream come true for Milt and Arlene Larsen. It’s an intimate version of their Magic Castle in Hollywood, which Milt founded with his brother, the late Bill Jr., in 1963, and like its iconic counterpart, the new cabaret is a private club. “This is an extension of our living room,” says Arlene. “It’s for our friends, friends of friends, and new friends.” The couple, who have lived in Santa Barbara for 29 years, acquired the former Café Sol site, across from the Andree Clark Bird Refuge, about two and a half years ago and began the process of transforming it in April 2017. A secret key grants admittance to an interior filled with oversize Victorian furniture, sparkling crystal chandeliers, thrift store discoveries, antique posters, and rare memorabilia that pays homage to great entertainers of the past century and world-famous magicians Milt knows. One room, dubbed the Bird Lounge to honor Lance Burton, who’s known for his bird tricks and appears in a photo on the wall, looks out at the bird refuge through an etched-glass window that came from a pub in Ireland. An elaborate leaded-glass partition from a long-gone restaurant in Los Angeles separates the lounge from a larger sitting area in front of a stage. In the corners are oversize torchères that Milt acquired at an MGM

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Banners, paintings, clocks, and a collection of theatrical and magicrelated artifacts fill the spaces of the cabaret. Opposite: a sleightof-hand moment.

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

A cabaret floor show highlights close-up magic and strolling magicians.

Victorian décor in an entrance corridor (above) is echoed in period portraiture (above right), encouraging the feeling that patrons are entering an otherworldly place. Right: a magician’s tools of the trade. Opposite: Shuffling the cards—faster than the eye can see.

auction in 1968; elsewhere there’s a Bavarian beer pump from 1860 topped by a small statue of the King of Beers. “We’re bringing the fun things from the house,” says Arlene. That includes a harlequin automaton from 1815, a marionette collection, and an original Charlie McCarthy dummy used by Edgar Bergen, among other unusual pieces. But the cabaret is anything but a museum. It’s a place for entertainers to dazzle and amaze their audience. “These are top magicians who must have performed at the Magic Castle or won an award,” says Arlene. “We have a tremendous pool to draw on, and they’ll change every week.” The stage provides one of the arenas. In another room, a cabaret floor show highlights close-up magic and strolling magicians. “Strolling magicians bring people together,” she adds. “Here everyone mingles, and by the end of the evening, they’re friends.” Initially the cabaret was open just two evenings a week, Thursdays and Fridays, but the Larsens hope to gradually add another day or two. Membership is capped at 200, though members can get guest passes. Reservations are required, and the dress code mandates coats and ties or cocktail attire (except between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., when performances are not scheduled). Refreshments consist of cocktails and appetizers. There’s a lot to look forward to. “We think there will be good word of mouth,” Arlene says, “and we’ll be able to help charities by auctioning off guest passes.” She’s also already thinking about decorating the place for the holidays at the end of the year. “I love parties!” she enthuses. As for Milt, this is another step in what has been both a passion and a rewarding career. “I’ve always loved what I’ve done,” he says, “and had a wonderful time doing it.”  Professional magician Mark Collier (markcollier.com) performed for this article.

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

Taste FOOD / WINE / DINING OUT

Churro Change Up A trio of pastry pros’ recipes reveal their takes on the popular sweet fritters.

By Jaime Lewis Photograph by Gary Moss

ecently, I had the good fortune to visit Budapest, the breathtaking Hungarian capital where the scent of kürtöskalács—a puffy spiraled pastry rolled in cinnamon and sugar—drifts from street carts around what feels like every corner. Their heady perfume reminded me how universal is the love of fried dough: France has beignets, Uganda has mandazi, and Japan has karintō. Few sweet treats have as many fans, though, as the churro. The snack of fairs and celebrations from Europe to Latin America, the United States to the Philippines, churros originated in Spain and went global with the conquistadors, luring each culture with a delicate crumb, a dusting of cinnamon-sugar, and their irresistible aroma. Like so many street foods of late, churros are enjoying a renaissance in modern cuisine. Here, three local pastry chefs offer personal spins on this sweet classic treat.

BAKED CHURRO DOUGHNUTS WITH CHOCOLATE Baker Stephanie Vega of Helena Avenue Bakery (helenaavenuebakery.com) in Santa Barbara based these spiced, chocolate-dipped doughnuts on a treat her grandmother used to make in Mexico. Although not regularly on the menu, doughnuts are a fan favorite at the bakery and always sell out fast. “Baking doughnuts is a really easy method for making these at home without the mess of a deepfryer,” says Vega. She recommends using a greased muffin tin. For a more traditional doughnut shape try a doughnut baking pan. Makes 8 to 12 doughnuts (depending on muffin tin size) Canola oil or other neutral oil for greasing pan 2 cups all-purpose flour 1½ cups sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon salt 1 large egg, beaten

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1¼ cups whole milk 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped Cinnamon Sugar Topping (recipe follows) Chocolate Sauce (recipe follows) Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a muffin pan or doughnut baking pan with canola oil. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, pepper, and salt. In a medium bowl, stir together the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla bean seeds. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well until completely blended. Pipe or spoon batter into each muffin cup or doughnut ring until each is about ¾ full. Bake doughnuts, rotating pan halfway through until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean, about 17 minutes if using muffin pan, and 12 to 15 minutes if using doughnut baking pan; check early for doneness. While still warm, but cool enough to handle, remove doughnuts from pan. Immediately roll each in Cinnamon Sugar Topping to coat. Dip one side of each doughnut into warm Chocolate Sauce and place on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper to set.

CINNAMON SUGAR TOPPING Makes ¾ cup ½ cup raw sugar (like Sugar in the Raw) ¼ cup ground cinnamon Add sugar and cinnamon to a shallow pie plate, and mix until blended. CHOCOLATE SAUCE Makes about 2 cups 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup heavy whipping cream ½ teaspoon ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon Place chocolate chips in a medium mixing bowl. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring cream to a simmer. Pour hot cream over chocolate chips and mix until chocolate is completely melted. Add pepper, ground nutmeg, and ground cinnamon and whisk until combined.

MATCHA CHURROS Leo Lopez, pastry chef at Q Sushi (qsushi. com) in Westlake Village, added these

Helena Avenue Bakery takes deep frying out of the churro equation with its Baked Churro Doughnut.

Taste Food

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For information, contact 805.379.1681 or info@center4specialneeds.org A Non-Profit Organization • 501(c)(3) • Tax ID# 27-5399175

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

green tea churros to the menu to give a Japanese twist to a favorite treat from his childhood. “The bitterness of the matcha tea helps bring out and balance the sweetness of the sugar,” he says. Lopez recommends using a piping bag with a size-4 star tip to get the correct shape.

Makes 12 FILLING 2 ounces hazelnuts 2 ounces high-quality dark chocolate (such as Lindt 70% Cocoa) 1 pound mascarpone 9 ounces Nutella

Makes 20 churros 3 cups water ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar, divided 1 teaspoon matcha (bright-green tea powder available in herb shops, Asian markets, and supermarkets) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 quart vegetable oil ¼ cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon Dulce de leche ice cream (for serving)

CHURROS 6 frozen plain parathas (Indian flatbreads available in Indian and Asian markets and at amazon.com; Marneweck prefers Kawan brand) 1 quart vegetable oil

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, whisk water, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, matcha tea powder, vanilla extract, and melted butter and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add flour and continue to mix with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow dough to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring it to a piping bag fitted with a size-4 star tip. Meanwhile, pour oil into a heavy medium saucepan to a depth of 2 to 2½ inches. Heat oil over medium-high until it reaches 350°F when measured with a deep-frying thermometer. Line a plate with paper towels. On another plate, combine remaining brown sugar with granulated sugar and cinnamon. In batches, pipe dough into hot oil, making each churro about 5 inches long. Make sure churros are completely immersed in oil. Fry for 3 to 5 minutes, until just golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove churros to paper towel– lined plate and drain for 15 seconds. Using tongs, roll each in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve warm with dulce de leche ice cream.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT MASCARPONE PARATHA CHURRO This unconventional formula is almost as globe-trotting as its creator, Duvaldi Marneweck, chef-owner of Goa Taco (goataco. com) in Santa Barbara. A South African native with a wealth of culinary experience around the world, Marneweck plays with and pushes the boundaries of ethnic cuisines in all of his dishes, including this one, which is a blend of Indian, Italian, and Latin American flavors. Are they difficult to make at home? Not at all, he says, “The hardest part is rolling them up.”

COATING 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon To make filling: Preheat oven to 300°F. On a heavy rimmed baking sheet, roast hazelnuts until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Pulse hazelnuts and chocolate in a food processor until mixture reaches a rough bread-crumb consistency. In a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula, mix together mascarpone, Nutella, and hazelnut-chocolate mixture, until just combined. (Overmixing can result in an overwhipped, or curdled, mascarpone mixture.) Cover bowl and chill filling in the refrigerator for 1 hour. To make churros: About 20 minutes before filling is fully chilled, remove parathas from freezer and lay them flat on a countertop at room temperature until defrosted, 5 to 10 minutes. Pull plastic film off both sides of each paratha and transfer parathas to a cutting board. Cut parathas in half to form 12 half-circles. Place 1 tablespoon of filling near (but not touching) the cut edge of each paratha halfcircle. Fold the 2 corners of each paratha’s cut edge toward each other along the straight edge, overlapping corners slightly to cover the filling. Pinch edges of corners together. Starting with the cut edge, roll each paratha onto itself to form a log shape and pinch all edges together to seal. Chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, add oil to a medium saucepan and heat until it reaches 350°F when measured with a deep-fry thermometer. Line a plate with paper towels and set it aside. In a shallow pie pan, combine coating ingredients and set aside. Deep-fry churros in oil in batches until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning once with tongs. Using tongs, transfer fried churros to paper towel–lined plate to cool for 10 seconds, then carefully roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve, cautioning that the filling may be very hot. 

Taste Cocktails By David Gadd

AreYouReady to Rock? Get out to try these original rocktails—cocktails inspired by musical icons—or try them at home.

he culture of bars and the culture of rock music are intimately entwined, and it’s a rare mixologist who doesn’t have a favorite rock band or artist. So we’ve asked several of the area’s most inventive bartenders to create custom cocktails inspired by their personal idols from the world of rock. These new drinks are available at their respective establishments during the month of October, but you can also try your hand at making them at home—air guitar optional.

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE 101 North Eatery & Bar (101northeateryandbar.com)

is an expansive new contemporary American restaurant that opened in May in Westlake Village. Well-traveled owner-chef Anthony Alaimo previously oversaw kitchens at Bellagio Las Vegas and Wynn Macau, where Ristorante Il Teatro earned a Michelin star during his tenure. Bar managers Austin Franco and Stephanie Skorupka created Thieves in the Temple, inspired by flamboyant late-megastar Prince, whose wide repertoire spanned the gamut from funk and psychedelia to R&B and rock. The dramatic cocktail is a light show in a glass: Empress 1908 Original Indigo Gin is a Canadian spirit infused with butterfly pea blossom, which causes it to change color from indigo blue to blush pink when mixed with the other ingredients. The Purple One would approve.

Makes 1 cocktail 2 ounces Empress 1908 Original Indigo Gin 1 ounce fresh lemon juice ¾ ounce Lillet Blanc ½ ounce St-Germain elderflower liqueur ½ ounce simple syrup 1 large ice cube 1 lemon peel strip Combine first five ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into an empty rocks glass. Add 1 large ice cube to avoid diluting the cocktail. Squeeze lemon peel over cocktail to extract oil, then garnish with the peel.

COURTESY OF 101 NORTH EATERY & BAR

101 North’s Thieves in the Temple cocktail is as colorful as the iconic musical artist who inspired it.

FIRST DANCE WITH MARY JANE Visitors to a nondescript shopping mall in Camarillo may have no idea that a retro-style speakeasy—complete with moody lighting, wood paneling, and a stamped tin ceiling— lurks behind the beige stucco exterior. Hidden away in the back room of Basil & Mint Vietnamese Cafe, The Amendment (instagram.com/theamendmentbar) is a throwback to the dark but raffish era of Prohibition, which was finally ended by the 21st Amendment. Co-owner Daniel Kelley’s cocktail is his liquid tribute to late rocker Tom Petty, the name being a riff on the Petty classic “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.” The drink is based on a California-made vodka infused with legal, food-grade cannabis. There’s no THC, just a distinct weed-y nose, but that doesn’t keep this cocktail from delivering licks worthy of its legendary inspiration. Makes 1 cocktail ¾ ounce fresh lime juice ¾ ounce simple syrup 5 fresh mint leaves 5 dried edible chrysanthemum flowers (available at some tea retailers and amazon.com) 2 ounces Humboldt Distillery Humboldt’s Finest cannabis-infused vodka Ice Splash of soda water 2 basil leaves for garnish In a cocktail shaker, muddle lime juice, simple syrup, mint leaves, and 4 chrysanthemum flowers. Add vodka and ice and shake hard. Strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass. Top with soda water. Garnish with whole basil leaves and a chrysanthemum flower.

BRAMBLE ON Brandon and Misty Ristaino have been on the drinking edge in downtown Santa Barbara since 2014, when they opened their roaring cocktail den The Good Lion (goodlioncocktails. com) on State Street, followed in 2016 by Test Pilot in the Funk Zone, and this fall, the upcoming Shaker Mill on lower State Street. Brandon’s custom cocktail is inspired by Led Zeppelin and their rollicking road song “Ramble On.” Local blackberries provide the brambly quality that keeps this drink as catchy as the timeless tune it’s based on. Makes 1 cocktail 1½ ounces Broker’s London Dry Gin ½ ounce Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry, or other French dry vermouth

½ ounce blackberry cordial (or 3 blackberries muddled with ½ ounce simple syrup) ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice 3 dashes The Bitter Truth Orange Bitters or other orange flower water 1 large ice cube Crushed ice 1 mint sprig 1 Luxardo cherry ½ orange wheel Add first six ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake hard. Pour into a double OldFashioned glass over crushed ice. Garnish with mint sprig, Luxardo cherry, and ½ of an orange wheel.

KINGSMITH The wine-drenched enclave of Paso Robles may seem an unlikely place for a speakeasy, but that’s just what you’ll find in an alleyway behind popular Irish pub Pappy McGregor’s, where owners Donovan Schmidt and Troy Larkin have upped the ante for late-night fun in downtown Paso at their secretive new lounge. Transformed from a storage unit, Eleven-Twentytwo Cocktail Lounge (eleven-twentytwo.com) opened in June and maintains the low profile expected of an off-the-radar drinking establishment. “The experience we’re offering here is very unique; there’s nothing like it, anywhere,” says bar director Tony Bennett. For his KingSmith cocktail, he pays homage to Aerosmith and the band’s lips-forward front man, Steven Tyler. The name references the band as well as the Paso-based brandy brand. “The brandy helps it from becoming too sweet,” Bennett says. At the bar, he freezes the orange peel garnish with liquid nitrogen, making it so brittle that it breaks down in the cocktail. Makes 1 cocktail 1 ounce Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey ¼ ounce Bénédictine herb liqueur ¼ ounce simple syrup ½ ounce Wine Shine brandy ½ ounce Copper & Kings brandy Ice 1 orange peel strip 1 frozen strip of orange zest Chill a coupe glass. Mix first five ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir. Strain into chilled glass. Squeeze orange peel strip over cocktail to extract oil and discard. Garnish with frozen orange-zest strip. 

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Taste Dining Out By Victoria Woodard Harvey Photographs by Gary Moss

Rustic Reigns

A new dining concept at The Monarch in the Montecito Inn centers around local ingredients roasted at a wood-burning hearth.

hen Montecito Inn general manager Danny Copus first met Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita KallasLee, husband and wife chef-owners of Scratch Bar & Kitchen and Woodley Proper, both in Encino, he knew he had found the creative team he’d been looking for to bring culinary innovation to the historic boutique inn built by Charlie Chaplin and other investors in the late 1920s. Now owned by Copus and his family, the inn welcomes the Lees’ new restaurant, The Monarch (themonarchmontecito.com). Its name is both a nod to the Central Coast butterfly migration stop and a reference to royalty from medieval times to modern day finding sustenance in their travels. “People these days are searching for authenticity in the places where they spend their time, and the best way to connect to a place is through the food of the region,” says Copus, a designer and self-proclaimed foodie who admits he has traveled the world for memorable meals. In the Lees, who also own the late-night Chaplin’s Martini Bar at the hotel, Copus has found the kind of talent that pays tribute to the treasured resources of his native town. “We love that the hotel guests upstairs have access to the best of the region right here,” says Lee. “We can take [diners] on a gastronomical adventure around the Central Coast without their ever leaving the restaurant.” His culinary experience includes a short stint at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Pasadena that he quit to train directly at Stefan’s at L.A. Farm (which has since closed) with Top Chef finalist Stefan Richter.

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

With the help of their dream team in the kitchen (opposite, bottom, left), chefs Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee (above) use old-world cooking methods and modern creativity to make fine dining more accessible.

He has also worked at Hatfield’s in Los Angeles and L20 in Chicago; both now closed, earned Michelin stars. Lee’s team at The Monarch includes chef de cuisine John Butler, formerly of Josiah Citrin’s Mélisse in Santa Monica and Foreign Cinema in San Francisco, and regional executive chef David Rosner, who worked previously at Wine Cask in Santa Barbara and Bar Boulud in New York. “We’ve all cooked elite food for elite people, where no one else could come to the party,” says Lee, “Making [fine dining] more approachable, more accessible, and more fun—that’s [our] mission statement.” The Monarch’s dishes reflect thought and sophistication, and it’s clear this culinary team is having fun showcasing Central Coast bounty. Menu items are intended to be mixed and shared, starting with a choice of spreads: brown box crab with lemon, chives, and crème frâiche; duck rillette with apple, butter, and honey; or Santa Barbara sea urchin with olive oil and aged Alpine cheese. These and other dishes feature KallasLee’s house bread made from a carefully resurrected 56-yearold sourdough culture from Italy, an indication of the couple’s dedication to sourcing for the sake of purity and deliciousness. >

Monarch-y menus (clockwise from top, left): A yellowtail crudo starter is set atop papaya confit and dressed in passion fruit vinaigrette. The colorful bounty of the season dictates the vegetables and fruits, such as striped eggplant and heirloom tomatoes, that appear on the plates each day. A dinner revolves around a white sea bass entrĂŠe, which is wrapped in kombu (edible kelp) with tomato and lemon and buried in hot coals to steam.

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

Taste Dining Out The standout feature of the kitchen is an old-world, woodfire hearth with a brick-lined oven and open-flame grill fueled with almond wood.

A pastry chef, Kallas-Lee concocts creative desserts, like the Campfire Sundae, that are equally gorgeous and delicious.

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

Composed dishes include a complex and refreshing yellowtail crudo with papaya confit, passion fruit vinaigrette, and finger lime; tuna tartare with lemon and cornichons topped with a quail’s egg yolk; and an exalted baked local brie from Cambria’s Stepladder Creamery, encased in a savory cocoon of KallasLee’s puff pastry, served warm in a festive ring of berry and chamomile compote and delicate fresh herbs. The standout feature of the kitchen is an old-world, wood-fire hearth with a brick-lined oven and open-flame grill fueled with almond wood. It’s here that local spot prawns are grilled whole over burning embers, red wine and mustard–marinated short ribs are hung to slow roast for hours, and Hope Ranch mussels are stewed with traditional white wine and butter in a cast iron Dutch oven and finished with cracked white cardamom, Shepherd Farms herbes de provence, and bite-size citrus segments. Fans of fresh abalone will appreciate the sliced, tender morsels prepared à la flambadou (a technique using a metal cone to sear the mollusk meat with succulent melted bone marrow) and served in a half shell with white wine and Meyer lemon, crisped capers, and a bread-crumb and parsley crust. For dessert, Kallas-Lee offers fresh doughnuts topped with maple powdered sugar and lavender whipped cream or a flight of daily chocolates flavored with ylang-ylang, matcha powdered tea, or bergamot. The play between old world and modern creativity shines in The Monarch’s carefully crafted interior, as well as in its food offerings. The welcoming, sumptuous setting designed largely by Copus, features custom, oversize arch windows, an oak hardwood bar running the length of the main dining area, artisan crafted tables and chairs, and tufted dining sofas with gold and faux fur accents. A central element to the dining room are six 90-year-old stone pillars that were revealed beneath layers of plaster during the extensive renovation. The theme of rustic elegance carries over to the handcrafted leather-andwood menus, French Laguiole knives and mismatched silver cutlery, and the high-fire hearth-ware—plates, bowls, and platters commissioned by Lee from Gill Isaac Kaufman and friends at Firestick Pottery in Ojai. Libations include spirits and cocktails such as the Front Yard Harvest (black peppercorn, mandarin lime, and Cutler’s gin) and the Rapscallion (Angostura bitters, Yellow Chartreuse liqueur, and Cutler’s Stagecoach whiskey with Luxardo maraschino) from beverage director of both The Monarch and Chaplin’s Martini Bar Rui Silva, whose research for the perfect martini took him back to Chaplin’s era. The wine program comes from wine director Gavin Humes, with in-house sommelier Jenna Isaacs available to help navigate the extensive global list with notable regional faves. The Lees’ upcoming plans at the inn include the opening of Silver Bough, an intimate 10-seat dining room offering a preset menu. Until then, diners can land upon The Monarch for a beer with flatbread, a flute of Dom with Pacific Gold oysters, or other local sustenance from the kitchen of this talented team. 

The Guide W H E R E TO E AT N OW

Our aim is to inform you of restaurants with great food that you might not have experienced yet. The guide is arranged not by cuisine type, but by style of restaurant. “Fine Dining” choices have an elegant atmosphere and very professional service. Restaurants included under the “Foodie” heading are heralded for their wonderful chefdriven cuisine, regardless of atmosphere. “A Good Bet” listings are just that—solid, casual, and delicious. The “Fun, Fun, Fun” category brings you spots geared toward a good time. New listings will appear in The Guide in every issue. Please send any comments and suggestions to edit@805living.com. ON THE WEB: Visit 805living.com for more listings and to make quick and easy reservations

at many of the restaurants listed here through Open Table.

Fine Dining

These restaurants have a skilled kitchen team, a lovely dining room, and great service. ANGEL OAK 8301 Hollister Ave. Santa Barbara, 805-968-0100 ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/california/ santa-barbara/dining/angel-oak Steaks & Seafood; Entrées $31 to Market Price

Great Views, Romantic Located on the grounds of The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Angel Oak takes full advantage of its perch above the Santa Barbara County coastline and of the talents of chef Alexander Bollinger. The menu is modern steakhouse with a seafood twist—and guests can choose from among 12,000-bottles in the restaurant’s wine cellar.

ARTISAN 843 12th St. Paso Robles, 805-237-8084 artisanpasorobles.com New American; Entrées $14–$31

Vegetables from the restaurant’s own farm, sustainably raised meats, and an award-winning chef combine to form a temple of gastronomy in the heart of 805 wine country. Chef and co-owner Chris Kobayashi prepares seasonal food for daily dinners, and weekend brunches. An afternoon menu of small plates, woodfired pizzas, and drink specials is available daily at the bar. Chris’ wife, Shandi, matches excellent wines to her husband’s cuisine.

UPDATE BELLA VISTA RESTAURANT IN FOUR SEASONS RESORT THE BILTMORE SANTA BARBARA 1260 Channel Drive Santa Barbara, 805-969-2261 fourseasons.com/santabarbara/dining Californian and Italian; Entrées $19–45; Sunday Brunch $85 per person

Great Views Named for its sweeping views of lawn, ocean, and sky, Bella Vista has an Italian bent thanks to executive chef Marco Fossati. He uses local fish and organic farmers’ market produce, handmade pastas, and herbs from the chef’s garden at the resort to create such dishes as Tajarin Carbonara di Mare,

and jidori chicken with farrotto and smoked corn. Specials include table-side service of spaghetti with caciocavallo cheese and Tellicherry pepper. At the adjacent Ty Lounge, an extensive menu of Spanish tapas echoes the Hacienda-style décor featuring a fireplace, an ocean-view terrace, and hand-painted walls and ceilings. The wine list offers local and international labels. Happy hour Mondays through Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. includes specials on featured tapas ($5 to $9), draught beer and wine on tap ($4 to $6), and select cocktails ($7).

BELMOND EL ENCANTO 800 Alvarado Place Santa Barbara, 805-845-5800 belmond.com/el-encanto-santa-barbara Entrées $28–$48

Great Views, Romantic The luxe Belmond El Encanto hotel perches atop its seven-acre hilltop property with sweeping city and ocean views. Settle in on the spacious terrace or in the elegant dining room and linger over artfully presented California coastal cuisine crafted by executive chef Johan Denizot. Local ingredients shine, including herbs from the chef’s garden and cheese made from the milk of Ellie, the resort’s cow. The seasonal menu features appetizers such as halibut sashimi and mains like king crab leg in lobster-chili broth and classic New York steak with a choice of sides. The wine list includes Santa Barbara County gems and globetrotting labels. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily, although Sunday lunch is replaced with a bottomless Bellini brunch. Afternoon tea (reservations highly recommended) is served Monday through Saturday. In-the-know locals and hotel guests take in the sunset, cocktail in hand, on the terrace.

UPDATE CA’ DARIO 37 E. Victoria St. Santa Barbara, 805-884-9419 cadario.net and 29 E. Victoria St. Santa Barbara, 805-884-9419 cadariopizza.net and 38 W. Victoria St. Santa Barbara and 250 Storke Road, Unit B Goleta, 805-884-9419 cadario-cucina-italiana.business.site Italian; Entrées $11–$30

The flagship of Dario Furlati’s growing restaurant empire sits at the corner of Victoria and Anacapa streets somewhat off the Santa Barbara tourist path

but decidedly worth the walk. House-made pastas with Bolognese, or tomatoes with olives and capers, or with smoked salmon, peas, tomatoes, and cream are available here, along with terra-cotta baked chicken, roasted quails with porcini ragout sauce, and fish-of-the-day specials. Located just a few doors away, the cozy Ca’ Dario Pizzeria focuses on variations of the titular dish, plus salads, pastas and, at lunch, sandwiches. For faster fare, check out Ca’ Dario Pizzeria Veloce and Ca’ Dario Pasta Veloce, both found inside the Santa Barbara Public Market. And people of Goleta, take note: Ca’ Dario Cucina Italiana serves lunch and dinner in a Storke Plaza space decorated with dark woods and white tablecloths.

CELLO RISTORANTE & BAR 2700 Buena Vista Drive Paso Robles, 805-369-2503 allegrettovineyardresort.com/dining.aspx Mediterranean; Entrées $14–$38

Romantic Located at the luxurious Allegretto Vineyard Resort, Cello showcases the cuisine of executive chef Justin Picard, a veteran of kitchens in San Francisco and Aspen who has made two guest appearances at the James Beard House in New York. Look for local, seasonal ingredients (some grown on site) in his pastas, salads, flatbreads, steaks, and seafood. A serene covered patio near the substantial kitchen garden is a fine place for enjoying breakfast, lunch, small plates, or dinner outdoors. Cello also offers an extensive farm-to-bar cocktail menu and a wine list that includes several otherwise impossible-to-get bottles.

THE CHASE RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE 1012 State St. Santa Barbara, 805-965-4351 chasebarandgrill.com Italian; Entrées $16–$44

Romantic With the cozy upscale ambience of an old-fashioned supper club, The Chase Restaurant and Lounge has offered enduring Italian favorites along with American steaks, chops, and seafood, since 1979, proving that the classics never lose their appeal. Sparkling garlands of tiny white lights, white tablecloths, a marble-inlaid bar, tip-top service, and Frank Sinatra in the background set the scene for traditional, satisfying meals.

UPDATE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL WESTLAKE VILLAGE 2 Dole Drive Westlake Village, 818-575-3000 fourseasons.com/westlakevillage/dining Californian; Entrées $10–$24

Open during renovations to other dining spaces at the resort, The Art Gallery offers daily buffet-style breakfast and an à la carte menu of sushi, salads, pastas, sandwiches, and more for lunch and dinner. Located near the lobby, Stir is open daily from 6 a.m. with a grab-and-go menu of baked-on-site pastries and savory options to go with cold-brewed coffee, gelato, and other treats. With its fire pits and urban vibe, The Lookout is a sophisticated outdoor spot to start the evening with a cocktail and a small plate or two. The Tasting Room features California labels and a menu of wine-friendly nibbles. Valet parking is $10 with validation; self-parking is free for up to four hours with validation. OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

The Dining Guide GIANNFRANCO’S TRATTORIA 666 Linden Ave. Carpinteria, 805-684-0720 Italian; Entrées $13–$28

Great Patio The family of owners welcomes you here with open arms. In good weather, opt for a seat on the back patio with its garden setting. Some customers always start dinner with a glass of wine and the calamari appetizer, which comes with perfectly grilled baby squid and shrimp next to a crock of slightly spicy dipping sauce. It’s a great idea. Salads are also quite nice and take advantage of the local growers. The pastas are lightly sauced and there’s a daily fresh risotto. Meats include grass-fed free-range lamb chops and rib-eye steaks as well as farm-raised chicken. Giannfranco’s is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Monday.

As one of the few German restaurants in the 805, Julie’s Alps (juliesbff.com) in Newbury Park offers an Oktoberfest vibe all year long. But events now through October 30 help raise the bar on the oompah fun. Live polka music and stein-holding contests are part of the scene on Friday and Saturday nights, followed on Sundays by kid-friendly activities like teacher-led art sessions, dancing, and more. Murder at the Alps, an Oktoberfest take on the murder mystery dinner-theater genre, has performances on select Wednesdays; tickets are $50 per person.

THE GRILL ON THE ALLEY 120 E. Promenade Way Westlake Village, 805-418-1760 thegrill.com American; Entrées $11–$59

Saturday & Sunday Brunch Steaks and chops are legendary here and at the original Grill on the Alley in Beverly Hills, the ultimate power-lunch spot. At this location, whether out on the patio or in the dining room and bar, diners enjoy American comfort food with international flair. Sushi is available at lunch and dinner, and the menu’s friendly reminder that “any turf can surf” is an invitation to order jumbo prawns and other seafood with your filet mignon or dry-aged New York strip. Weekend brunch offers avocado toast, Niman Ranch slab bacon and eggs, and $15 bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys. Happy hour is daily from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., when you can make a meal of the specially priced lollipop chicken wings, spicy tuna rolls, and woodfired cheeseburger bites offered with cocktails, draft beers, and wines by the glass.

HOLDREN’S STEAKS & SEAFOOD 1714-A Newbury Road Newbury Park, 805-498-1314 and 512 State St. Santa Barbara, 805-965-3363

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

holdrens.com Steak House; Entrées $23–$52 (more for surf‑and-turf combos)

Romantic The décor is sophisticated enough for business; the lighting is low enough for romance. Comfy seating and friendly servers encourage lingering. Appetizers, like the bacon-wrapped prawns stuffed with feta cheese and jalapeño, are hearty enough to be main courses. Steaks are marbled, tender, and seasoned right. The signature Cowboy Cut is huge and sits atop a pile of spicy onion strings. All steaks come with sauce, a side dish, and a choice of soup or salad. Both locations are open for lunch Mondays through Fridays; happy hour runs daily from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

IL CORTILE RISTORANTE 608 12th St. Paso Robles, 805-226-0300 ilcortileristorante.com Italian; Entrées $18–$34

Il cortile is Italian for “the courtyard.” At this upscale restaurant at the edge of downtown Paso, the courtyard invites diners to breathe in beautiful evenings. A more intimate experience awaits inside, where diners find what the owners call contemporary Old World styling. Northern and Southern Italian dishes are the heart of executive chef and co-owner Santos MacDonal’s seasonal menu. Along with caldi (hot) and freddi (cold) antipasti, there is a section of the menu dedicated to mozzarella. Pasta, ravioli, and gnocchi have fresh, inspired flavors, hallmarks of being house-made. Secondi (main courses) cover beef, lamb, and seafood; osso bucco is particularly nice. The restaurant has a small bar area and a wine list that raises a glass to California’s Central Coast and Italy.

LUCERNE RESTAURANT 868 Arneill Road Camarillo, 805-383-5777 lucernerestaurant.com Italian; Entrées $14–$22 Romantic

This family-owned restaurant offers white-tablecloth service (for lunch and dinner) where you’d least expect it: a strip-mall space next to Kmart. Tables are decorated with fresh flowers, and warm, heartshaped focaccia bread is in the breadbasket that arrives while you peruse the menu. Options include salads, seafood, and veal; pastas are mix-and-match: Choose a shape and a sauce to go with it. (Fettuccini is especially good with the Lucerne, made with chicken, capers, mushrooms, feta cheese, and sundried tomatoes.) Several $10 traditional Italian specials are available Tuesdays through Fridays at lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Save room for the house-made ricotta and chocolate chip cannoli, dusted with powdered sugar. The wine list focuses on Italy and California with an emphasis on labels from the 805. Check the restaurant’s Facebook page for news of monthly wine dinners.

LUCKY’S 1279 Coast Village Road Montecito, 805-565-7540 luckys-steakhouse.com Steak House; Entrées $16–$69

Saturday & Sunday Brunch Black-and-white portraits of stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Sammy Davis Jr., Andy Warhol, and Julia Child adorn the walls of this upscale steak house in Montecito. The plates and napkins are monogrammed, the patio is tented and heated for year-round enjoyment, and the bar opens an hour before dinner service begins. Steaks can be dressed with seven different sauces, there are eight versions of potato side dishes, and the onion rings should have their own Facebook Fan page.

MEDITERRANEO 32037 Agoura Road Westlake Village, 818-889-9105 med-rest.com Mediterranean; Entrées $11–$105 (to share)

Great View, Kid-Friendly (breakfast and lunch), Sunday Brunch Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, Mediterraneo provides plenty of dining options for locals and guests of the Westlake Village Inn, where it is located. Executive chef Lisa Biondi showcases local, seasonal ingredients in starters such as Kurobuta pork belly with crispy white polenta and apple agrodolce, Italy’s answer to sweet-and-sour sauce. Entrées include an array of flatbreads, swordfish with sautéed rapini, Niman Ranch double-cut pork chops and oven-roasted carrots with rosemary garlic potatoes, and an 18-ounce free-range veal chop Milanese. The à la carte Sunday brunch choices range from light to decadent. Happy hour, on weekdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., features live music, a $5 menu, and thematic food-and-drink specials (think Mozzarella Mondays and Truffle Tuesdays). Worth a splurge: classic and craft cocktails filtered through the imagination of mixologist and food and beverage manager Jacopo Falleni. Patios offer views of the lake or vineyard; a private room is available for special events.

NEW THE MONARCH 1295 Coast Village Road Santa Barbara, 805-869-0789 themonarchmontecito.com Entrées $24–$54

Located within the historic Montecito Inn, The Monarch offers a unique dining experience with a sumptuous interior, a full bar, and an innovative menu inspired by old world–tradition. Co-owner and executive chef Phillip Frankland Lee offers composed dishes and shared plates showcasing Central Coast ingredients. Highlights include yellowtail crudo with fried capers and papaya confit, housemade pappardelle with lamb ragout, grilled whole chermoula-marinated spot prawns, and double-cut pork chop brined in brown sugar. The kitchen’s stone and brick wood-fired hearth calls for centuries-old cooking methods, such as heating bone marrow in a metal cone to sear local abalone à la flambadou; slow-roasting beef short ribs hung fireside and sliced to order; and baking simple, delicious breads by Margarita Kallas-Lee, co-owner and pastry chef.

MOQUECA BRAZILIAN 3550 S. Harbor Blvd., Suite 201 Oxnard, 805-204-0970 and 1610 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suites I and J Thousand Oaks, 805-230-3585 moquecarestaurant.com Brazilian; Entrées $12–$74

Moqueca specializes in, and is named for, a Brazilian seafood stew typically made with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and coconut milk and served in a handmade, black clay pot known as a capixaba. At dinner, you’ll need friends or a to-go container to help get to the bottom of small and large orders alike (variations include a vegetarian moqueca made with plantains and a particularly luxurious combination of lobster tails and large shrimp). At lunch, smaller moquequinhas are available along with prato feito, which is a combination plate of black beans, rice, and diner’s choice of fried plantains or yucca with fish, shrimp, chicken, or steak. Feijoada, a stew of black beans, ham hocks, pork ribs, linguica sausage, and bacon, is served only on Sundays. Beer, wine, and cocktails are available at both locations

MR. CHOW 3835 Cross Creek Road, Suite 18A Malibu, 310-456-7600 mrchow.com Chinese; Family-style service $60–$80 per person; à la carte service available

Great Listings

Romantic Located in the Malibu Country Mart, this Mr. Chow location shares a menu and sense of showmanship with its famous older brother in Beverly Hills. (Both offer hand-pulled noodle demonstrations.) Décor is minimalist, putting the cuisine in sharp focus. Favorite dishes include honey-glazed prawns with walnuts, enlivened with dabs of spicy chili sauce from the small pots found on each table. A threecourse Beijing Duck dinner ($78 per person) is among the prix-fixe, family-style dining options, which tend to be less spendy than going à la carte. A small-bites menu is available in the bar, where the cocktails change with the seasons.

NOBU 22706 Pacific Coast Highway Malibu, 310-317-9140 noburestaurants.com Japanese with Peruvian Influences; Entrées $8–$46, Omakase Menu $100–$150

The stars love to come to Nobu Matsuhisa’s restaurant for its sushi bar and Peruvian-influenced Japanese cuisine as well as the omakase (chef’s choice menus) and other high-budget treats. The rest of us might need to check our bank accounts before ordering the lobster shiitake salad with spicy lemon dressing (nearing the $50 mark at lunch and dinner). The ocean views available from nearly every seat are priceless—and a little easier to squeeze into the budget during breakfast and brunch service on Fridays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., when selections range from Jidori chicken and waffles ($24) to the caviar “hot pot” of steamed eggs topped with crème fraîche, crispy mushrooms, and caviar ($21).

4188 Cresthaven Drive

5 Bed | 5.5 Bath | 5,429 Sq Ft

NEW NONNA 951 S. Westlake Blvd. #102 Westlake Village, 805-497-8482 nonna.restaurant Italian; Entrées $18–$45

Romantic, Great Patio A casually elegant dining room of distressed wood lit with unique light sculptures by artist Timothy J. Ferrie is a beautiful fit for Florence-born and -trained restaurateur Jacopo Falleni. The menu avoids the faddish, instead cutting a culinary swath through the Italian peninsula and islands with tradition-rich dishes that reflect Falleni’s Tuscan upbringing (gnudi with pomodoro sauce), executive chef Gianluca Maita’s Sicilian heritage (arancini), and pasta chef Pamela Ganci’s influences from Bologna (passatelli with peas). Service is engaging and professional, while Falleni himself fills the role of sommelier and designed signature cocktails for the full bar.

UPDATE OJAI VALLEY INN 905 Country Club Road Ojai, 805-646-1111 ojaivalleyinn.com Various cuisines Entrées $11–$60; Saturday Buffet Brunch $32; Sunday Bluegrass Brunch $55

The resort’s beautiful setting can be enjoyed by hotel guests and others who simply want to patronize the restaurants. As the fine-dining flagship, Olivella features California-Italian cuisine (see separate listing). Start the evening with small bites and cocktails in the Wallace Neff Heritage Bar, located in the resort’s original golf clubhouse and named for the architect who set the inn’s Spanish Revival tone. Other dining venues include the tranquil Spa Café in Spa Ojai, where light breakfast, fresh-pressed juices, and spa lunch are served inside or on the poolside terrace.

3411 Woodburn Avenue

7 Bed | 7 Bath | 7,977 Sq Ft

Happy Clients “The Kaufman Group did an amazing job of getting our house ready for sale. Jill and her team of professionals went “above and beyond” when it came to showing the house and negotiating a deal. They exceeded our expectations and helped us to negotiate a wonderful deal on our replacement home. We love our new home and are grateful to the team!” Client Testimonials Jill Kaufman | Kristy Christensen | Rusty Spragg 805.870.5710 team@kaufmanregroup.com DRE 01855802 | DRE 01969673 | DRE 01889784

Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01991628. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal without notice.

OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

The Dining Guide

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Sunday Brunch Even though locals know what they want without opening a menu, the kitchen at this restaurant in the Malibu Country Mart can still impress the rest of us with its handmade pastas, shaved truffles, grass-fed beef, local olive oil, and salads made with produce from Malibu’s Thorn Family Farm. The spaghetti carbonara manages to be both low fat and delicious, and the seasonal specials are a treat. The well-curated wine list matches the food and offers prime selections for sipping on the patio.

Romantic, Sunday Brunch It’s flashy and fancy—not your usual Mexican cocina. Eat in the bar area where huge margaritas are being blended, or on the front patio while people watching, or in the main dining room with the massive chandeliers strung with red glass hearts. Chef-owner Leticia Hansen turns out beautifully plated entrées like chicken enchiladas with Oaxacan cheese and cochinita pibil, which is pork in achiote sauce. Her partner and husband, Mark Hansen, makes sure the dining areas are running smoothly.

14 Best Bank Awards in the Last 6 Years

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BEST OF THE VALLEY 2017 SINCE 1925

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THE RANCH HOUSE 102 Besant Road Ojai, 805-646-2360 theranchhouse.com Farm-to-table; Prix fixe $45 for three courses, $55 for five

SABOR COCINA MEXICANA 2200 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Thousand Oaks, 805-497-2457 saborcocinamexicana.com Mexican; Entrées $14–$24

(Annually)

2013 – 2017

grill before it is served with kale and sous vide oyster mushrooms. Desserts are elegantly plated variations on sorbets and flourless chocolate cake. Surrounded by the coppery glow of the walls and the burnished-wood wine rack that frames the kitchen pass-through, diners may need to pinch themselves as a reminder that they’re at a kosher restaurant in an Oxnard industrial park. On Fridays, only lunch is served. The restaurant is closed on Saturdays in observance of the Sabbath.

Romantic The Ranch House is much changed from the early 1950s, when it was founded as a pay-what-you-can vegetarian restaurant by Alan and Helen Hooker. But its sense of magic remains: A stream runs through the property, spilling into a koi pond with a bridge that leads to the gardens. Tables draped in white linens are tucked behind stands of bamboo throughout the garden and arranged on a sheltered patio strung with twinkle lights. (The table nearest the pond is a prime spot for marriage proposals.) The current menu channels the Hookers (who added meat to the menu in the 1960s) with prix-fixe dinners that continue to showcase local produce, some of it from the on-site herb garden. Don’t miss the braised pork belly appetizer, which might come with a sweet pineapple poppy sauce one season and other accompaniments the next. The wine list offers 600 imported and domestic labels. A note about the address: The Ranch House is located where South Lomita Avenue meets Besant Road, prompting Yelp and other online sources to place it at 500 S. Lomita Ave.

$912 Million

AWARDS

The Oak is famous for its casual but attentive lunch service on a shaded patio overlooking the 10th hole of the resort’s golf course. It also serves breakfast and dinner and two styles of brunch: buffet on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and bottomless Champagne with live bluegrass music on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Indigo Pool & Bar offers salads, sandwiches, and adult libations served poolside and in cabanas. The Pixie Café is located at the family-friendly Pixie Pool. Jimmy’s Pub offers a menu of salads, sandwiches, wood-fired pizzas, and entrées plus craft beers and cocktails. (It’s also one of the few restaurants in Ojai to stay open past 10 p.m. on weekends.) Next door, Libbey’s Market is the place to go for a quick sandwich and a scoop of McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams.

2014 – 2017

2017 Bank of the Year Western Independent Bankers

TIERRA SUR RESTAURANT AT HERZOG WINE CELLARS 3201 Camino del Sol Oxnard, 805-983-1560 tierrasuratherzog.com New American Entrées $16–$58, Wine-Tasting Menu $70

Tucked inside Herzog’s winery and tasting room, Tierra Sur specializes in wine-friendly meals made with careful attention to detail. Executive chef Gabe Garcia, who’s also a fan of local, seasonal fare, maintains the Mediterranean vibe of the menu. Marinated olives, lamb bacon, and corn tortillas are made in-house. Tapas feature beet salad as well as pastrami and corned beef tongue. Watch carefully, and you may see your bone-in rib eye for two prepared on the patio’s wood-burning

TRA DI NOI RISTORANTE 3835 Cross Creek Road, Suite 8A Malibu, 310-456-0169 tradinoimalibu.com Italian Entrées $18–$36; market price for some seafood

TUSCANY IL RISTORANTE 968 S. Westlake Blvd. Westlake Village, 805-495-2768 Italian; Entrées $18–$32

Romantic Village dwellers pack this beautiful space for its warm, friendly service and top-notch food. The menu is small, but the nightly specials are worth investigating. High rollers and celebs consider this their neighborhood boîte. Others come just for special occasions. The lobster and shrimp martini salad has hearts of palm, avocado, and pink grapefruit segments; the baby greens salad has shaved fennel and toasted pine nuts; the whole Dover sole is topped with a lemon-chervil sauce; and the chicken breast comes under a sun-dried tomato pesto.

Foodie

Cuisine that shines regardless of décor, service, ambience, or even views. AROHA NEW ZEALAND CUISINE & BAR 30990 Russell Ranch Road, Unit C Westlake Village, 805-405-5054 aroharestaurant.com New Zealand fare; Entrées $26–$45

Kid-Friendly, Romantic, Sunday Brunch The spirit of aroha—a Maori word meaning “love”—is alive and well at this restaurant owned by husbandand-wife Gwithyen and Justine Thomas. She handles marketing and social media, and as executive chef and a native of Auckland, he oversees the menu of beautifully plated cuisine from New Zealand and the Pacific Rim. Some artisanal products are flown in thrice weekly. New Zealand Ora King salmon is served with burnt orange sauce; lamb is paired with smoked purple potatoes and grape-mint salsa. A cloudlike Pavlova is among the desserts. A separate children’s menu is available. Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. features breakfast and lunch fare, such as ricotta pancakes and a venison short-rib sandwich with hand-cut potato chips. Drinks include nonalcoholic sparklers, and beer, wine, and spirits from New Zealand. The bar menu of small bites (lump crab cakes, crispy pork belly) and “main grub” (fish and chips, steak and cheese pie) is available

Tuesdays through Sundays from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Happy hour runs Tuesdays through Fridays and Sundays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; specials include $5 beers and wines by the glass and a $7 cocktail.

AZU 457 E. Ojai Ave. Ojai, 805-640-7987 azuojai.com Mediterranean-Californian, Gastropub Tapas and bar snacks $5–$16, Entrées $9–$32

Weekend Brunch A long, dark-wood bar dominates the front room at this popular lunch, dinner, and tapas spot, creating the perfect setting for the Ojai Valley Brewery taproom. Small-batch ales and lagers made with local botanicals by Jeremy Haffner, the son-in-law of owner and chef Laurel Moore, are available by the pint, tasting flight, and take-home growler. Pair them with gastropub fare such as tacos, flatbreads, and poutine topped with braised beef and salsa roja. Lunch and dinner options include falafel chiles rellenos, and a vegan paella of white beans, peas, cauliflower, broccolini, and artichoke hearts. Blueberry-lemon pancakes and croquette eggs Benedict with preserved lemon hollandaise are on the weekend brunch menu served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Additional seating is available on the sidewalk, in the brick-lined dining room, and—in warmer months—on a sheltered, ivy-covered back patio.

BARBAREÑO 205 W. Canon Perdido St. Santa Barbara, 805-963-9591 barbareno.com Californian; Entrées $18–$29

This restaurant highlights ingredients from the Central Coast in menus that feature a few changes monthly. Head chef Justin Snyder focused on pastry in his previous culinary lives, evident from the carefully composed salads, tartares, and desserts that emerge from the kitchen. Recurring favorites include starters like avocado roulade made with hamachi crudo and coconut-oolong milk, and cheeky Eggamuffins featuring buttermilk blini stacked with Seascape cheese, speck, and shavings of salt-cured egg yolk. Hope Ranch Mussels with fennel and mustard broth and slow-cooked Wagyu tri tip are also available, along with an extensive inventory of local beers and a wine list that recently garnered a Wine Spectator award of excellence.

THE BEAR AND STAR 2860 Grand Ave. Los Olivos, 805-686-1359 thebearandstar.com American; Entrées $15–$49

Saturday & Sunday Brunch Named for the motifs on the California and Texas state flags, this restaurant, located at the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn, sources much of its beef, poultry, and produce from the nearby 714-acre Parker family ranch. The wood-smoked traditions of both states are represented on what is referred to as a “refined ranch cuisine” menu by chef and partner John Cox. Dishes have included cured Wagyu carpaccio topped with shavings of cured egg yolk, stuffed local quail with molasses gastrique, grilled catfish with charred onion dressing, and, for dessert, a chess pie to make Cox’s Lone Star–state brethren proud. Brunch features an à la carte menu with specialty cocktails.

NEW BIBI JI 734 State Street Santa Barbara, 805-560-6845 bibijisb.com Indian, Australian, and American Street Food $10–$16, Grill $15–$25, Curries $10–$18, Chef’s Tasting $50 per person Chef and restaurateur Jessi Singh partners with star sommelier and winemaker Rajat Parr to offer vibrant Indian fare and local and international wines and

beers in this casual downtown bistro. Don’t miss the gol gappa, surprising sweet-and-spicy flatbread balls flavored with mint, coriander, dates, and tamarind chutney or Singh’s signature dish, Mr. Tso’s Cauliflower, featuring the nutty florets tossed in a tangy chili sauce.

UPDATE THE BLUE OWL AT CANON PERDIDO 5 W. Canon Perdido Santa Barbara, 805-705-0991 theblueowlsb.com Asian-American; Entrées $9–$13

Late-Night Menu East meets West at this popular lunch-and-dinner spot, where a banh mi sandwich with oyster-chili mayo is on the menu along with a Thai basil cheeseburger infused with green curry and topped with an egg. The café also offers a fried-rice bar with kimchi, pork, and poached eggs among the optional add-ons (vegan and gluten-free versions are available). Beverages include house-made herbed lemonade and local beer and wines on tap. The Blue Owl really lives up to its name on Fridays and Saturdays, when an ever-changing latenight menu of munchies-slaying dishes greets diners from 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

BOB’S WELL BREAD BAKERY 550 Bell St. Los Alamos, 805-344-3000 bobswellbread.com European; Pastries and Breads $1.50–$20, Entrées $7–$13

Located in a refurbished 1920s-era service station with its original Douglas fir floors intact, this artisanal bakery is well worth a visit. For the best selection, arrive at 7 a.m. on Thursdays through Mondays, when the doors open and aromatic scones, bagels, kouignamann, pain au chocolat, and other pastries come out of the ovens. Loaves of naturally leavened, burnishedcrust breads follow soon after. Special daily breads include pain aux lardons (Saturdays and Sundays), and gluten-free Centennial Loaf (Mondays). The on-site café serves breakfast and lunch (think avocado toast tartine, croque monsieur sandwiches, and grilled bread with pâté and onion-bacon marmalade) until 3 p.m. Graband-go items for DIY picnics include ficelle sandwiches made with French ham, Emmentaler cheese, and house-made butter. Check the Facebook page for details about monthly meet-the-winemakers gatherings that include food-and-wine pairings.

BOTTLEST WINERY BAR & BISTRO 35 Industrial Way Buellton, 805-686-4742 bottlestbistro.com Californian Entrées $21–$33, Small Plates $13–$28

Located adjacent to Terravant Wine Company at the end of Industrial Way, Bottlest is inspired both by the neighborhood’s status as a foodie magnet and by the custom wine-blending and bottling program. Executive chef Owen Hanavan, formerly at Babareño in Santa Barbara, uses locally sourced meats, seafood, and produce in carefully composed small plates (bite-size lamb meatballs with mint, poached yellowtail with rice crackers) and entrées (16-spice pork shoulder, catchof-the-day with creamy potatoes) served on dishes of varying shapes and sizes. Lunch and bar menus are more casual, focusing on salads, sandwiches, and pizzas. Local beers and creative cocktails are featured with 52 wines on tap for self-service using a card that tracks your choices. Most are from Terravant’s customcrush facility, visible through a window in the dining room. A few are library selections sourced from other wineries in the region, giving diners a chance to try rare, cellared wines by the glass.

BOUCHON 9 W. Victoria St. Santa Barbara, 805-730-1160 bouchonsantabarbara.com Wine Country Cuisine; Entrées $26–$38 Romantic

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The Dining Guide Bouchon celebrates the local, from its carefully curated wine list to the craftspeople overseeing the successful remodeling of the garden patio at the front entrance. Executive chef Greg Murphy follows suit, using farmers’ market ingredients in dishes like pan-roasted local white fish with wilted dandelion greens or a soup featuring white carrots from Tutti Frutti Farms. (Murphy’s Foodie Stroll menu includes a tour of the Tuesday farmers’ market followed by a three-course meal with wine for $95 per person.) Add the gracious presence of proprietor Mitchell Sjerven and you have the ingredients for the first Santa Barbara-area restaurant in a decade to earn the AAA Four Diamond award for excellence.

CAFÉ FICELLE 390 S. Mills Road Ventura, 805-941-3444 cafeficelle.com French; Baked goods, $2–$9; Entrées $10–$15

Saturday & Sunday Brunch With rustic loaves of bread and flaky pain au chocolat, Café Ficelle is Ventura’s answer to the charming boulangerie-patisseries of Paris. Baked goods change with the seasons and artisanal whims of co-owner Bryan Scofield and son-in-law and executive baker Jarrett Chambers. Breakfast items include crepes, avocado toast, and house-made granola. Lunch features soups, salads, and sandwiches made on titular ficelles (thin loaves of French bread). Craft beers and local and imported wines are available for DIY pairings. Brunch from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays is à la carte, with mimosas and Ficelle Royales.

EMBER RESTAURANT 1200 E. Grand Ave. Arroyo Grande, 805-474-7700 emberwoodfire.com California-Mediterranean; Small Plates $10–$17, Pizzas $18–$20, Entrées $23–$32

TENNIS INSTRUCTION by

BRUCE PROCTOR

USPTA Certified Elite Professional All Levels and Abilities

Named for the wood fires used to cook the restaurant’s seasonal and farm-fresh dishes, Ember is the project of executive chef Brian Collins, an Arroyo Grande native who shares skills he honed at Chez Panisse in Berkeley and Full of Life Flatbread in Los Alamos with his hometown. The menu, like the beer and wine list, is locally focused, changes monthly, and includes rustic specialties such as crispy kale and house-made fennel sausage pizza, Jidori chicken alongside a wedge of grilled polenta and farmers’ market veggies, and grilled rib eye served over roasted potatoes and topped with a decadent garlic confit and avocado chimichurri.

FARMER AND THE COOK 339 W. El Roblar Drive Ojai, 805-640-9608 farmerandcook.com Vegetarian; Entrées $6–$14

Kid-Friendly Steve Sprinkel is the farmer and wife Olivia Chase is the cook at this combination café, bakery, market, and community center in the Meiners Oaks area of the Ojai Valley. A soup-and-salad bar offers fresh, organic fare for those on the go. The daily menu of vegetarian Mexican dishes like Swiss chard enchiladas and huaraches topped with grilled veggies, Feta, and Jack cheeses, and salsa roja can be made vegan with the substitution of a house-made cashew “cheese.” Gluten-free and raw foods are also available. On Friday and Saturday nights, the weekend farm café menu features dishes inspired by what Chase has harvested from the couple’s farm less than 3 miles away.

805-990-7524 bruceprotennis@yahoo.com Lindero Country Club 5719 Lake Lindero Dr., Agoura Hills

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UPDATE FINCH & FORK 31 W. Carrillo St. Santa Barbara, 805-879-9100 finchandforkrestaurant.com American; Entrées $10–$35 Weekend Brunch

Here’s a cure for the post-weekend blues: Chef Justin West has revived the spirit of Julienne, his late Santa Barbara restaurant, with a first-of-the-week pop-up called Brunoise. Available on Mondays and Tuesdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the dining room of West’s casual barbecue eatery, Wildwood Kitchen (wildwoodkitchensb.com), the menu changes weekly but often features blasts from his classically trained past. (Hello, bouillabaisse, handmade ricotta ravioli, and foie gras doughnuts.) For reservations, email brunoisesb@gmail.com.

Located in the Kimpton Canary Hotel, the restaurant has its own entrance at Chapala and Carrillo streets. The vibe in the dining room is sophisticated but comfortable, words that also describe the locally sourced menu by executive chef Peter Cham, a Santa Barbara native. Creative starters, flatbreads, salads, and entrées change with the seasons for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. The latter, served from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, even has its own cocktail menu. The daily specials menu offers buttermilk fried chicken on Tuesdays and bouillabaisse every Thursday. Happy hour from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays includes drinks and snacks starting at $3. Go ahead and splurge on the $8 S&P wings, tossed in a sweet chili glaze and served with pickled celery.

FIRST & OAK 409 First St. Solvang, 805-688-1703 firstandoak.com California French Small Plates $8–$19, Entrées $34–$38

Named for its address, this restaurant inside the newly renovated Mirabelle Inn is a showcase for the talents of British-born executive chef Steven Snook, a veteran of the Michelin Star–rated kitchens of Gordon Ramsay. Snook marries classic and molecular gastronomy techniques with local ingredients, creating a small plates–focused menu that changes with the seasons. Artful platings of butternut squash soup poured over brown-butter sage tortellini as well as sous vide carrots with a 63-degree (Celsius) egg echo the drama of the Belle Époque–inspired dining room. For spring, heirloom tomato consommé is ramped up with vegetables and preserved lemon and a spring wedge salad showcases baby gem lettuce, topping it with green goddess dressing, fresh herbs, and pistachios. (Outdoor patio seating is also available.) Co-owner, sommelier, and general manager Jonathan Rosenson oversees the wine list, which includes selections from his family’s Coquelicot Estate Vineyard, also in Solvang, along with other Santa Barbara County labels. France, Italy, Germany, and New Zealand are represented, too. Call for news about winemaker dinners.

FOREMOST WINE CO. 570 Higuera St., Suite 105 San Luis Obispo, 805-439-3410 foremostslo.com American, Eclectic Small pPlates $9–Market Price; Entrées $22–$31

The Agoura Antique Mart

In the heart of San Luis Obispo, this combination restaurant, wine bar and lounge, and burrata bar offers a metro-rustic vibe and globe-trotting wine list. The menu by the culinary team of chefs Andrew Cross and Drew Vaughan pairs worldly flavors with ingredients sourced closed to home. Dishes include farro risotto with roasted vegetables, a crudo of the day featuring local fish or beef, and grilled petite tenderloin with mushroom–blue cheese bread pudding. The burrata bar serves several combos: The Bee Keeper marries the creamy cheese with shards of chewy honeycomb and a seasonal fruit or vegetable. Happy hour on Tuesdays through Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. includes $5 by-the-glass wine specials, a $4 to $10 happy hour menu, and draft beers.

A Vintage Marketplace

GRANADA BISTRO 1126 Morro St. San Luis Obispo, 805-544-9110 granadahotelandbistro.com Californian, French-Asian; Entrées $14–$29

Romantic, Sunday Brunch Connected to the 17-room Granada Hotel, the bistro is both intimate and big-city urban, combining exposed brick walls with velvet upholstery and an eclectic art collection. (Check out the sculptural “tree” on the patio.) Executive chef Kenny Bigwood’s seasonal menus start with creative small plates, sides, and cheese and charcuterie selections. Don’tmiss entrées include cherry cola–braised ribs at dinner, Cuban panini, and a chef’s selection bento box at lunch, and eggs Benedict made with corn bread, bacon, and chipotle hollandaise during Sunday brunch. The wine list focuses on small-production labels from around the world. Cocktails often include locally foraged ingredients like lavender, rosemary, and pink peppercorns.

Mon.-Sat. 10-6 Sunday 11-5 818-706-8366

28879 Agoura Road Agoura Hills, CA 91301 agouraantiquemart.com

NEW HELENA AVENUE BAKERY 131 Anacapa St., Suite C Santa Barbara, 805-880-3383 helenaavenuebakery.com Baked goods, California-Eclectic Entrées $4–$14

This artisanal bakery and café is brought to you by the masterminds behind The Lark, Lucky Penny, and Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant, with which it shares a renovated 1920s-era warehouse space in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone. The address says Anacapa Street, but walk in from Helena Avenue for the quickest access to Dart Coffee drinks and croissants, scones, cookies, and other pastries made with seasonal ingredients. Open daily, the bakery serves breakfast from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., when don’tmiss items include Green Eggs & Ham made with spicy green harissa and grits topped with a fried egg. During lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., head chef Adam Shoebridge offers salads and sandwiches, plus specials like Nashville Hot Chicken served with house-made pickles. Grab-and-go items (think sandwiches, packaged chilled soups, and more) are available from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for impromptu picnics off-site or on the rustic patio. The latter is shared by the bakery and its neighbor, the Santa Barbara Wine Collective, which offers curated tasting flights and wines by the glass and bottle.

HOTEL CALIFORNIAN 36 State St. Santa Barbara, 805-882-0100 thehotelcalifornian.com/santa_barbara_ restaurants/ Eclectic; Entrées $31–$50

Built on the grounds of the original Hotel Californian less than a block from Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara’s newest resort pays careful attention to all the luxurious details while retaining a casual yet elegant vibe. Its dining options are equally skilled. At Blackbird, dinner menus by executive chef Alexander La Motte showcase local ingredients in dishes

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The Dining Guide inspired by the Mediterranean with some North African influences; the bar serves signature cocktails in addition to local brews on tap. (Fans of Alfred Hitchcock will get a kick out of his photo in the dining room.) Located in a separate building from Blackbird, Goat Tree is an order-at-the-counter café with its own patio and, in the dining room, windows with a view of the kitchen. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with grab-and-go options for impromptu picnics.

Longtime Santa Ynez Valley chef Maili Halme is back. Just months after closing Mattei’s Tavern, her labor-of-love restaurant in Los Olivos, Halme has joined the kitchen at another landmark spot, the Far Western Tavern (farwesterntavern.com) in Old Town Orcutt near Santa Maria. It’s a culinary marriage made in adventurous-eating heaven. “There are menu items that are hard to find anywhere else,” says Halme, “from the Rocky Mountain oysters and sweetbreads to the pinquito beans that are only grown in this region.”

INDUSTRIAL EATS 181 Industrial Way Buellton, 805-688-8807 industrialeats.com New American; Entrées $6–$20

To find this destination restaurant on Buellton’s aptly named Industrial Way, drive past the Central Coast Water Authority office and look for a building painted with floating sausages, carrots, and wine glasses. At night, a neon “Eats” sign points to the front door. Inside, you’ll find imported cheeses, house-cured meats, and locally sourced dishes by New West Catering owner and executive chef Jeff Olsson, making his debut as restaurateur. Frequent changes to the menu are noted by pull-down rolls of butcher paper behind the deli counter. Wood-fire pizzas can be simple (rosemary with Parmesan) or adventurous (crispy pig’s ear salad with sriracha and an egg cracked on top). “Not Pizza” selections include veal sweetbreads with arugula and a beef tongue pastrami Reuben. Press Gang Cellars is among the local labels with wines on tap.

LA COSECHA MODERN COCINA 450 E. Harbor Blvd. Ventura, 805-652-5151 lacosecharestaurant.com Mexican; Entrées $13–$23

Located inside the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach hotel, this casually upscale restaurant is named for “the harvest” in Spanish. The menu by executive chef Luis Martinez, a native of Jalisco, marries authentic Mexican flavors with contemporary cooking techniques and locally grown produce. Shareable plates include shrimp and octopus ceviche as well as barbacoa beef taquitos with avocado-tomatillo salsa. House specialties include chicken tinga enchiladas and grilled salmon marinated in orange

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and achiote and served with tequila butter. Thematic specials are available throughout the week: On Margarita Mondays, the featured drink is $6.

UPDATE THE LARK 131 Anacapa St. Santa Barbara, 805-284-0370 thelarksb.com New American; Entrées $18–$42

Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone takes flight with The Lark, named for the Pullman train that once made overnight runs between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The past is present in the restaurant’s setting, a former fish market remodeled to include exposed brick walls, subway tile, communal tables, and private booths fashioned from church pews. As culinary conductor, executive chef Jason Paluska oversees a thoroughly modern menu that highlights local ingredients. West Coast oysters with Goleta caviar lime are popular starters to shared plates of roasted chicken with green peppercorn gastrique, depending on the season. Craft brews, wines by the glass, cocktails, and mocktails extend the artisanal spirit into the bar. Desserts by pastry chef Joey Vega include warm Meyer lemon fritters with slow-cooked blueberries and lemon thyme.

UPDATE LES MARCHANDS RESTAURANT & MERCHANT 131 Anacapa St., Suite B Santa Barbara, 805-284-0380 lesmarchandswine.com European; Small Plates $5–$15; Entrées $18–$30

Weekend Brunch The vibe is Parisian bistro, but selections at this combination restaurant and retail shop in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone give equal opportunity to the United States and other countries. The by-the-glass wine selection is well-rounded, craft beer is available on draft and in bottles, and the cocktails showcase vintage and contemporary recipes. The menu by executive chef Weston Richards includes charcuterie, cheese platters, and artisanal toasts made with bread from the neighboring Helena Avenue Bakery. Dinner is served daily from 5 p.m., when selections include a local strawberry-arugula salad with house-made ricotta and mint pesto and lemon-brined chicken with crispy fingerling potatoes. Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. offers dishes such as shakshuka (a Middle Eastern poached-egg dish) and fried chicken and waffles with rosemary honey.

UPDATE LIDO AT DOLPHIN BAY 2727 Shell Beach Road Pismo Beach, 805-773-8900 thedolphinbay.com/lido Californian; Entrées $16–$58

Great View, Daily Brunch Chef Hector Ibarra brings an eye for seasonal ingredients to a menu that echoes the creativity of the art glass displayed in Lido’s dining room. Appetizers include oysters with pink peppercorn mignonette and braised pork belly with fennel slaw. Entrées include house-made squid-ink pasta, quinoa veggie burgers, and a generous rib eye with curry compound butter. The Chef’s Tasting Menu offers five courses for $75 ($100 with wine pairings). A daily affair, brunch from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., features a three-course plated option with bottomless mimosas as well as à la carte dishes.

LOQUITA 202 State St. Santa Barbara, 805-880-3380 loquitasb.com Modern Spanish; Entrées $19–$42 Great Patio

Loquita is Spanish slang for a wild, fun-loving girl, but this eatery’s menu and food are seriously irreproachable. Executive chef Peter Lee sources

the finest meat, fish, cheese, and produce to create festive, communal, à la carte meals, including tapas, pintxos (small bites typically pierced with a toothpick), and signature paella dishes. Drinks autentico include sangria and Spanish-style gin and tonics. Enjoy the spacious patio with two inviting fireplaces, or try the small-bites bar named, naturally, Poquita.

UPDATE MAD & VIN 1576 Mission Drive Solvang, 805-688-3121 thelandsby.com Eclectic; Entrées $16–$38

This restaurant located inside The Landsby hotel is named for the Danish words for “food” and “wine.” You won’t find a single aebleskiver in the sleek but comfy dining room, but Mad & Vin still pays homage to Solvang’s heritage with a Nordic Caesar salad of local greens, sautéed shrimp, fried sourdough croutons, and dill-caraway Caesar dressing. At dinner, the lamb porterhouse with mint-pesto yogurt and seafood hot pot, paired with selections from the primarily Santa Barbara County wine list, are not to be missed. The bar is a Scandinavian-chic spot to meet friends for lunch on the weekends or for cocktails and small bites daily from 4 p.m.

MOODY ROOSTER 2891 Agoura Road Westlake Village, 805-370-3131 moodyroosterwlv.com New American; Entrées $13–$30

Born in the Year of the Rooster, owner-chef Collin Crannell cooks whatever he feels like putting on the menu each day at this foodie version of a neighborhood café located in a Westlake Village shopping center. That’s what’s in the name. On the plate, Crannell—formerly the executive chef at The Lobster in Santa Monica—focuses on from-scratch fare showcasing local, seasonal produce, seafood, and proteins at lunch and dinner. Trademark dishes include crispy gnocchi with roasted cherry tomatoes, Parmesan fondue, and a swirl of aged balsamic, as well as a half chicken with roasted garlic and butternut squash. Wine and craft beers are available (ask co-owner Vicki Crannell for pairing suggestions).

MOUTHFUL EATERY 2626 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Thousand Oaks, 805-777-9222 mouthfuleatery.com Peruvian, Californian; Entrées $9–$14

Kid-Friendly Don’t let the multicolored chalkboard menu or the solarpowered toy pigs decorating the dining room fool you: This order-at-the-counter café may specialize in salads, sandwiches, and what are called “powerbowls” in a fun, casual atmosphere, but chef and co-owner Luis Sanchez is serious about the food—witness Mouthful’s inclusion on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. for 2015. La Sarita, a sandwich of house-roasted pork shoulder served with fried sweet potatoes and pickled red onions, gets its heat from an aioli made with aji amarillo, a pepper from Sanchez’s native Peru. Additions at dinner might include malbec-braised short ribs on polenta one night and savory chicken stew called aji de gallina the next. Desserts include alfajores, delicate shortbread cookies filled with salted caramel. The Foodies in Training children’s menu includes a turkey slider with fruit, yucca fries, and a drink, all for $6.

THE NEST 401 E. Ojai Ave. Ojai, 805-798-9035 thenestojai.com Californian; Entrées $8–$15

Don’t let the order-at-the-window casualness fool you: The Nest serves high-quality fare with options

for vegans and carnivores, plus craft cocktails that change with the seasons. Chef and co-owner Kiona Wachter is an Ojai native, a fact that turns up in such dishes as The Tireman, a brisket sandwich named for her uncle’s tire business in nearby Oak View, and in the Tico Salad, sprinkled with Fritos corn chips just as it was when her father and godmother served it at their Nest of Ojai restaurant more than 20 years ago. Pizzas, rice bowls, cauliflower tacos, shave ice, and desserts round out the menu. Indoor seating is limited; the most popular spot for dining is the semisheltered patio, which offers views of the Topa Topa mountain range.

OLIO E LIMONE RISTORANTE AND OLIO CRUDO BAR 11 W. Victoria St., Suites 17-18 Santa Barbara 805-899-2699, Ext. 1 olicucina.com Italian; Entrées $18–$41; Crudo Bar $12–$25

Husband-and-wife owners Alberto Morello and Elaine Andersen Morello treat their restaurants in downtown Santa Barbara like the gems they are: No ingredient is too good to employ. The organic extra-virgin olive oil from a grove near Alberto’s home village in Italy is so popular, patrons buy bottles of it for their own use. At the Ristorante, salads are fresh and the pastas and sauces are house-made. Standouts include gnocchi alla Riviera, which combines spinach-and-ricotta dumplings with fresh tomato sauce. With its glass shelves and glowing marble walls, the crudo bar is a jewelbox showcase for carefully executed dishes. Thinly sliced pieces of raw fish are accented with simple but excellent olio e limone (olive oil and lemon) and sometimes a bit more: Try the Atlantic Bluefin tuna belly with ginger vinaigrette and wasabi shoots for a meaningful experience. Selected appetizers, beers, cocktails, proseccos, and wines by the glass are half-price during happy hour service available Sundays through Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

NEW OLIVELLA 905 Country Club Road Ojai, 805-646-1111 ojaivalleyinn.com California-Italian Entrées $35–$120 (the latter for prime New York steak for two; a four-course experience is $95 or $165 with wine pairings)

Romantic, Great Views Ojai Valley Inn’s fine-dining restaurant (the only site in the region to receive a AAA Four Diamond Award from the Automobile Club of Southern California) features California cuisine with a North Italian twist. The rigatoni Bolognese is a time-tested family recipe, while the Pacific yellowtail crudo and Ojai farmers’ market salad showcase local ingredients. Beautifully plated dishes are served in dining spaces that include a private wine room as well as a veranda overlooking the first and final holes of the property’s

world-class golf course. Olivella also offers a four-course, prix-fixe menu available with or without paired wines and hosts winemaker dinners. Save room for lemon and olive oil cake or almond-milk panna cotta, just two of the creative dessert options by executive pastry chef Joel Gonzalez.

UPDATE OUTPOST AT THE GOODLAND 5650 Calle Real Goleta, 805-964-1288 outpostsb.com Cal-Eclectic; Shareable Plates $7–$29

Weekend Brunch The mint-condition Airstream trailer parked out front is one sign that The Goodland hotel is not the Holiday Inn it once was. Another is the menu at Outpost, the on-site restaurant. Playful takes on classics like guacamole (served with toasted pumpkin seed gremolata) join pork belly bao buns and roasted sea bass lettuce wraps with crispy shallots. Local wines, beers, and craft cocktails are great for sipping poolside, in the dining room, and at the hotel’s The Good Bar, which offers meal-worthy snacks. Happy hour specials are available from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Ramen is a Sunday-night thing from 5 p.m. (go early). Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

PAUL MARTIN’S AMERICAN GRILL 100 S. Westlake Blvd. Westlake Village, 805-373-9300 paulmartinsamericangrill.com American; Entrées $13–$36

Romantic, Saturday & Sunday Brunch The farm-to-table movement never looked as elegant as it does at this bistro-style restaurant, which also has locations in Irvine, Roseville, El Segundo, San Mateo, and Mountain View. Tortillas and infused vodkas are just two of the items made in-house to augment the menu showcasing organic produce and artisanal ingredients. The kale Caesar salad features wild white anchovies, mesquite-grilled salmon is served with a chilled salad of quinoa and bulgur wheat, and natural meats are used for burgers, steaks, chops, and “brick” chicken (flattened and cooked evenly under the weight of a brick). Weekend brunch service starts with freshly baked millet drop biscuits and honey butter before moving on to your choice of entrée. Threecourse dinner specials include prime rib on Sundays and fried chicken on Tuesdays.Available daily from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., the Taste of Paul Martin’s menu offers small plates, burgers, and signature cocktails from $5 to $13.

NEW PICO AT THE LOS ALAMOS GENERAL STORE 458 Bell St. Los Alamos, 805-344-1122 picolosalamos.com New American Shared Plates and Entrées $12–31 Live Music

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The Dining Guide Santa Ynez Valley. Expect to find an extraordinary chef-driven, locally sourced menu by Drew Terp (formerly of Auberge du Soleil in Napa and Alain Ducasse at the Essex House in New York) offering heart of rib eye, duck confit risotto, smoked scallops, house-made pasta dishes, and charcuterie and cheese platters, along with signature cocktails, beer, and a world-class wine list. The spacious, refurbished building is also the tasting room of Lane Tanner and Will Henry’s Lumen Wines of Santa Maria. Sunday is Burger Night. Upscale but down home, Pico is keeping destination diners as well as the local cowboys coming back for more.

Q SUSHI & KIEU HOANG WINE LOUNGE 30770 Russell Ranch Road, Unit A Westlake Village, 818-540-3231 qsushi.com Japanese; Sushi and Sashimi $5–$24; Shared Plates $5–$24; Entrées $11–$20

This restaurant at the Shoppes at Westlake Village feels worlds away, thanks to its blend of traditional techniques, modern comforts, and one showstopper of a chandelier fashioned from found tree branches. Surrounded by a sushi counter of Carrara marble, the open kitchen equipped with a robata grill also produces sushi, sashimi, and special rolls showcasing delectable cuts of Scottish salmon, Hawaiian amberjack, and more. (Don’t miss the sashimi pizza, dotted with flower petals and miso beet cream.) The lunch menu served Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 3 p.m. offers salads, bowls, and quick-order assortments of sushi or sashimi. The beverage list includes wines from Europe, the Central Coast, and, as promised, Napa Valley’s Kieu Hoang Winery. Beer, hot and cold sake, and craft cocktails are also featured. Happy hour on Tuesdays through Sundays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. offers specially priced drinks and appetizers.

New at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard, Captain’s Cajun Boil (captainscajunboil.com) has the whole seafood-boil thing in the bag— although patrons can also order up combinations of shrimp, clams, crawfish, potatoes, sausage, and corn on the cob served scattered across a paper-covered table. Either way, you’ll want to suit up in the provided plastic bibs and gloves before digging in for a meal that’s guaranteed to be a bit messy and a whole lot of fun.

SADDLE PEAK LODGE 419 Cold Canyon Road Calabasas, 818-222-3888 saddlepeaklodge.com New American Small Plates $15–$23; Entrées $36–$58; Chef’s Tasting Menu $145 for nine courses Romantic, Sunday Brunch Chairs woven from willow branches and game trophies hanging high on walls made of stone and wood speak to the rustic nature of this multistory restaurant nestled in the hills of Malibu. Executive chef Adam Horton is back and over-seeing menus

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that are both elegant and stick-to-your-ribs: Smallplate options include Peruvian marinated quail, while composed entrées include seabass with house-made pasta and New Zealand lamb rack with smoked miso potatoes. The Chef’s Game Trio offers a diner’s choice of emu, elk, or buffalo with sides. On Mondays through Wednesdays, the three-course Supper Menu is $39 per person. The outdoor patio is a spectacular place for brunch.

SIDES HARDWARE AND SHOES, A BROTHERS RESTAURANT 2375 Alamo Pintado Ave. Los Olivos, 805-688-4820 sidesrestaurant.com American; Entrées $14–$35

Brothers Jeff and Matt Nichols named their restaurant after a business that occupied the building in the early 1900s. The country-store vibe appears in the decorative tin ceiling and menu items like the Hammered Pig, a lunch dish of pork tenderloin that has been pounded thin, breaded, deep-fried, then served in a salad of arugula, pecans, and Parmesan or as part of a sandwich with applemustard seed slaw. Lunch options also include fish tacos, sandwiches, and an array of burgers. You can’t go wrong with the ever-changing chef’s burger by chef de cuisine Michael Cherney, who also lets loose with a new Taco Tuesday menu available at lunch and dinner each week. Dinner fare takes on an international flair: A banh mi-inspired appetizer pairs miso-cured bacon with steamed buns, mussels are served in coconut broth and red curry, and lamb sirloin comes with goat cheese gnocchi and maitake mushrooms. Desserts by pastry chef Stephanie Jackson are homey yet elegantly plated. Local wines are available by the glass and in carafes, supplementing the full bar.

THE SPOON TRADE 295 West Grand Ave. Grover Beach, 805-904-6773 thespoontrade.com American; Entrées $15–$32

Great Patio, Sunday Brunch The Spoon Trade serves what chef Jacob Town calls “elevated comfort food” in a bright and comfortable neighborhood hangout. Classic dishes (think: fried chicken, pasta, and upside-down cakes) are reimagined with of-the-moment flavors and local ingredients alongside a progressive beer and wine list.

S.Y. KITCHEN 1110 Faraday St. Santa Ynez, 805-691-9794 sykitchen.com Italian; Entrées $17–$37

Located on a quiet side street in Santa Ynez, this cozy spot is an oasis of craft cocktails and rustic Italian fare in wine and tri-tip country. Executive chef Luca Crestanelli lets his native Italian roots show in housemade pastas such as wild mushroom pappardelle and a warm octopus salad with olives, potatoes, and cherry tomatoes. A lunch menu of salads, pastas, and oak-grilled meats and seafood is served daily. Also originally from Italy, mixologist and bar manager Alberto Battaglini makes his own bitters and stashes away dried fruits and herbs in glass jars that double as décor. The wine list features local and Italian labels. Available Mondays through Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., the Aperitivo menu offers special pricing on beer, wine, cocktails, and light bites.

UPDATE THOMAS HILL ORGANICS 1313 Park St. Paso Robles, 805-226-5888 thomashillorganics.com Wine Country Cuisine; Entrées $15–$41 Sunday Brunch

At this chic but casual restaurant in downtown Paso Robles, executive corporate chef Kurt Metzger builds on the vision of owner and founding chef Debbie Thomas by turning ingredients from local purveyors into elegant, satisfying fare at lunch, brunch, and dinner. (Why, yes, those are Windrose Farm apples in the burrata salad.) Wine, beer, and ciders from the region are also featured, adding to the restaurant’s farm-to-table bona fides.

TRE LUNE 1151 Coast Village Road Montecito, 805-969-2646 trelunesb.com Italian; Entrées $18–$37

Tre Lune, or “three moons,” is part of the Montesano Group, which owns Lucky’s in Montecito and Joe’s and Bucatini in Santa Barbara—and it shows. The walls are dressed in black-and-white photos of celebrities from yesteryear, the floors are Old World wood, and the tables are covered in white linen. Teeny tiny chairs mounted high on the wall bear brass plates engraved with the names of regular patrons. A ring-shaped, rolled pizza-bread appetizer is stuffed with smoked mozzarella and braised radicchio. It’s crispy outside and delicious inside. Pizzas from the stone oven can be topped with roasted eggplant, spicy sausage, or mushrooms and truffle oil. The wide selection of pastas are available in half or full portions. Veal scaloppine, rack of lamb, chicken Marsala, and even a cheeseburger round out the menu and support the extensive Italian wine list.

UPDATE WINE CASK 813 Anacapa St. Santa Barbara, 805-966-9463 winecask.com Wine Country Cuisine Entrées $24–$38; Chef’s tasting menu $75 for five courses, $95 for eight courses

Romantic Founded in 1981, the Wine Cask reinvents itself every time executive chef Brandon Cogan goes to the farmers’ market in Santa Barbara. Local ingredients inform dishes at every turn, especially in the tasting menus that change weekly and sometimes nightly but almost always feature Santa Barbara County labels in the optional wine pairings. The regular dinner menu is a mix of seasonal mains and classical mains, the latter a collection of longtime favorites like wild mushroom risotto and pan-roasted local white sea bass. Desserts echo the elegant simplicity of the restaurant itself (bread pudding with bourbon–salted caramel sauce is a standout). California wines are the focus of the international wine list. Co-owner and vintner Doug Margerum also has one tasting room adjoining the restaurant, and a second, devoted to reserve wines, located elsewhere in the same complex.

A Good Bet

Not too fancy, not too expensive, and a good experience all around. AL MULINO EATALIAN BAKERY & BAR 3709 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Westlake Village, 805-379-0016 almulino.net Italian; Entrées $8–$40

This café in the Paseo Marketplace offers an authentic Italian experience throughout the day, starting with cups of espresso in the morning and ending with flutes of prosecco at night. In between, diners will find fresh salads dotted with ingredients like berries and

goat cheese, sandwiches stacked with meats and cheeses imported from Italy, and on Mondays through Saturdays from 5 p.m., Neapolitan-style pizzas from the café’s brick oven, visible through a window next to the bar. Dinner specials might be handmade pumpkin tortellini one night and shrimp with arugula and cannellini beans the next. Gelato and pastries are from Carrara Pastries, another Italian-owned business in the 805. Happy hour specials are available at the bar on Mondays through Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

BAZILLE AT NORDSTROM AT THE OAKS 346 W. Hillcrest Drive Thousand Oaks, 805-418-4010 restaurants.nordstrom.com New American Shared Plates $6–$11; Entrées $15–$24

Nordstrom’s second floor restaurant is a fine and semi-private place to dine between shopping forays. Previously known as Blue Stove, the space now features more natural light, a full bar, and greater emphasis on entrées over tapas. Shared plates include crisp calamari with lemongrasssweet chili dipping sauce and maple sriracha-glazed bacon deviled eggs. Main dishes are organized under the headings of “meat” (selections include French dip on toasted Parmesan baguette), “poultry” (house-made chicken sausage with burrata), and “seafood” (crab, mango, and avocado salad).

BLUE TABLE 28912 Roadside Drive Agoura Hills, 818-597-2583 bluetable.net International; Entrées $8–$15

Live Music A few blue tables provide seating for outside dining at this charming deli with high-quality Italian eats for lunch and dinner. The indigo theme continues inside, where blue-wash wooden tables are topped with bouquets of fresh flowers. Different salads rotate through the deli case, and the list of sandwiches is written on a blackboard. (The proscuitto and burrata panini is not to be missed.) Pizzas, soups, cookies, and all other items here are made fresh daily. A small freezer carries pastas and sauces for home use, but anything on the menu can be taken to go. You’ll want to stay for dinner, available daily from around 6 p.m. The menu of comfort-food classics includes eggplant Parmesan and spaghetti with organic ground turkey meatballs. Local musicians are featured on Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

BOLLYWOOD INDIAN RESTAURANT #3 860 Hampshire Road Westlake Village, 805-777-7100 bollywood3.net Indian; Entrées $10–$15

Fresh vegetables are used in the curries, masalas, and kormas at this casual Indian restaurant. Chicken, lamb, fish, and shrimp are prepared a

variety of ways: in the tandoori oven, with coconut-milk sauces, and in spicy vindaloos. Naan comes topped with garlic, basil, cilantro, and onions, or stuffed with cheese or potatoes. Beer and wine are on offer, along with excellent yogurt drinks like mango lassi and Indian spiced tea.

BRENT’S DELI 2799 Townsgate Road Westlake Village, 805-557-1882 brentsdeli.com Deli; Entrées $6–$20

Kid-Friendly For amazingly good Reuben sandwiches on rye bread piled high with pastrami or corned beef, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing, you can’t beat this slick deli. The booths are cushy and roomy, leaving space for your tummy to expand as you down a four-layer slice of chocolate cake or a plate full of stuffed cabbage rolls. A separate bar also offers the full menu. The patio out back allows for even more seating. A counter up front expedites takeout orders. Brent’s Deli is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.

CAFÉ FIRENZE 563 W. Los Angeles Ave. Moorpark, 805-532-0048 cafefirenze.net Italian; Entrées $13–$30

Sunday Brunch Moorpark’s movers and shakers go to Firenze for rustic but innovative Italian fare matched with a solid international wine list. (By-the-glass options change each month to include at least one 805-based label selected by a local wine blogger.) Chef and co-owner Fabio Viviani makes a splash in the dining room and in the adjoining space, where he often leads cooking classes. When Viviani is cooking at his many off-site projects, co-executive chef John Paolone keeps the kitchen going strong with imaginative flatbreads, fresh fish, and excellent, dry-aged beef. Check the daily specials menu for Paolone’s growing repertoire of house-made fresh pastas. Available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday brunch is an à la carte affair that includes Nutella sticky buns, Pecorinoflecked biscuits with fennel sausage gravy, and carafes of Bloody Marys.

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UPDATE FINNEY’S CRAFTHOUSE & KITCHEN 982 S. Westlake Blvd., Suite 2 Westlake Village, 805-230-9950 and 35 State St., Suite A Santa Barbara, 805-845-3100 finneyscrafthouse.com American; Entrées $10–$16

Kid-Friendly The “craft beer spoken here” neon sign in the dining room doesn’t quite say it all at this casual but polished gastropub owned by Greg Finefrock, an 805 local whose childhood nickname inspired the restaurant’s moniker. In addition to the 30 brews on tap, you’ll find craft cocktails, California wines by the glass and bottle, and a fun atmosphere and menu that has something for everyone. With slight OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

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The Dining Guide variations between the Santa Barbara and Westlake Village locations, shareable appetizers include glutenfree buffalo cauliflower tossed in yuzu sauce and chicken-and-waffle bites that come with a tangy surprise: Tabasco-braised kale. The house burger is made with a chuck, brisket, and hanger steak patty on a brioche bun (options include gluten-free buns and plant-based Impossible Burger patties). Crispy tacos, salads, and flatbread pizzas are also available. Families and other groups gravitate to the communal tables inside and on the patio. Seating is first-come, first-served at the copper bar.

Plant-Powered Haile. Furnished with fire pits and lounges, the outdoor patio is the perfect place to sample $5 cocktails and food specials during happy hours from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

FOOD HARMONICS 254 E. Ojai Ave. Ojai, 805-798-9253 foodharmonicsojai.com Gluten-Free; Entrées $7–$16

Live Entertainment Adventurous eaters will delight in dishes such as the Sherpa curry goat and chef specials featuring yak meat. Even the pizzas and burritos on the fusion-food portion of the menu are on the exotic side, since they’re made with naan and chapati from the tandoori oven. Vegetarian selections include bhindi masala, which is okra cooked with tomatoes and Indian spices. Feeling nimble? Try sitting cross-legged at one of the low tables set on a raised platform. The Ventura location serves beer and wine; the Thousand Oaks site has a full bar. Both offer a belly dance show about once a month.

Ojai’s historic Arcade is the setting for this light-filled café specializing in gluten-free fare. There’s something for almost every diet, including vegan and paleo. Highlights include a raw vegan pizza that tends to sell out early in the day, the vegetarian sundara dosa with egg and sliced avocado tucked into a crepelike wrapper, and the bison burger accompanied by greens and sweet potatoes. Bison bone broth is available with optional add-ons like ghee and seaweed. Beverages include beer, wine, and turmeric matcha lattes.

There’s a new kid on the block in Downtown Santa Barbara: Chef Taylor Melonuk, former executive sous chef of The Lark in the Funk Zone, recently ventured out on his own to open The Middle Child (themiddlechildsb.com), a casual, loftlike venue serving elevated, seasonal fare like buttermilk fried chicken with coconut grits, white shrimp in lemongrass garlic butter on grilled bread, and pizza topped with cured salmon, mascarpone, crispy capers, and egg. For more details, read Dining Out in the November issue of 805 Living.

HARVEST KITCHEN & BAR AT HYATT REGENCY WESTLAKE 880 S. Westlake Blvd. Westlake Village, 805-557-4710 westlake.regency.hyatt.com Californian; Entrées $11–$29

Kid-Friendly Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, Harvest welcomes hotel guests and the public alike. The dining rooms are sleek and comfortable with natural light, and patio and garden views. Executive chef Steve Johnson, a Hyatt Regency veteran, turns up the flavor in offerings such as the grass-fed burger and Alaskan Halibut in Rosemary Butter Sauce served with summer squash and jubilee rice. The For Kids by Kids children’s menu features dishes created by Haile Thomas, host of the YouTube series

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HIMALAYA 35 W. Main St. Ventura, 805-643-0795 and 720 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Thousand Oaks, 805-409-1041 himalayacuisine.com Nepalese, Indian, Tibetan Entrées $8–$32

IL FORNAIO 6320 Topanga Canyon Blvd. Woodland Hills, 818-297-1700 ilfornaio.com Italian; Entrées $16–$39

Part of a family of restaurants that includes Canaletto at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Il Fornaio brings authentic Italian cuisine to locations in five states. The newest site at The Village at Westfield Topanga may be the jewel in the crown, featuring brown leather booths, terra-cotta floor tiles, solid tables of reclaimed oak, and a refrigerated wine wall of steel and glass. Dishes are at once classic and modern, combining traditional techniques with ingredients that are organic, free-range, and, in some cases, gluten-free. At lunch, the Piatti Unici section of the menu offers one-dish meals (think mixed greens with rotisserie chicken or veal scaloppini with Tuscan salad) that will fortify you for more shopping. Free desserts and other perks are available for diners who access the passaporto on the Il Fornaio app.

JANE 1311 State St. Santa Barbara, 805-962-1311 and 6940 Marketplace Drive Goleta, 805-770-5388 janeatthemarketplace.com; janerestaurantsb.com Eclectic; Entrées $9–$25

Lots of interesting salads, sandwiches, and burgers are set down at lunchtime on small wooden and marble tables in this cute spot on State Street from the family that owns the Montecito Cafe. Jane is the name of the owner (Jane Chapman) and her grandmother (Jane Moody), whose pictures adorn the high walls. The loft seating and upstairs patio are cool and a bit secluded compared to the downstairs tables, which are always packed in the afternoon. The eclectic dinner menu offers pastas, steaks, and grilled duck breast. For dessert, the soft-serve ice cream is a fun choice, as is the coconut cake.

KING’S FISH HOUSE 4798 Commons Way Calabasas, 818-225-1979 Seafood; Entrées $10–$39 (and up to $72 for a 3-pound lobster)

Kid-Friendly With three ample dining areas, a large menu, and well-executed dishes, this Calabasas fave is part of the King’s Seafood Company (Water Grill, I Cugini),

so the fish is always fresh. The menu is printed daily; expect the best picks to be sold out by the end of the evening. The fried oysters and the clam chowder are reliable favorites. This place is big enough to handle energetic kids and good enough to satisfy adult tastes.

LOS AGAVES RESTAURANT 600 N. Milpas St. Santa Barbara, 805-564-2626 and 2911 De la Vina St. Santa Barbara, 805-682-2600 and 7024 Market Place Drive Goleta, 805-968-4000 and 2810 Portico Way, Suite 1105 Oxnard, 805-278-9101 and 30750 Russell Ranch Road, Suite G Westlake Village, 818-874-0779 los-agaves.com Mexican; Entrées $9–$17

Launched in Santa Barbara in 2008, this familyowned and operated group of restaurants has clearly struck a chord: Its original location was number 16 on Yelp’s list of Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. for 2016. The mix of authentic Mexican cuisine with casual but attentive order-at-the-counter service can now be found at five sites in and around the 805. Each offers the same menu of house-made tortillas, ceviche, salads, and burritos filled with all manner of seafood, poultry, or beef. Signature dishes include the show-stopping Land and Sea molcajete, a bubbling-hot mixture of meat and seafood with house-made salsa, avocado, chorizo, grilled onion, and nopal, served in a three-legged bowl carved from volcanic rock. Los Agaves restaurants in Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Oxnard serve beer and wine as well as agave margaritas and micheladas. The Shoppes at Westlake Village location has a full bar that offers top-shelf tequilas and drink specials. Diners who sit at the bar can order food there, too.

LOVI’S DELICATESSEN 24005 Calabasas Road Calabasas, 818-223-8777 lovisdeli.com Deli; Entrées $11–$30

Kid-Friendly “Delicatessen” seems like a misnomer for this sharp and sleekly designed modern restaurant and bar. A comprehensive menu offers standard deli fare like triple-deckers, house-made soups, and smoked fish platters but also features contemporary dishes such as Alaskan salmon, Mexican, pasta, and vegetarian specialties, and build-your-own salads with 65-plus ingredients. The restaurant consists of four spacious areas. A bright main dining room is designed with clean lines, earth tones, and stylish riveted steel tables. Another dining room has a full bar, and the beautiful shaded outdoor patio is a perfect place for Sunday brunch. Most impressive is a private glassed-in dining room that seats 30 and has an equally impressive wine cellar. Fifteen flat-screens are judiciously placed, so they don’t detract from the upscale vibe. Lovi’s is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily and serves breakfast all day. Daily happy hour is from 3 p.m. until closing. Catering and delivery are available.

MARMALADE CAFE 4783 Commons Way Calabasas, 818-225-9092 and 3894 Cross Creek Road Malibu, 310-317-4242 and 140 Promenade Way Westlake Village, 805-370-1331 marmaladecafe.com American; Entrées $10–$22

Salads, sandwiches, soups and waistline-friendly

half-orders of pasta are lunchtime mainstays at this chain known for its cozy, French-country décor. But chef Aaron Johns also showcases fresh produce and California ingredients in newer dishes like the Petaluma chicken potpie, served upside-down in a bowl of flaky puff pastry. Happy hour deals are especially sweet, with half-price appetizers (think Maryland crab cakes), $5 well drinks, and glasses of premium wines available for $9 to $12 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily and 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Or take advantage of the free corkage and half-off pricing on all bottles during Wine Down Wednesdays from 4 p.m.

MERSEA’S 3985 Avila Beach Drive Avila Beach, 805-548-2290 merseas.com Seafood; Entrées $8–$15

Great View, Kid-Friendly Located on the Harford Pier, this modern take on a casual seafood restaurant offers a lot of sightseeing bang for the buck. Indoor tables are placed near tall windows, and outdoor seating includes a row of colorful bar-stools at a counter that doubles as the pier’s railing for a stretch. (Look down: You just might spy an otter frolicking in the kelp.) The menu includes burgers, hot dogs, and veggie burritos, but seafood is the star at this spot operated by members of the family behind Dorn’s Original Breakers Café in Morro Bay and Duckie’s Chowder House in Cayucos. Highlights include a crab melt sandwich with avocado, chowders of both the Manhattan and New England variety, and daily specials like garlic fries topped with blackened shrimp, blue cheese, and avocado. Decorated with whimsical octopus pendant lamps, the bar serves beer, wine, and cocktails.

NEW OJAI BOWLS 11492 N. Ventura Ave. Ojai, 805-633-9044 ojaibowls.org Californian-Asian; Entrées $9–$15

An Ojai Valley shopping center anchored by a Rite Aid is the setting for this casual, order-at-the-counter restaurant specializing in customizable poke and ramen bowls, plus what co-owners Don Hull and Doug Hernandez call “crafted bowls.” The latter include the vegan Golden Flower Bowl, named for its pairing of turmericdusted cauliflower, beet chips, and quinoa, and the Braised Beef Bowl, made with local Watkins Cattle Co. beef, brown rice, and crispy leeks. Hull, a sommelier, oversees the list of wines served by the glass and local beers and kombuchas on tap. Hernandez lets his imagination—and his sweet tooth— run free in desserts like banana spring rolls with vegan coconut ice cream and a Kona pie that involves a chocolatecookie crust, macadamia nut–vanilla ice cream, and oodles of hot fudge.

POOKIE’S THAI CUISINE 900 Hampshire Road Westlake Village, 805-381-0094 Thai; Entrées $7–$13

Kid-Friendly Downstairs in the Water Court Plaza office complex, owner Pookie creates delicious Thai dishes for lunch and dinner daily. Lunch specials are a steal at $7 to $8 each. She also has a wide selection of interesting salads like the Outrageous Beef Salad with a spicy lime dressing and the protein-rich Yam Yai salad with shrimp, chicken, egg, and peanuts in a sweet-andsour dressing. Noodle dishes are generously sized and include the classic pad Thai and the interesting Hi Yo Silver with fried noodles, shrimp, and bean sprouts. Curries, vegetarian options, and fish dishes (such as the crispy sole with tamarind and chili sauce) give diners lots of great choices not found elsewhere.

NEW SPENCER MAKENZIE’S FISH CO. 311 Carmen Drive Camarillo, 805-643-3474 and 806 E. Thompson Blvd. Ventura, 805-643-8226 spencermakenzies.com Seafood; Entrées $5–$11

Kid-Friendly Famous for its grilled and tempurabattered fish tacos, this restaurant named for the owners’ two eldest children enjoys a beachy vibe that has made its Ventura location a favorite of locals and visitors alike for more than a decade. (Newly opened in May 2018, the Camarillo site echoes that laid-back feel, despite its shoppingcenter setting.) Other house specialties include the ahi pocket, an appetizer of mildly sweet tofu stuffed with sushi rice and topped with seared ahi tuna. Grilled fish-and-shrimp burritos are best when eaten “Brooklyn style,” named for kid number three and created by combining house-made Spencer and Sweet Chili Fire sauces. Also featured are Parmesan hard-shell tacos, clam chowder by the cup, bowl, and sourdough bread bowl, and the seared–ahi steak Parker Burger, a shout-out to the family’s youngest child. Local brews are on tap.

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THE STONEHAUS 32039 Agoura Road Westlake Village, 818-483-1152 the-stonehaus.com Mediterranean; Sandwiches & Platters $10–$17

Dog-Friendly, Great Views, Kid‑Friendly, Romantic Patterned after an Italian enoteca, the aptly named Stonehaus starts each day as a coffeehouse, serving kale-berry smoothies along with baked goods, wraps, and breakfast sandwiches from Lisa Biondi, executive chef at the adjacent Mediterraneo at the Westlake Village Inn. It switches to wine bar mode in the afternoons and evenings, when the menu includes charcuterie and crostini platters, salads, panini, and desserts. The outdoor pizza OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

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The Dining Guide oven is fired up nightly (check website for hours). Wine flights are arranged by regions, varietals, and themes. Patios overlook the waterfall and the working vineyard, which is open for picnicking on Stonehaus fare (check website for information about seasonal tastings and festivals). The picnic tables and bocce ball court are family friendly, and visiting canines get a water fountain of their own near the courtyard fireplace.

At various locations in Paso Robles November 9 through 11, 60-plus limited-production commercial winemakers, also known as garagistes, pour more than 200 handcrafted wines at the Garagiste Festival (garagistefestival.com), a showcase of undiscovered vino. Activities include a grand tasting, a tasting seminar on The Rise of Spanish Grapes, and an after-party featuring music performed by Stephen Rowe and the Lonely Loners.

Fun, Fun, Fun

Look to these eateries for festive food, an upbeat atmosphere, and a good time. ANDRIA’S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT & MARKET 1449 Spinnaker Drive Ventura, 805-654-0546 andriasseafood.com Seafood; Entrées $8–$24

Kid-Friendly No visit to Ventura Harbor—or to Ventura, period—is complete without a stop at Andria’s, a locals’ favorite since 1982. On weekends, the fast-moving line to order can stretch out onto the restaurant’s front patio. Additional seating includes indoor dining rooms decorated with vintage photos and fishing gear, and a protected patio with a view of the docks. Charbroiled fresh catch of the day dinners come with rice pilaf, bread, and a choice of salads. Some items are available in stir-fry dishes. But deep-fried is the preferred method of preparation for everything from onion rings (served in a towering stack) to halibut and chips, oysters and chips, popcorn shrimp and chips, and, well, you get the idea. The atmosphere is beach casual: Orders are called out by number when ready, and it’s up to diners to gather utensils, tartar sauce, and other fixin’s from a counter near the kitchen. Beer and wine are available. An on-site fish market is open daily.

UPDATE THE ANNEX 550 Collection Blvd. Oxnard, 805-278-9500 thecollectionrp.com/the_annex Cuisines and prices vary by location Kid-Friendly

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Eight restaurants offer as many dining experiences at this public market-style spot in the heart of The Collection at RiverPark. House-roasted coffee, avocado toast, and gluten-free muffins help jumpstart the day at Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters, while The Blend Superfood Bar serves smoothies, juices, and acai bowls made with local berries and honey. Scratch Sandwich Counter covers lunch and dinner with a menu that includes The Sabbich, a vegetarian combination of grilled eggplant, black bean hummus, and a fried egg in soft pita bread. (Baked-on-the-premises treats include cookies and decadent cakes by the slice.) Other order-atthe-counter options include Love Pho, Taqueria el Tapatio, and PokeCeviche, specializing in buildyour-own Hawaiian poke bowls and chef-curated Latin American ceviche. Seoul Sausage Kitchen, the season-three winner of Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race, offers an updated take on Korean barbecue. The craft-beer bar Bottle & Pint serves local brews and ciders on tap and by the bottle and can; wines are available by the glass. Fun artwork, inventive communal seating areas, and two retail shops add to the vibe.

BOGIES BAR & LOUNGE 32001 Agoura Road Westlake Village, 818-889-2394 bogies-bar.com Spanish-California Small Plates & Entrées $4–$15

Great Views, Live Music Surrounded by greenery and water, this bar on the grounds of the Westlake Village Inn is a gorgeous place to get your groove on: Live music and/or club nights are scheduled nearly every night of the week. On the patio, wicker chaise lounges are arranged in semi-private groupings around fire pits and a bar counter looks onto the dance floor through rollup doors. Inside, bronze curtains and silver wall sconces shimmer in the mood-setting darkness. (Some areas are available by reservation.) It all adds up to a great backdrop for a menu that includes happy hour specials like $3 draft beers, $5 glasses of wine, and dinner-and-drink duos ($10–$14) on Mondays through Fridays from 5 pm. to 7 p.m. Spanish influences are evident in dishes like paella and crispy patatas bravas with Fresno chilies and garlic aioli.

CAFÉ HABANA 3939 Cross Creek Road Malibu, 310-317-0300 cafehabana.com Pan-Latin; Entrées $9–$25

Sunday Brunch Café Habana isn’t limited to Cuban food or cocktails. Dishes represent all of Latin culture, from South American ceviches to Mexican grilled corn and huevos rancheros to Cuban pulled-pork sandwiches. Owner Sean Meenan is an eco-warrior while partner Rande Gerber brings in the celebs and keeps the nightlife hopping. The food is good, the cocktails are great, and the coconut flan is out of this world.

THE CAVE AT VENTURA WINE COMPANY 4435 McGrath St., Suites 301-303 Ventura, 805-642-9449 venturawineco.com International; Small Plates $3–$18; Salads and Sandwiches $7–$11

Saturday Brunch Patrons at The Cave conduct their own tastings via Enomatic machines, which dispense 1-, 3- and 5-ounce pours at the push of a button. Executive chef Alex Montoya’s creative, wine-friendly menu of shareable small plates changes on the first Tuesday of each month. Look for combinations

like prosciutto-wrapped pork chops with apricotcashew stuffing and Arctic char with sinigang broth and tomato concasse, plus an assortment of pizzas, burgers, and desserts. (Save room for one of Montoya’s award-winning frozen custards.) For the best acoustics, nab a table in the Barrel Room decorated with dozens of glass balls hanging from the ceiling. It’s also available for private events.

THE COPA CUBANA 1575 Spinnaker Drive, Suite 103 Ventura, 805-642-9463 805copa.com Cuban; Entrées $12–$18

Great Views, Live Music This lively spot in Ventura Harbor Village may inspire you to book a flight to Cuba. Owner Andres Fernandez runs it and the neighboring 805 Bar & Grilled Cheese out of the same kitchen (the two eateries share a phone number), but the Copa Cubana maintains its identity with a separate menu that includes a classic Cubano sandwich, the hashlike picadillo topped with fried eggs, and lechón asado, which is roasted pork served with black beans and yucca marinated in garlic. The dogfriendly patio, with views of nearby boat docks, is an especially fine place to sip a piña colada on a lazy afternoon. Live entertainment is scheduled most days, with an emphasis on Latin jazz.

DUKE’S MALIBU 21150 Pacific Coast Highway Malibu, 310-317-0777 dukesmalibu.com Seafood; Entrées $14–$45

Great Views, Sunday Brunch Gorgeous ocean views are maximized in the dining rooms and bars of this large, Hawaiian-themed seafood and steak house, which in summer 2016 marked its 20th anniversary with updates to the décor and menu. Swinging chairs and a life-size bronze statue of surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku greet diners before they step through the front doors and into an interior filled with wood screens, glass mosaic tiles, and chairs sporting surfboard stripes. New dishes presented by chef Eric BosRau showcase regional ingredients in beautiful platings. Fresh fish is available in a variety of preparations, including Parmesan-herb crusted with lemon, capers, and macadamia nuts. Longtime Duke’s fans, take note: Your favorite coconut shrimp dish is back as coconut shrimp croquettes. Kimo’s Original Hula Pie remains as advertised. A Sunday brunch buffet is served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit the Barefoot Bar for breakfast items (think loco moco and banana and macadamia nut pancakes) from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and Sundays. Poké tacos, fish and chips, and pulled-pork sandwiches are served daily.

FLOUR HOUSE 690 Higuera St. San Luis Obispo, 805-544-5282 flourhouseslo.com Italian Starters $5–$21; Pizzas $15–$20; Pastas $19–$28

With a sleek interior, dynamic menu, and portrait of Sophia Loren, Flour House isn’t just a pizzeria: It’s a love song to Italy. Co-owner and Salerno native Alberto Russo works magic with imported flour and a Stefano Ferrara pizza oven, the gold standard for traditional pizza napolitana. During Meter Mondays, pizzas are available in different sizes depending on the number in your party: a half-meter for four people includes a choice of three tastings ($28), while a full meter serves eight with a choice of six tastings ($50). Don’t miss Russo’s house-made pastas or the weekday-night aperitivo hour from

4 p.m. to 6 p.m., featuring cocktails such as the classic Negroni and Aperol Spritz as well as beer and wine and appetizers from $4 to $6.

LADYFACE ALEHOUSE & BRASSERIE 29281 Agoura Road Agoura Hills, 818-477-4566 ladyfaceale.com French, Belgian, and American Entrées $8–$17

A brewpub with a Belgian accent, Ladyface delivers top-notch beers from brewmaster David Griffiths and an elegant menu that includes moules frites (mussels and fries), ale-brined chicken, and chocolate porter cake. Ale-pairing suggestions are printed on the menu. A communal table lends to the convivial atmosphere as do the beer floats made with local ice cream. Growlers (reusable halfgallon glass jugs) filled with Ladyface ales are available for takeout.

LOS OLIVOS WINE MERCHANT & CAFÉ 2879 Grand Ave. Los Olivos, 805-688-7265 losolivoscafe.com Wine Country; Entrées $12–$29

This retail wine shop adjoins an allday café with seating indoors by the stone fireplace and outside on the wisteria-covered patio. Cheese plates and olives are small bites perfect for pairing with wines at the bar. Salads, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, and pizza comprise the lunch menu. At night choices get a little fancier with pot roast, lamb shank, pasta, chicken, steak, and fresh fish. The wine selection from the shop (available to diners) has more than 400 labels and specializes in picks from California’s Central Coast. Now that’s fun.

LUCKY PENNY 127 Anacapa St. Santa Barbara, 805-284-0358 luckypennysb.com Californian; Entrées $11–$16

Located in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, this order-at-the-counter spot ranks as one of the city’s most Instagrammed restaurants. The exterior covered in thousands of shiny copper pennies is a draw, but so is the creative menu of close-up-worthy salads, sandwiches, small plates, and wood-fired pizzas. The latter includes such local-placenamed favorites as the Milpas, topped with fingerling potatoes, chorizo, and a sunny-side-up egg. Salads are big enough to turn into a meal or to share with a friend who orders pizza. Seating is on a pet-friendly patio adjacent to The Lark restaurant. Coffee is served, along with beer, wine, cider, and a lifegiving frosé accented with local strawberries and tarragon.

OLIO PIZZERIA 11 W. Victoria St., Suite 21 Santa Barbara, 805-899-2699 oliocucina.com Italian Small and Shared Plates $5–$19; Entrées $15–$21

This combination Italian pizzeria and enoteca is brought to you by the owners of Olio e Limone Ristorante, the more formal eatery located next door. The Victoria Court setting includes a long bar with a peekaboo view of the pizza oven, plus small tables. Menu offerings include chicken, fish, and beef entrées, as well as pasta, antipasti, salads, cured meats, cheeses, vegetables, and house-made dolci. The pizzas, with thin, chewy crusts, are individually sized and topped with excellent ingredients—sautéed rapini, spicy salami, cremini mushrooms, and black truffles among them. Lunch or brunch is served daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and the dinner menu is available daily from 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. Wines from California and Italy are available by the glass, carafe, half liter, and bottle.

PLATA TAQUERIA & CANTINA 28914 Roadside Drive, Suite 10 Agoura Hills, 818-735-9982 plataagoura.com Mexican; Entrées $14–$26

Plata means “silver” in Spanish—and a good time in the Whizin Market Square. The menu at this taqueria is homey but elevated: House-made tortillas and mix-and-match trios of soft tacos are featured, the latter with a choice of veggies or eight types of protein, including ahi tuna and short ribs. Spa Nachos are made with roasted cauliflower and crispy kale; guacamole is available in three variations, including tradicional and ranchero, made with bacon and roasted pumpkin seeds. Other standouts include chamorro de cordero, a chile-marinated lamb shank served with spinach tamales, and pollo con Elvia’s mole, named for chef Elvia Saldivar, who is co-owner with her husband. Nearly a dozen specialty margaritas star on the cocktails list. Pull up a colorfully upholstered stool at the copper-topped bar to enjoy $7 margaritas and other drink and food specials during daily happy hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

ANNUAL TOUR OCTOBER 13-15

One of California’s premier art events. Over 70 open studios. 3 days of open studios, Friday night preview, Saturday night reception and Sunday afternoon wine social. SAVE $5 PER TICKET ONLINE ONLY. USE CODE: 805OSA INFORMATION, MAPS AND TICKETS VISIT:

OjaiStudioArtists.org

TAVERNA TONY 23410 Civic Center Way Malibu, 310-317-9667 tavernatony.com Greek; Entrées $13–$37

This huge space at the northeast corner of the Malibu Country Mart is almost never closed and never empty. There’s always fun to be had: If the classical guitarists aren’t playing, the waiters might be singing, or the owner, Tony Koursaris, might be telling stories at one of the tables. Every meal starts with Greek-style country bread and house-made dip. The roast baby lamb is a specialty of the house for good reasons: The meat is garlicky and mostly tender with some crispy bites. The accompanying potatoes are roasted with lemon juice and the carrots are cooked with dill. Greek coffee is a perfect end here.  OCTOBER 2018 / 805LIVING.COM

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wines for the holiday season

Pair your favorite holiday meal with an award winning selection of Opolo wines.

Opolo | 7110 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles CA 93446 | 805.238.9593