805 Living Summer Issue 2017 by 805 Living

J U LY/AUGUST 2017

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER

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Left to right: Kristen Love, Genaro Lagdameo, Karen Shoener, Marcella Van Huisen, Carla Padour

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Contents J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 • A S U M M E R TO R E M E M B E R

FEATURES 72

The Sweetest Things

Irresistible flavor combinations are the main attraction for these locally made palate-pleasers. By Heidi Dvorak Photographs by Gar y Moss

A Summer to Remember Dial up the fun on a staycation packed with exhilarating moments like these.

On the Cover If you can’t make it to the fair, you can still indulge in the fare. Find out where to get funnel cakes, cotton candy, caramel corn, and more on page 72. Photograph by Gary Moss

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

COURTESY OF THE MADONNA INN

By Elizabeth Turner

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Contents

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 • A S U M M E R TO R E M E M B E R

60 62 Upgrades

62 The Great Escape

Enjoy resort-style living in your own backyard. By Frances Ryan

DEPARTMENTS Pulse

Finds

46 49 51 51

Fetching gear for man’s best friend.

52 Bobbing for Health

27 Tracking the Beat of the 805 31 Hound Effects

Mind Body Soul

Hang 10 in this retroinspired swimwear.

Science shows float therapy can help relieve anxiety and depression, boost sleep quality, take the edge off chronic pain, and more.

By Frances Ryan

By Elizabeth Turner

36 Totes Cool

Arts & Culture

By Jennie Nunn

34 Trunk Show

Make a splash by the pool or at the beach with these stylish woven carryalls.

56 Nature’s Childern

By Frances Ryan

By Joan Tapper

38 Travel

Faces in the Crowd

By Erin Rottman

Inspiring delight in connecting to the environment.

60 Sage Erickson

By Heidi Dvorak

Currently ranked eighth in the world in the World Surf League women’s circuit, this pro surfer thrives on competition and the simple pleasures of her home in Ventura.

44 Local Events & Family Fun

By Victoria Woodard Harvey Photograph by Gary Moss

42 Go Carlsbad By Heidi Dvorak

Insider

Hot Ticket Show Your Support Worth a Drive Give Back

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

Good Deeds

66 Angels Foster Care, Cancer Support Community, Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse By Mark Langton Photographs by Emily Hart-Roberts/ mercurypress.com, Mark Langton, and Monica Montigny

Taste

90 FOOD: Ice Cream Rises to the Top Three chefs share gourmet recipes for fresh takes on the frosty favorite. By Jaime Lewis

94 WINE: Tickled Pink Spanning a range of blushing hues, rosés make summer shine with a balance of brightness and depth. By Shauna Burke

86 DINING OUT: A Pearl for Oxnard Oysters star at the new EMC Seafood & Raw Bar in The Collection at RiverPark. By George Yatchisin Photographs by Gary Moss

98 Dining Guide

P.S. Sketchpad

112 Summertime Blues By Greg Clarke

In Every Issue

16 Editor’s Note 18 Masthead 22 Behind the Scenes

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Westlake Village Phone: 818.879.2900

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ÂŠ2017 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.ÂŽ Equal Housing Opportunity.

Editor’s Note

Summer Starts Here THIS ISSUE IS YOUR TICKET TO SUPER-SWEET SUMMER FUN. BUT FAIR WARNING: IF YOU’RE WATCHING YOUR WAISTLINE, DO NOT TURN TO PAGE 72. YOU WILL BE TOO TEMPTED BY THE DECADENT CARNIVALinspired treats feature, “The Sweetest Things,” written by Heidi Dvorak and playfully photographed by Gary Moss, to pay attention to the rest of the issue. That’d be a shame. Since summertime lends itself to a more carefree frame of mind, I encourage you to create new memories to reminisce about in years to come by also discovering many of the other local indulgences we’re featuring. Turn to page 80, for instance, where Elizabeth Turner unveils 12 close-to-home adventures that take advantage of our outdoor wonderland for the ultimate staycation. And since the phrase “less is more” doesn’t apply to this issue, Jaime Lewis delivers a trio of inventive ice-cream recipes in Taste/Food (page 90), Shauna Burke recommends 15 refreshing rosé wines for summer sipping, and we’ve got more than 100 restaurants to explore in our Dining Guide, starting on page 98 (for even more restaurant choices, visit our complete online guide at 805living.com). What else do you need for warm-weather fun? Music festivals, outdoor décor for lounging by the pool, stylish summer duds, and fresh seafood—they’re all in this issue just waiting for you to find. I hope you, your family, and your friends have a wonderful time trying to do as much—or as little—as you want this summer. See you in September.

Lynne Andujar Editor in Chief & Publisher

GARY MOSS

edit@805living.com

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 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

Shauna Burke, Victoria Woodard Harvey, Victoria Renfrew, Joan Tapper, Elizabeth Turner, George Yatchisin CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR

Greg Clarke RESEARCH EDITORS

Gaylen Ducker Grody, Tajinder Rehal CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Gary Moss CONSULTING EDITOR

interior design

home furnishings

online w w w.c a b a n a h o m e .c o m

i n - s t o re santa barbara

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805 LIVING, JULY • AUGUST 2017

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805 LIVING, JULY • AUGUST 2017

Behind the Scenes Keeping cool is no easy feat in the summer. Here’s how our featured contributors beat the heat. Tajinder Rehal “ My favorite way to stay cool is to enjoy something cold, such as an iced coffee, chilled fruit, or a frozen treat,” says research editor Tajinder Rehal. “With young kids, I try to keep the treats on the healthy side, so I offer frozen fruit bars, but some days only the real deal will do—ice cream.” Rehal also contributes to Women’s Health, Westways, and New Mexico Journey.

George Yatchisin Contributing writer George Yatchisin (Dining Out, page 96) says his remedy for a hot day is “sitting in the shade outside my Santa Barbara home, sipping a glass of local rosé, reading the latest volume of an amazing area poet, with my always cool wife and my dogs nearby.” Yatchisin is the author of Feast Days and co-editor of Rare Feathers: Poems on Birds & Art. His work appears in Sunset, Edible Santa Barbara, the KCET food blog, and the Santa Barbara Independent. Visit georgeeats.com.

“I stay cool by mountain biking as close to the coast as possible,” says philanthropic events editor Mark Langton (Good Deeds, page 66). “This means either Point Mugu State Park or Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency’s Dos Vientos trails in Newbury Park, which get nice ocean breezes off the Camarillo Plain. Langton is a co-author of Where to Bike, Los Angeles Mountain Biking.

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

YATCHISIN: CHRYSS YOST

Mark Langton

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3807 BOWSPRIT CIRCLE, WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA

$1,249,000

1007 paseo Santa Monica, Newbury park, ca

@TierraSur805

Behind the Scenes Our featured experts tell how they cool down when the temperature goes up. “I go to the beach in Ventura or to the Sespe swimming holes.” —Heather King

(Arts & Culture, page 56) program founder, director, and lead instructor of Ventura Wild

“Eat a super-cold watermelon while dipping in the pool. Nothing beats that.” —Tali Parnes

(“The Sweetest Things,” page 72) owner and cake-pop artist of Talipops Ventura

16 oz Certified Angus Beef Ribeye Served with Pea Tendril Purée | Shoestring Potatoes Arugula and Radicchio | Charred Onion Demi

“At the beach surfing or eating ice cream with the kiddos.” —Thomas Drahos

(Taste/Food, page 90) executive chef at Blue Heron Restaurant Los Osos–Baywood Park

“Jump in the pool!” —Vincent Pillard

CALL FOR RESERVATIONS

805 983 1560 3201 Camino Del Sol, Oxnard, CA 93030 TierraSurAtHerzog.com

PARNES: JOHN CAREY; DRAHOS: LISA PRETTY

(“The Sweetest Things,” page 72) owner of Blvd Brgr Co. and Twenty88 Old Town Camarillo

A legacy setting reimagined for modern living. Mela Contemporary Triplex Homes From the low $800,000s Up to 1,943 Sq Ft and 3 Bedrooms Mela@CalAtl.com

Pera Courtyard-Style Homes From the low $900,000s Up to 2,143 Sq Ft and 3 Bedrooms Pera@CalAtl.com

Limone Single-Family Luxury Homes From the mid $1 Millions Up to 3,239 Sq Ft and 4 Bedrooms Limone@CalAtl.com

Amarena Single-Family Luxury Homes From the high $1 Millions Up to 3,906 Sq Ft and 6 Bedrooms Amarena@CalAtl.com

4 New Home Neighborhoods | From the low $800,000s to high $1 Millions | Community Pool and Clubhouse

No view is promised. Views may also be altered by subsequent development, construction and landscaping growth. Square footage/acreage shown is only an estimate and actual square footage/acreage will differ. Buyer should rely on his or her own evaluation of useable area. Plans to build out this neighborhood as proposed are subject to change without notice. The estimated completion date of the community clubhouse and pool is summer 2017. The date of actual completion could substantially differ from the estimated date. Prices, plans and terms are effective on the date of publication and subject to change without notice. Depictions of homes or other features are artist conceptions. Hardscape, landscape and other items shown may be decorator suggestions that are not included in the purchase price and availability may vary. CalAtlantic Group, Inc. California Real Estate License No. 01138346. 7/17

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Pulse

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

HOPPIN’ ON A MOONSHADOW The first total solar eclipse of the 21st century visible in North America takes place on August 21, when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, casting its shadow over the earth. “It’s exciting to a lot of people because eclipses have always been associated with forces beyond our control,” says UC Santa Barbara physics professor Ben Mazin, Ph.D. “There are people who chase these things around.” Celebrations honoring the phenomenon are taking place all across the country. For folks who’d like to include the eclipse in their

summer travel plans, Mazin recommends viewing it—with proper eclipse glasses—in Boise, Idaho, or its outlying desert areas, because meteorologists predict the region will have the fewest clouds. For those on the Central Coast, where the moon will block out 63 percent of the sun at 10:18 a.m., Mazin recommends viewing from places that are away from the coastal marine layer, such as Lake Cachuma or Santa Ynez. Alternatively, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (sbnature.org) is hosting a live feed from its observatory. —Erin Rottman 805LIVING.COM / JULY • AUGUST 2017

Pulse

GRAND FINALE

The music, dance, and romantic traditions of Fiesta, Santa Barbara’s 93rd annual Old Spanish Days celebration beginning on August 2, culminate on August 6 with the festive Fiesta Finale Gala staged by The John E. Profant Foundation for the Arts (profantfoundation.org) at El Paseo Restaurant. A selection of operatic songs, flamenco, and a tableau vivant (living picture) enlivens the evening of dinner and dancing. Best of all, the celebration contributes to scholarships for developing artists of all ages and in all media. —Joan Tapper

SIPPIN’ ON SUNSHINE When Douglas Martin launched Sunshine Bottle Works (sunshinebottleworks. com), a line of all-natural sodas made in Paso Robles, his aim was to offer sparkling drinks devoid of artificial aromas, flavors, and stabilizers. “Do you know companies put additives in root beer to make the foam stand up?” he says. “It’s silly.” Made from only natural ingredients, Martin’s beverages are sweetened with cane sugar. Varieties include cream soda, root beer, and spezi, a blend of cola and orange soda that’s popular in Germany, where Martin resided for 16 years. His next release: ginger beer, coming this fall. —Jaime Lewis

Performers create a living picture at the Fiesta Finale Gala.

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

At Stir, the coffee shop just off the lobby at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village (fourseasons.com/westlakevillage), Gelato Happy Hour every Saturday and Sunday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. features a buy-one, get-one-free offer on such artisanal flavors as mint chocolate chip and passion fruit sorbet, now through September. Bring a friend, or keep that second scoop for yourself.  —Victoria Renfrew

FAR LEFT: SIGRID TOYE

DID SOMEONE SAY FREE GELATO?

REAL ESTATE

featuring...

Pembrooke

2760 Queens Garden Drive - 6,680 sq ft Offered @ $4,925,000

The Pembrooke is 5 bedrooms, 5 1/2 baths, plus a powder room. Amenities abound with a spacious Ground Floor Master Suite, gourmet kitchen around an island with top of the line built ins & granite counter tops, gorgeous sunlit Breakfast Room, an open Great Room leading to the magnificent outdoor covered patio & views. Estate is outfitted with the newest home automation & technology, including Savant Home Automation & Lutron Lighting Systems.

Also nearing completion:

Stillwater

2385 Calbourne Court - 6,459 sq ft Offered @ $4,850,000

Monica Grisolia bre (#01108133)

Lorie Alaimo bre (#01901391)

805.373.5992 sherwoodrealestate.com Obtain the Property Report required by Federal law and read it before signing anything. No Federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy in any state where prior registration is required. Availability of certain amenities is not assured, and may require a separate agreement and payment of additional fees. In the constant endeavor to maintain the quality of the Sherwood community, the developer reserves the right to modify maps, floor plans, exteriors, specifications, features, and product types without notice or obligation. Any models shown do not reflect a racial preference. If you have any questions regarding the Sherwood community, please contact the sales office of Castle & Cooke California, Inc, License #01254164 at (805) 373-5992.

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

Hound Effects Fetching gear for man’s best friend. By Jennie Nunn

Waxed-cotton bed by Found My Animal ($190 for medium); Shaggy Chic Pet Boutique, Agoura Hills, shaggychicpetboutique.com.

805LIVING.COM / JULY • AUGUST 2017

Finds

1 2 3

5 4

6 7 1. “Brentwood” leash by Chief Furry Officer ($30); Shaggy Chic Pet Boutique, Agoura Hills, shaggychicpetboutique.com. 2. Jax & Bones peace sign rope toy ($13); General Store Paso Robles, generalstorepr.com. 3. Seaside Summer navy checkered bandana ($10); Petco, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Camarillo, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Lompoc, and Paso Robles; petco.com. 4. Oak-and-iron bowl set ($189 for medium); RH, The Promenade at Westlake, Westlake Village, and Santa Barbara; rh.com. 5. Pet and lint brush by The Laundress ($60); Susan Willis Ltd., Carpinteria, susanwillisltd.com. 6. “Carpenter Bag” carrier ($160); wagwearcom. 7. “Croquet” rubber ball by Harry Barker ($14); Maddie Mae’s Pet Pantry, Cambria, maddiemaespetpantry.com. 

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

Finds Style By Frances Ryan

Trunk Show Hang 10 in this retro-inspired swimwear.

1. Rhythm “Trim Trunk” surf shorts ($64); PacSun, Thousand Oaks, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Pismo Beach; pacsun.com. 2. Laird “Punch” board shorts ($75); Becker Surf, Malibu, beckersurf.com. 3. “Ananas” swim shorts ($118); AllSaints at Malibu Lumber Yard, allsaints.com.

4. “Bilko” striped swim shorts ($109); Ted Baker at Malibu Country Mart, tedbaker.com.

7. “Wavefarer Exotic Floral” board shorts ($69); Patagonia, Ventura, patagonia.com.

5. “Wavefarer Fitz Stripe” board shorts ($69); Patagonia, Ventura, patagonia.com.

8. Birdwell “310” board shorts ($95); In the Field, Ojai, inthefieldojai.com; and birdwell.com.

6. Multistripe 9-inch board shorts ($70); J.Crew, Thousand Oaks and Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park; jcrew.com.

9. Peter Millar “Capri” floral swim trunks ($168); K. Frank, Santa Barbara, kfrankstyle.com.  .

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

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

Just Add Fire

For professional chef John Cox, firing up coals brings back the thrill and comfort of his earliest grill experiences.

Herb-Stuffed Summer Squash Keeping up with the bounty of fast-growing summer vegetables sometimes calls for innovation. With this two-step cooking process, a simple grilled squash is transformed into a sumptuous side or a main course for a light summer meal.

Serves 4 4 large yellow crookneck squash

2 cups goat cheese 4 egg yolks 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup panko crumbs, lightly toasted 2 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese (Cox suggests a microplane for this) Heat a low bed of coals in the Big Green Egg grill to 350 degrees F. Place four whole squash on the grill and cook with lid closed for 15 minutes, or until slightly soft, turning every 5 minutes. Remove squash from heat, and when cool enough to handle, cut each in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out the tender seed core, place in a bowl, and add the goat cheese, egg yolks, chopped herbs, salt and pepper, adjusting seasonings to taste. Fill each squash with the mixture, top with panko crumbs and grated parmesan cheese to cover. Now bring the BGE up to 500 degrees F. Arrange the squash in a cast iron pan, and cook with lid closed just until the parmesan turns golden brown.

Cooking Tip The use of domed clay cookers dates back thousands of years, when tools had to be durable and extremely versatile. In modern times, this preparation in the Big Green Egg allows the delicate squash to retain all of its moisture content during low-heat cooking, with a final browning that only comes from a carefully regulated high-heat.

“This is my own interpretation of a dish my mom used to make for us when we were growing up. The Big Green Egg gives the tender squash a rustic, smoky quality that I love!” – Chef John Cox

ver since first grilling in his parents’ backyard, chef John Cox found a deep appreciation for the magic and simple pleasure of preparing meals for friends and family. “There’s something about sparks snapping off of hot coals, the glowing embers, that remind us of the true, primal nature of food and cooking," says Cox. At The Bear and Star restaurant in Santa Ynez Wine Country, his grill of choice is the Big Green Egg for its ability to hold a steady temperature at every range, from baking cakes to firing pizza. “It delivers in ways that aren’t possible using your parents’ backyard grill,” he says, “but its nostalgic design makes it feel familiar.”

Barbeques Galore Barbecues Galore is proud to be the largest authorized Big Green Egg dealer in Southern California. Stop by and ask our EGGsperts about The Ultimate Cooking Experience. Agoura Hills 28501 Canwood St., 818-483-7850 Simi Valley 1263 Simi Town Ctr. Way, 805-526-1592 West LA 11021 W. Pico Blvd., 310-914-9693 www.bbqgalore.com

Finds Style By Frances Ryan

3 Merona large straw tote ($35); Target at The Shoppes at Westlake, Westlake Village, Moorpark, Camarillo, The Collection at RiverPark, Oxnard, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and Paso Robles; target.com.

Mar Y Sol “Montauk” ($139); Nordstrom, Thousand Oaks, Paseo Nuevo, Santa Barbara, and Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park; nordstrom.com.

Kayu “Piñata” ($138); J.Crew, Thousand Oaks and Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park; jcrew.com.

Totes Cool

4 Sans Arcidet “Basket” ($210); Victoire at Malibu Country Mart, monvictoire.fr.

Make a splash by the pool or at the beach with these stylish woven carryalls.

5 Vitamin A “Tash” natural ($195); Neiman Marcus at Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park, neimanmarcus.com; and vitaminaswim.com.

7 Rebecca Minkoff “Multicolor” ($195); Nordstrom, Thousand Oaks, Santa Barbara, and Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park; nordstrom.com.

6 Mar Y Sol “Ibiza” ($139); Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, fourseasons.com/westlakevillage.

8 Seafolly “Carried Away PomPom” ($102); Neiman Marcus at Westfield Topanga, Canoga Park, neimanmarcus.com. 

Most Charming North Ranch Home In Park-Like Setting! 1502 Falling Star Avenue, Westlake Village

Charming, beautifully remodeled North Ranch home on an extra large lot. From the impressive courtyard entrance, this distinctive home is perfect for one that appreciates a blend of luxury & comfort. Formal entry leads to separate living & family rooms, both with lovely fireplaces and cathedral ceilings. Remodeled kitchen with SubZero & wine fridge, 6 burner gas range, warming drawer, built-in desk & adjoining breakfast room. Master suite encompasses over one-third of the 2nd floor and makes a perfect private retreat.

Offered at $1,995,000 - www.1502FallingStar.com

Sigi & Pam 818.879.2999 Luxury CollectionSM Specialists sigiandpam@sigiandpam.com www.sigiandpam.com Sigi CalBRE # 00589771 / Pam CalBRE # 00669728

Associate Brokers. ÂŠ2017 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.ÂŽ Equal Housing Opportunity.

Finds Travel By Erin Rottman

HOLIDAY IN THE DESERT Unlike Palm Springs motels that have simply been redesigned to look midcentury modern, Holiday House (holidayhouseps. com; from $199) boasts actual historical significance. Built in 1951, it was designed by Herbert Burns, whose architecture helped to define Palm Springs modernism. The recently restored 28-room boutique hotel maintains its original architecture but with a pop of playfulness. Throughout the adults-only property, the artwork includes pieces by David Hockney and Ramp up the comfort while camping beside Zion National Park’s famous red-striped cliffs in a luxurious Under Canvas tent equipped with beds, bathrooms, wood-stove heating, and adjoining tepees.

ritish-born Sarah Dusek had fun camping as a kid, despite the fact that her excursions were often punctuated by rain. “It was always a very wet affair,” says Dusek. Inspired by an upscale safari experience in Zimbabwe in 2000, she and her husband, Jacob, started Under Canvas, a collection of U.S. properties at which they offer luxurious camping accommodations and adventures. The newest location opens in August at Utah’s Zion National Park. Nestled next to Zion’s pink and red sandstone cliffs, the 196-acre Under Canvas (undercanvas.com/camps/zion; from $299) property features five dozen tents, each accommodating up to four

guests, with bathrooms, wood stoves, and area rugs. Stargazer tents have glass viewing windows above the beds. A campfire-themed restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating and a menu with locally sourced ingredients. Dishes include a smoked pork belly sandwich with sage honey served with grilled peaches and boar ribs with ancho chili pepper sauce and a side of radish slaw. It’s a great way to fuel up for the adventure offerings, such as private rock-climbing, biking, and helicopter tours and guided canyoneering activities for kids. “We want to be a bridge for people to get out and enjoy the outdoors,” Dusek says.

HOT TIP View the flight of Andean condors at Belmond’s newest luxury hotel in Peru, Belmond Las Casitas (belmond.com/las-casitascolca-canyon), a collection of 20 bungalows with private terraces and heated plunge pools in the Arequipa region of the Andes. If South America isn’t on this year’s travel agenda, opt for a staycation at the equally luxe Belmond El Encanto (belmond.com/el-encanto-santabarbara) in Santa Barbara, more affordable now that every third night is half off through the end of the year. Peruvian dancers perform in traditional costume.

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

In a welcoming nook in the lobby, wheatcolored egg chairs and graphic artwork stand out against the new blue-and-white scheme that runs throughout Palm Springs’ historic Holiday House boutique hotel. An array of umbrellas carry the theme to the pool area.

Herb Ritts as well as pop-graffiti street artist Mr. Brainwash. For the guest rooms, Los Angeles–based designer Mark D. Sikes incorporated vivid blues with bright whites as well as bold zigzag, floral, and butterfly patterns to create what he calls “a welcoming energy that feels happy.” To complement the blue and add warmth, Sikes mixed rattan fabrics and brass finishes. “Using blue for the main color of the hotel wasn’t an option; it was a necessity,” he says. “I felt the energy it would create.”

TENTS: COURTESY OF UNDER CANVAS; LOBBY AND POOL: ZEKE RUELAS; DANCERS: COURTESY OF BELMOND

STARGAZING IN ZION

SCHEDULE YOUR PREVIEW TOUR TODAY

COMING THIS SUMMER TO VENTURA’S WESTSIDE 3 EXCEPTIONAL NEW HOME NEIGHBORHOODS/ 3 COMMUNITY PARKS ALONDRA Stylish Townhomes Up to 2,045 Sq. Ft. and 4 Bedrooms From the Mid $400,000s

LADERA Single-Family Homes Up to 2,604 Sq. Ft. and 5 Bedrooms From the Mid $500,000s BARCELO Single-Family Homes Up to 2,971 Sq. Ft. and 5 Bedrooms From the Low $600,000s COMMUNITY PARK

ALONDRA RENDERING

LADERA RENDERING

BARCELO RENDERING

Pre-sales have begun at Solana Heights, a new community only 2 miles from Ventura’s downtown and close to shopping and dining, the Pacific Coast and local freeways. Visit our sales center for details on inaugural homes now selling. 204 Chickasaw Street | Ventura, CA 93001 | 805-665-6085 | SolanaHeights@CalAtl.com | SolanaHeights.com

Square footage/acreage shown is only an estimate and actual square footage/acreage will differ. Buyer should rely on his or her own evaluation of useable area. Completion and/or move-in dates are estimated. Plans to build out this neighborhood as proposed are subject to change without notice. The estimated completion date of the community park is Fall 2017. The date of actual completion could substantially differ from the estimated date. Prices, plans and terms are effective on the date of publication and subject to change without notice. Depictions of homes or other features are artist conceptions. This community is part of Maintenance Assessment District #23, which provides funding for streetlights on public streets and alleys, drainage improvements, sewer improvements, street and alley improvements, and parks and park facilities for all District residents. CalAtlantic Group, Inc. California Real Estate License No. 01138346. 7/17

Finds Travel

CAMPY BIG BEAR Noon Lodge (noonlodge.com; from $185) in Big Bear Lake is paying tribute to summer camp with its updated cabins, available in various sizes, including a studio, a studio plus kitchen, a one-bedroom and loft, and three-bedrooms with wood laminate floors, pouf ottomans, and kilim throw pillows. “It feels on trend and stylish, yet it still maintains that old-school camping mountain vibe,” says manager Alexia Brooks, of the boutique lodge, which is set in a quiet residential neighborhood. Guests are welcome to enjoy the property’s six outdoor areas with picnic tables and barbecues, bocce ball and cornhole games, and a swimming pool, which is open through Labor Day. Cruiser bikes are available for the mile-long ride into town. Fireplaces, wood wainscoting, and references to wildlife add to the cozy appeal of Big Bear Lake’s Noon Lodge cabins.

WEST COAST WALDORF

The Big Apple’s loss is the 90210’s gain: A new Beverly Hills location brings Waldorf Astoria–style luxury and service to the West Coast.

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

CABIN EXTERIOR: NICOLE MOSER; CABIN INTERIORS: CHIULING; HOTEL ROOM AND LOGO: WILLIAM RUST

ollowing the closing of New York’s iconic though well-worn Waldorf Astoria, birthplace of the Waldorf salad, came last month’s opening of the contemporary art deco Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills (waldorfastoriabeverlyhills. com; from $815) at Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards in Los Angeles. Every room has an outdoor patio and an unobstructed view of Beverly Hills, the Hollywood Hills, or Century City. Lighting, draperies, temperature, and televisions are controlled via iPads with Apple AirPlay, and the new construction has allowed for lightning-speed Internet. Designed by PierreYves Rochon, the firm behind the Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, the property features La Prairie Spa and the largest rooftop pool and lounge area in Beverly Hills. Upon booking, each guest is assigned a personal concierge—there are 31 of them— who is available to unpack luggage, shine shoes, and make reservations at the hotel’s restaurant Jean-Georges Beverly Hills. “That concierge,” says sales and marketing director Vanessa Williams, “will really be the right hand and left hand of the guest.” 

5006 Read Road Thousand Oaks, CA 93021 Offered at: $1,999,900

THE ART OF SELLING... BECAUSE HOMES DON’T SELL THEMSELVES

Tim Freund, Estates Director (805) 427-3008 www.1000oaksrealestate.com Tim@1000oaksrealestate.com CalBRE #01078771 Dilbeck Real Estate | Christie’s Int’l Real Estate 850 – A Hampshire Road Westlake Village, Ca 91361 Information provided by seller or third-party sources. Information not verified or guaranteed. Some features may be without permits. Buyer to investigate all measurements.

Go Carlsbad By Heidi Dvorak

Visit the Village by the Sea

here may seem to be no reason to leave the luxe Omni La Costa Resort & Spa (omnihotels. com)—a mini city in itself with more than 600 rooms, 17 tennis courts, a world-class spa, gourmet restaurants, two championship golf courses, eight pools, The Chopra Center, and the only signature Lilly Pulitzer store on the West Coast—but please do. Carlsbad is so much more than its famous resort.

Get Wet

Voted one of the Top 10 Fittest Cities in America in 2016 by the American College of Sports Medicine, the quaint town on 7 miles of pristine coastline has three lagoons and a lake, making it the perfect outdoor sports paradise.

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

Surfers usually head for South Ponto and Terramar beaches; joggers, skaters, and electric bike riders (Pedego Carlsbad is beachclose; pedegoelectricbikes. com) take to the 4-mile path above Carlsbad State Beach. Tucked between cliffs, the secluded South Carlsbad State Beach is optimal for sunbathing, barefoot jogging on silky sand, and bluff-top camping. Batiquitos Lagoon is a popular fishing hole with a 2-mile hiking trail teeming with wildlife. And, of course, there are ample opportunities for kayaking, paddle-boarding, beach volleyball, swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, and windsurfing, plus wet and wild adventures at Legoland Water Park (legoland.com).

Shop

An absence of chain stores makes shopping in the

Comforts of Carlsbad (clockwise from above): The tide reaches in to kiss the bluffs. With dishes like this coconut and lime–marinated ceviche, a mingling of local halibut, mango, serrano, Thai basil, and avocado, there’s no roughing it at Campfire. The restaurant’s interior evokes family camping trips past. The Edge Pool, one of eight, awaits at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.

DISH: LYUDMILA ZOTOVA; DINING TABLE, STEPHEN WHALEN; OPPOSITE, TAPS: CODY HOLECOMBE

Don’t overlook the lesser-known attributes of this luxurious beach community.

Sabor

COCINA MEXICANA

Coastal commodities (from top): sunny styles by Lilly Pulitzer; tastings on tap at Humble Olive Oils.

downtown village a treat. Find a remarkable gift for Father’s Day at Guy Stuff (guystuffusa.com), which caters to those of the macho male persuasion. Sift through Civil War items, World War II posters, a suit of armor, pipes, and swords, or just have a spirited political debate with owner Robert Perkins. Take home local original art from The Foundry Artist Studios at New Village Art, where the creative process can be observed in the artists’ own work spaces. Think you know EVOO? Try the ultra-premium extra-virgin variety at Humble Olive Oils (humbleoliveoils.com), where 60 oils and vinegars await sampling from stainless-steel fustis.

Learn

Tour the Museum of Making Music (museumof makingmusic.org), dedicated to the history of musical

instruments. You’ll find an early model of the Telecaster guitar, one of 500 in the world. Have a jam session or try Phototonics, wearable sensors that work with an app to let you create music driven by your movements.

Eat and Drink

Beer goes high tech at Barrel Republic (barrelrepublic. com). Just put on an electronic bracelet (hooked up to your credit card) and it registers self-pours from more than 42 beer taps as well as wine and soda taps. Food-wise, you won’t get burned at Campfire (thisiscampfire.com), where “forest rangers” take orders and fiery elements influence the menu. Dining here is a sensory experience, with fire-driven dishes such as smoked chicken, grilled asparagus Caesar, and roasted fish, as well as drinks flavored with smoke, Douglas fir, and charcoal. 

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Insider EVENTS IN & AROUND THE 805 By Heidi Dvorak July 13–23:

July 31

LEND ME A TENOR: THE MUSICAL

VENTURA MUSIC FESTIVAL: AN AMERICAN SEASON

Solvang Festival Theater. The old mistaken identities storyline is the culprit when it comes to unexpected romance, surprises, and goofy switcheroos in this musical comedy about an opera star in 1934 who becomes unexpectedly incapacitated; pcpa.org.

Ventura locations. Headlining this tribute to America is Michael Feinstein with songs from the Great American Songbook. Performers include jazz pianist Roger Kellaway, the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band, piano duo Anderson & Roe, Nuvi Mehta & Friends, and vocalist Perla Batalla’s tribute to Leonard Cohen; venturamusicfestival.org.

MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST 70TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY CONCERT

July 13 HAPPY TOGETHER TOUR

The Canyon, Agoura Hills. Nostalgia rocks as never before at this multiband concert with pop groups of the ’60s and ’70s. Onstage are the Turtles’ Flo and Eddie, the Association, the Cowsills, the Box Tops, the Archies’ Ron Dante, and Chuck Negron formerly of Three Dog Night; canyonclub.net.

7/6 – 9

Here’s an Idea: Thursday nights just got to be the best nights of the week. Starting on July 6 and continuing through August 31 music fills The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard with its free summer concert series ROCK THE COLLECTION. So bring lawn chairs and be entertained by the likes of Dirty Rice, Led Zepagain, SouthBound and Company, Garth Guy, DSB, The Long Run, Stone Soul, Queen Nation, and Killer, Cash & the King; thecollectionrp.com.

July 22 FESTIVAL MOZAIC

Visiting artists comprise an all-star orchestra with musicians from top symphonies and chamber ensembles. The two-week festival includes midday mini concerts, master classes, preconcert lectures, open rehearsals, a chamber music series, an orchestra series, and a fringe series; festivalmozaic.com.

Family Fun Through September 10

BUGS … OUTSIDE THE BOX

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. No microscope is needed for a view of these giant bug sculptures; sbnature.org. July 6–9 WEST COAST CUB FLY-IN

Lompoc Airport. What’s flour bombing? Find out at this annual gathering of flightrelated activities. Peruse historic aircraft, observe flying events, like a spot landing and the aforementioned flour bombing, and interact with pilots; fly-ins.com.

are also rides, a carnival, a beer and wine garden, a petting zoo, camel and pony rides, and musical tribute bands galore; camarillofiesta.com. July 14–July 23

PETER PAN

Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center. Pixie dust is provided at this musical starring the boy who refused to grow up. It’s a high-flying show featuring the songs “I’m Flying,” “I’ve Gotta Crow,” “I Won’t Grow Up,” and “Never Never Land”; cabrillomusictheatre.com. August 2–13

July 13–16

VENTURA COUNTY FAIR

CAMARILLO FIESTA AND STREET FAIR

Ventura County Fairgrounds. Rooted in Tradition is the theme of this year’s fair, making it extra-special for

Camarillo Old Town. Classic cars are a gas here, but there

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

La Playa Stadium, Santa Barbara City College. An ocean-side venue serves as the location of the city’s largest classical music event in history. Maestro Alan Gilbert conducts his final performance as music director of the New York Philharmonic with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. A fireworks display over the ocean concludes the evening; musicacademy.org. August 27 IDINA MENZEL

Vina Robles Amphitheatre, Paso Robles. The voice of Frozen’s Elsa and the character of Maureen in Rent knocks it out of the park with her Broadway and film hits, as well as her own compositions; vinaroblesamphitheatre.com.

area natives. Along with a horse show and lots of fun food, there are exhibits on agriculture, art, floriculture, gems and minerals, hobbies and collections, home arts, livestock, photography, small and large livestock, Uncle Leo’s Barn, and a youth expo; venturacountyfair.org. August 12 A FAERY HUNT MAGIC IN SHERWOOD FOREST

Corriganville Park, Simi Valley. Bring the kids in costume to Fairyland, a magical place where the Faery Folk and Faery Royalty reside. An interactive performance allows kids to participate as they make their way through Sherwood Forest and become part of the story; afaeryhunt.com. >

FROM TOP: COURTESY OF PCPA; JASON REYNOLDS

7/–2 3

July 6–23

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Hot Ticket

Book your seats now for these upcoming events. JULY Ongoing: Featuring seven sculptures, RODIN AND HIS LEGACY is a prime example of the impact that father of modern sculpture Auguste Rodin made on the art world. The most influential sculptor of the 19th century, he mastered the human form using conventional materials such as bronze, marble, plaster, and clay. Through his masterful twists and turns sculpted of the human body, he brought forth a range of emotions since unduplicated in the classic tradition; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, sbma.net. Through July 17: In the exhibit A CERTAIN VIEW, 15 contemporary artists from Ventura and Los Angeles counties perceive the world through various mediums; Kavli Theatre Gallery, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, civicartsplaza.com. Through July 28: Look skyward to see a panda, butterflies, birds, a caterpillar, and other fantastical creatures fashioned into kites by the legendary illustrator of the settings in Bambi in PAINTING THE SKY: THE KITES OF TYRUS WONG.

Wong passed away last year at the age of 106, but his creations still fly high; Malibu City Hall, malibuartsandculture.org. Through August 6: Next to the beauty of the actual California summer solstice, 26 paintings on large canvases in THE SECRET PAINTINGS do the season proud. The images created by California artist Michael Pearce include a fourpanel 32-foot-long painting that replicates a circle of beautiful girls celebrating the sun, a magician casting a spell, a skeletal angel of death wading through a sea of skulls, and a pilgrim traveling in a floral landscape. The paintings pay homage to cultural icons, including Harry Potter books, the Bible, The Da Vinci Code, and medieval tarot cards; Museum of Ventura County, venturamuseum.org. Through August 6: The 21st season of the KINGSMEN SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL, an outdoor theatrical event, features two Kingsmen Shakespeare Company productions: Loveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Labourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lost and Julius Caesar. The first play follows the antics of the King of Navarre and his four companions who take an oath to devote themselves to three years of study and fasting and to give up women. However, the Princess of France and her ladies arrive in Navarre and test their resolve. Based upon historical characters from ancient Rome, the second play deals with politics and deception; Kingsmen Park, California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, kingsmenshakespeare.org. Through August 20: Take a figurative journey at YOU ARE GOING ON A TRIP, an exhibition of

works on paper produced between the 1940s and 1970s that evoke metaphoric destinations. Organized by themes, including dreams, icons, home and travel, history, and humans and wildlife, the works represent a variety of styles including realist, expressionist, surrealist, and pop; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, sbma.net.

Lydia Gable Realty Group Strategic | Savvy | Sold M E D E A

VA L L E Y

E S TAT E

Through September 3: Learn about the vaquero culture at IN THE SADDLE, an exhibit presenting the lifestyle of Mexican cowboys of the area. Along with saddles by legendary makers such as Sherman Loomis, Edward H. Bohlin, and the Visalia Stock Saddle Company, on view are examples of authentic cowboy attire, western art by local artists such as Nicholas Firfires and Edward Borein, and information on the history of the region’s equestrian culture; Santa Barbara Historical Museum, sbhistorical.org. July 15, 22, 29: Everyone has a little ol’ winemaker inside of them, so why not tap into this talent at Opolo Vineyard’s WINE BLENDING PARTIES. The fun starts in the barrel room, where mixing, testing, and tasting take place. Every winemaker gets to create a magnum of a Bordeaux blend, then all wines are judged by an expert tasting panel. The winner gets a trophy and everyone gets to keep their own wine; Opolo Vineyard, Paso Robles, opolo.com. July 21, August 11, September 22: Make it a point to attend one or all of the SUMMER TASTING SERIES events, where top local purveyors, distillers, and winemakers come together to create delicious libations and savory bites at three distinct foodie celebrations: barbecue and beer at Red, White & Brew, white wines and Italian cuisine at the Ferragosto Festival, and the Harvest Crush pig roast; Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore, Santa Barbara, fourseasons.com/santabarbara.

T H R E E

S P R I N G S

R E S O RT

July 27 and 29: A new production of Donizetti’s THE ELIXIR OF LOVE is conducted by Speranza

Scappucci and overseen by Music Academy of the West voice program director Marilyn Horne. The fully staged and costumed opera stars select instrumental fellows as well as voice fellows chosen from 536 applicants; The Granada, Santa Barbara, musicacademy.org. July 29–30: Breeders, trainers, handlers, and canines gather for the LOMPOC VALLEY KENNEL ASSOCIATION DOG SHOW, where judging, strutting, prancing, and posing can make all the difference between a loser and a winner. The show includes sight hound specialties and an allbreed group; Ryon Park, Lompoc, apps.akc.org. July 29–30: Spice up the weekend at the OXNARD SALSA FESTIVAL, where the music, the dance, and the condiment hold court. Enjoy Latin jazz bands, a salsa tasting tent with 50-plus varieties, a marketplace, international food booths, a zone for kids, and recipe and dance competitions; Park Plaza, oxnardsalsafestival.com. >

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Look for our newest location opening early 2017 in Oxnard at The Collection!

AUGUST August 12: Help kids get ready to return to school with a smile at the Malibu Country Mart’s fifth annual SUMMER BLOCK PARTY. The street and shopping center turn into a fun fair for all ages with a petting zoo, face paintings, henna tattoos, tarot cart readings, summer treats, and a mobile photo booth. Get a caricature portrait to remember the occasion; Malibu Country Mart, malibucountrymart.com. August 18–20: Partake of premium vino at the Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance WINE AND FIRE WEEKEND 2017. Festivities include a Friday night barn party, a Saturday seminar, and a grand tasting at La Purisima Mission, where more than 24 member wineries and neighboring restaurants pair world-class wines with grilled local specialties. Many vineyards and tasting rooms are open for tastings; Sta. Rita Hills locations, staritahills.com. August 24–September 10: Cross-dressing is hardly a new phenomenon, even though the plethora of TV shows about the subject beg to differ. In fact, it goes back at least to the time of Will Shakespeare, who mastered a comedic turn at the female-to-male crossover story in TWELFTH NIGHT. Check out the antics of Viola; CPA Solvang Festival Theater, pcpa.org. August 25: Indie alternative rock triples the audience’s pleasure as special guests the Cold War Kids and Joywave share the bill with Young the Giant’s HOME OF THE STRANGE TOUR. The show makes a statement with burnin,’ churnin,’ and often yearnin’ music and lyrics; Santa Barbara Bowl, sbbowl.com.

Santa Barbara’s favorite family owned Mexican restaurant serving traditional handcrafted recipes from the ﬁnest ingredients.

August 26, November 4: Learn about the Tule Village and the traditional Chumash Indian and Colonial Spanish culture at VILLAGE DAYS AT LA PURISIMA MISSION. Visitors can try acorn grinding, basket weaving, making soapstone beads and Tule dolls, and playing Chumash games; La Purisima Mission State Historical Park, Lompoc, lapurisimamission.org.

SEPTEMBER September 8: She’s a hoot and a half: LISA LAMPANELLI takes over where Don Rickles left off as the mistress of insults gets the goat of all ethnicities, political parties, minorities, homosexuals, heterosexuals, and everyone in-between; The Canyon, Agoura Hills, canyonclub.net.

r e s t a u r a n t

Santa Barbara | Goleta | Westlake Village

www.los-agaves.com 48

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

September 8–10: Get into a tuneful groove at the OXNARD JAZZ FESTIVAL, a cultural music celebration offering a diverse mix of jazz, Latin, soul, blues, and R&B. Besides the music, visitors can also enjoy vendor displays and international foods; Oxnard Beach Park, oxnardjazzfestival.com. September 9: Thresh some wheat or stomp some grapes to get a sense of what life was

like at a Spanish mission during the late 1700s and early 1800s at HARVEST MISSION LIFE DAY. Loads of other traditional mission activities are planned for little ones and their elders; La Purisima Mission State Historical Park, Lompoc, lapurisimamission.org.

Show Your Support Fun and fundraising go handin-hand at these local events. JULY July 29: One of the most beautiful places in Montecito is Lotusland, a world-famous garden founded by Madame Ganna Walska in the mid-1900s. Help keep this paradise on earth a place where everyone can enjoy its tranquil setting at LOTUSLAND CELEBRATES, Montecito’s annual fundraising gala. This year’s theme is Avant Garden, which features installations in the gardens presented by Italian fashion house Valentino. It’s also an evening of fashion and includes a farm- and vineyard-to-table dinner set on the grand lawn; Lotusland, Santa Barbara, lotusland.org. July 29–30: The best of the west comes out for A TASTE OF CAMARILLO, a fine wine, craft beer, and gourmet food festival that gives attendees the chance to kick up their heels to the country music of Caught Red Handed. Those with parched throats can settle in at the VIP Lark Saloon and Wet Your Whistle Watering Hole; shoppers can be on the prowl for goods offered up by boutique vendors and a silent auction. The Meadowlark Service League fundraiser benefits local Ventura County charities; Camarillo Ranch, meadowlarkserviceleague.com. July 29, August 26: Take a walk on the wild side and see the mustangs that once roamed the plains at a RETURN TO FREEDOM SANCTUARY TOUR. The docent-guided walking tour allows for observation of the horses who have taken refuge and provides information on their origins, history, and challenges to survive; Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary, Lompoc, returntofreedom.org. July 30: As Dorothy took good care of Toto on their journey down the yellow brick road, so should all humans provide for four-footed, feathered, and scaly creatures on their journeys through life. Join those who take responsibility for the welfare of animals at the WHISKERS OF OZ BRUNCH. Unlimited mimosas, a live auction, live music, and, of course, brunch are on the docket for this pawsome fundraiser. Celebrity fashion stylist Brad Goreski and actress Kaley Cuoco are scheduled to appear; Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, pawworks.org. >

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Insider AUGUST August 13–14: The fifth annual CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER’S CELEBRITY GOLF CLASSIC benefits three charitable organizations: the Kyle Family Foundation, the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo, and the American Diabetes Foundation. Tee off with celebrities and enjoy dinner and an awards reception; Spanish Hills Country Club, Camarillo, bgccam.org. August 17: Applaud those who provide quality medical service to others in need at the 24th annual DAVID FAINER, M.D., & LEO TAUBER, M.D., AWARDS hosted by the Ventura County Medical Resource Foundation. Enjoy dinner, live music by the Midnite Band, and a ceremony in which 10 deserving individuals in the delivery of health care in Ventura County are presented with awards; Ancient Creek at Petersen Ranch, Somis, vcmrf.org.

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August 26: Give a well-deserved shout-out to the companies and individuals who work for the common good through the United Way of Ventura County at the organization’s 13th annual SPIRIT AWARDS GALA. Dinner is followed by the Spirit Awards ceremony, which recognizes contributions made by community and corporate leaders. The memory of Claudia Harrison is honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award; Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, vcunitedway.org.

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August 26: Hoods are popped open for attendees to inspect and admire more than 300 vehicles showcased Danish-style at the WHEELS

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’N’ WINDMILLS CHARITY VINTAGE CAR SHOW.

Awards are given in various categories. Proceeds benefit local and national charities; downtown Solvang, wheelsnwindmills.com.

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September 2–4: There’s nothing like seeing a creative environment to get an idea as to how artists think, work, and conduct their business. So from the hills of Montecito to the Funk Zone, art enthusiasts can visit approximately 45 offthe-beaten-path artists’ studios at the SANTA BARBARA STUDIO ARTISTS OPEN TOUR. This year Santa Barbara Studio Artists partners with 10 West Gallery. On September 1, tourgoers may meet the artists at a reception at the gallery. All profits from the tour benefit the William Sansum Diabetes Center; Santa Barbara locations, santabarbarastudioartists.com. September 10: Spend the afternoon tantalizing your taste buds with all types of fudge, wine, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar at LET’S PARTY FOR A CURE. But save room for dinner at this fundraiser for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America Greater Los Angeles. Proceeds help fund research leading to cures and treatments as well as education and support programs for the more than 90,000 patients living with inflammatory bowel disease in Los Angeles, Ventura County, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and

outlying areas; Los Robles Greens, Thousand Oaks, ccfa.org. September 14: Denim is the suggested dress for the BLUE JEAN BALL, a Ventura County Food Share Regional Foodbank fundraiser. Aside from live entertainment, topnotch food and drinks from local purveyors, a silent auction, and a Jail and Bail, it’s also a celebration of the 90th birthday of founder Jewel Pedi; Walnut Grove at Tierra Rejada Farms, Moorpark, foodshare.com. September 16: Party beneath tethered hot-air balloons and take a balloon ride into the skies at GLOW IN THE PARK, a fundraiser supporting the humanitarian work of Doctors Without Walls and Santa Barbara Street Medicine. It’s a dance party and food fest with gourmet dishes rustled up from top chefs. Dinner is followed by live music, including a Stevie Wonder tribute performed by Tariqh Akoni and his One Night Only Band; Elings Soccer Field, Santa Barbara, sbdww.org.

Coming Soon to Santa Barbara!

Worth a Drive Venture just outside the 805 for these choice events. August 25: There are only 10 of these days a year, so take advantage of FREE ENTRANCE DAYS IN THE NATIONAL PARKS. There are 10 in California, so pick one for a day’s drive: Channel Islands, Cabrillo, Death Valley, Lassen Volcanic, Pinnacles, Point Reyes (it’s referred to as a seashore), Joshua Tree, Yosemite, Redwood National, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon; nps.gov.

Give Back

Whatever your interests, there’s a volunteer opportunity just right for you. Help those face the ends of their lives in peace, dignity, and comfort. OUR COMMUNITY HOUSE OF HOPE in Thousand Oaks provides a loving home environment for those who are dying. Volunteers with medical hospice experience are needed as well as those who can work with caregivers and other volunteers to provide excellent care for guests and their families. Candidates must commit to a 5- to 8-hour shift per week and possess excellent communication skills and the ability to work with people from all walks of life; ourhouseofhope.org.  Whatever your interests, there’s a volunteer opportunity just right for you. 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.

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Mind Body Soul By Elizabeth Turner

Bobbing for Health Science shows float therapy can help relieve anxiety and depression, boost sleep quality, take the edge off chronic pain, and more.

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

of Epsom salts. The salt-dense solution removes gravitational pull so the body floats like a cork, inviting every muscle to relax. With ears submerged, all the floater hears is his own breathing and the occasional surfacing bubble. (Piped-in music is optional.) The skin-temperature water makes it hard to feel the difference between liquid and air. This drastic reduction in external stimuli triggers a deep relaxation response and draws the attention inward. Researchers describe it as a shortcut to the meditative state. Weird Science? The first float tank was developed in the 1950s by neurophysiologist John C. Lilly at the National Institute of Mental Health to test the benefits of sensory reduction on the nervous system. Lilly was also known for floating in the tank while high on LSD, giving naysayers plenty of reason to doubt its legitimacy. (Lilly’s story inspired the 1980 thriller Altered States.) >

44-year-old triathlete and mother of four, Cara Seymour has never gone in for New Age therapies. But years of chronic migraines prompted the Ventura resident to think outside the box. With several prescription medications already in her pain-fighting arsenal, Seymour is always on the lookout for drug-free strategies. So when she stumbled across a Time magazine article about the mind-body benefits of float therapy, she decided to give it a try. Dubbed REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy) by researchers, float therapy has been shown to relieve chronic headache pain, improve sleep quality, and reduce stress, generalized anxiety, and depression. Military veterans use it to alleviate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Athletes, including NBA star Stephen Curry and quarterback phenom Tom Brady, use it for muscle recovery and visualization. In a typical hour-long session, a subject lies back in a large, enclosed tub filled with 10 inches of water and 1,000 pounds

Mind Body Soul Over the decades, float therapy cycled in and out of fashion, as scientists continued investigating. A 1991 study in the International Journal of Psychosomatics compared float therapy to dry REST (in a chamber) and progressive muscle-relaxation exercises for chronic tension headaches. Float therapy had the longest-lasting results—a 57 percent improvement six months post-treatment compared to 34 percent produced by the other therapies. A 2006 study in the International Journal of Stress Management found that after 12 float sessions, people with stress-related pain, anxiety, and depression experienced reductions in all those symptoms plus better sleep. Four months later, the benefits lingered. A study published in 2013 in Strength & Conditioning Research showed that flotation REST significantly reduces lactic acid levels in the blood, speeding post-exercise muscle recovery. New research, nicer tanks, and spa-like environments have sparked a modern resurgence of float centers, especially in big cities. In 2012, the online directory flotationlocations.com listed 74 float spas in the United States. In May 2017 there were 375. Deep Rest Seymour didn’t have to venture far to find a tank. In 2015 the Ventura Float Center (venturafloatcenter.com) opened its doors a few miles from her home. It took three sessions before Seymour felt like she got the hang of it. “The first time I was a little nervous, not knowing what to expect,” she says. “The second time I realized having my arms over my head was my natural weightless sleeping position. After three floats I was perfect on how I needed to get in there and start resting.” She usually falls asleep in the tank. “I’ve never been to space, obviously,” Seymour says, “but this is what I think space would feel like. It’s like the best bed you’ve ever slept on. When I float, I notice that it gives me four days pretty much headache-free. I don’t want to say it’s a cure, because I will still get what I would call a micro-headache.” Seymour has been floating almost weekly for a year, and she’s now considering opening her own float spa in Ventura County. She’s getting plenty of encouragement from Ventura Float Center owner Scott Andrade. Just a few years ago, after leaving a job he was unhappy with at age 48, Andrade wasn’t sure what to do next. “I actually was going to massage school, and the instructor mentioned floating,” he says. “I went home and got on the Internet, and I was stunned.” Andrade found a float center in Torrance and headed south with an open mind. “I needed to figure out what I was going to do with my life, and I heard that you can find answers in the tank,” he says. He didn’t find an answer on the first float, but he kept going back. “I think it was my third time in the tank I had this ‘aha’ moment,” he recalls. Less than a year later, Ventura got its own float spa. Atascadero has one, too. Living Well Gallery & Spa (livingwellgalleryandspa.com) is a lakeside retreat that offers nutritional counseling, massage, and float sessions. Owner Barbara Combs is a big believer in the mood-boosting power of floating. “I had a woman tell me she got a speeding ticket the week of her float,” Combs says. “She said she tried to cry, but she just couldn’t be upset.” 

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Arts & Culture By Joan Tapper

Nature’s Children

Inspiring delight in connecting to the environment.

uriosity. A connection to wilderness. The fun of discovery. A joy in learning. That’s what environmental educator Heather King wants children to experience through the programs of Ventura Wild (venturawild.com), which she founded eight years ago. In part, the idea for the program grew out of her desire to spend quality time with her daughters, who were then 5 and 7. “I wanted the girls to get out there and play in the dirt and notice wildlife. And what I want for my own kids, I think everyone needs,” says King, who has degrees in outdoor education administration and environmental education and is an educator at Oak Grove High School and the International Center for Earth Concerns, both in Ojai. The result is a roster of school-year programs and summer camps—currently under the umbrella of the Ojai Recreation Department—that reaches tots, preteens, and even adults.

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

For her outdoor “classrooms” King draws on Ojai Valley Land Conservancy property, Los Padres National Forest, and Ventura’s state and county parks. “There are a lot of options,” she notes, “and they’re growing.” Indeed, embedded in Ventura Wild is the concept that there’s more wilderness than most of us are aware of and that it’s fairly close at hand. She concentrates on places in Ventura County, with activities meant to help kids and their parents get to know their own ecosystem and habitat. Nurturing Nature Even toddlers can participate. There’s a beginning program for children up to age 2, who are accompanied by parents or caregivers. “It’s a chance for parents to connect with others of similar interests and find out about places to go and to show them how to be safe and comfortable in nature,” says King. That might include learning how to recognize poison oak or what to do if you see a rattlesnake. >

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Arts & Culture Moving up the age spectrum, there are programs for preschoolage children and for children who are home schooled. “For those we do a focused study,” King says, on flowers or on insects, perhaps. The most popular programs in fall, winter, and spring are after school, geared to the 5 to 12 age group, and held in both Ojai and Ventura. The two locations are important. “We’re searching for all variety of kids,” King says. Summer camps are based in Ojai—there’s a series of all-day, one-week camps aimed at different age groups or different interests—but draw youngsters from a wider region, as far as Moorpark and even Los Angeles. Taking Its Course King is quick to point out that she’s not presenting specific school curricula. “Generally, my programs introduce kids to a connection to the environment and a love of it. I try to balance school with something that’s child centered—a joyful experience.” The first step in learning to be a good learner is to learn how to be curious, she says. “I want kids to ask, ‘What’s in the mud?’ or be amazed by seeing a baby dragonfly in the water.” This educational philosophy, sometimes called “coyote mentoring,” is about working with children within their abilities and awareness and then coaxing them to go beyond, highlighting sensory awareness, mind focus, self-reliance, and stewardship. Lest adults feel left out, King has come up with special events, like an overnight backpacking retreat for mothers. “We hike out four miles on the Sespe,” she says. It’s a chance to unhook and sink into nature, to get away and have solitude.” Closer at hand are herb walks, plant-identification sessions in collaboration with forager and native plant guide Lanny Kaufer, as well as a program on bird language. No, that doesn’t mean tweeting. “It’s about learning to recognize bird sounds,” King says, “and how they will tell you what’s happening in the environment around you— understanding the sounds and enjoying them.” It’s not just about identifying species. School-year programs

FOR THE WILD CHILD cost $130 to $135 for

eight two-hour sessions. Revealing Wonders of Summer camp is $275 the Wilderness to $300 per week, five Over the years, Ventura Wild has days a week, from 9 a.m. grown to welcome about 80 kids to 3 p.m. or 9 a.m. to to its varied programs in each of 4 p.m., depending on age. the four seasons. “It’s a goal to be independent, not to get bigger, but to be independent and sustainable. The biggest challenge is staffing,” King says. Ventura Wild maintains a ratio of one adult to every four children. King teaches all the programs with one or two co-leaders, plus perhaps a youth leader or a volunteer. “We’re always growing, looking for good people.” In the meantime, King is happy to share some of her favorite sweet spots for exploring nature: Wheeler Gorge Campground is easy to find and very accessible. And along Route 33, she says, “the North Fork of the Matilija has a lovely little swimming hole. It’s up above the rock quarry, with beautiful water. There kids are really transported to a natural world.” 

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Faces in the Crowd By Victoria Woodard Harvey Photograph by Gary Moss

work life of world travel, perfect waves, and countless idyllic sunsets sounds to many people like a fantasy. But the flip side of a career in professional surfing also means long sleepless flights, lugging unwieldy board bags, and combatting jet lag before a high-stakes competition. It’s not a lifestyle for just anyone, but for pro surfer and Ojai native Sage Erickson, this ride is a gift and an adventure. “I am thankful every day,” she says. “I’m not sure how I got to be so lucky, but I’ll definitely enjoy this for as long as it lasts.”

mother, who taught her “to do right—never compromise people for success,” she says, “to stay humble, and give back.” In her time between traveling to tour destinations in Australia, Fiji, Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, France, and Hawaii, Erickson’s idea of a perfect day in her hometown of Ventura begins at 6 a.m. with morning coffee, meeting a friend to surf her home break at C Street, then fueling up at Café Nouveau, her favorite local breakfast place. She trains rigorously for hours with a cardio coach in Westlake, and finds Pilates, barre, or a hike in the mountains especially therapeutic. Playing guitar and painting are

For the past five years, Erickson has remained among the World Surf League’s top 17 women.

Sage Erickson Currently ranked eighth in the world in the World Surf League women’s circuit, this pro surfer thrives on competition and the simple pleasures of her home in Ventura. 60

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

Since catching her first wave at age 11 on Sunset Beach in Oahu, where her family lived for more than four years, Erickson, who is of Norwegian and Native American descent, has made surfing her life. Natural ability and perseverance led to her become the first surfer from the 805 region to qualify for the World Surf League’s (WSL) professional women’s circuit. For the past five years, she has remained in the WSL’s top 17 out of 100 worldwide competitors. She currently ranks eighth in the ongoing 2017 World Tour that ends this summer in Hawaii. “I am competitive at heart,” Erickson admits, “and staying mentally strong can be hard at times.” For support she relies on her sponsors, a wide network of friends and fans, as well as her family. On challenging competition days far from home, her grandmother sets an alarm to send encouraging text messages before the big paddle out. Erickson attributes much of her positive attitude to her

her choice ways to chill. On a really great day, she gets in a second surf session before dark, and then it’s early to bed. Staying at the top of one’s game is incredibly hard work in any sport, and surf champions worldwide can soon set a new high-water mark when surfing makes its debut in the 2020 Summer Olympics. “The talent level [of pro surfers] is at the highest it’s ever been,” Erickson says, taking it all in stride. The age bracket for women in the WSL this year is 17 to 33, and Erickson, at 26, expects to compete for another three to five years. Down the road, she imagines a simple life at home with a garden and a dog, working possibly as a commentator or a mentor to young women entering the tour, or creating a local surf event for girls in her community. Until then, she is totally committed to pro surfing, and if she stays on her current trajectory, future travel plans could include Tokyo in 2020. Shaka shaka, Sage. 

Upgrades

The Great Escape Enjoy resort-style living in your own backyard. By Frances Ryan Turn to next page >

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Upgrades

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4. Grotto by Perennials “Bazaar” and “Chenille Number 5” outdoor fabrics (call for prices); Patio Princess, Thousand Oaks, patioprincessdesign.com; or to the trade at perennialsfabrics.com. 5. Nine-foot auto-tilt umbrella ($349); ballarddesigns.com. 6. Ice bucket with ash handle ($95); Hudson Grace, Montecito, hudsongracesf.com. 7. Palecek “Kenzie” stool ($518); The Sofa Guy, Thousand Oaks, thesofaguy.com. 8. “Rafter” lounge chair by Celerie Kemble for Lane Venture (from $2,247); Patio World, Thousand Oaks and Woodland Hills; patioworld.net. 

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Good Deeds By Mark Langton

Angels Foster Care

The annual Al Fresco Afternoon on the Riviera fundraiser for Angels Foster Care (angelsfostercare.org) took place in late April amid the gardens of the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara. Guests enjoyed lunch, a fashion show, a raffle, and a marketplace where a percentage of the sales were donated to Angels Foster Care. The organization places infants and toddlers in homes within the counties of Santa Barbara and southern San Luis Obispo. It is different from traditional foster care in that there is never a change in home placement, there is always only one foster child or sibling set per home, and there is always a full-time parent in the home. Founder Meichelle Arntz honored Holly Murphy as Angel Foster Care’s MVP and Nick Salvesen as Volunteer of the Year.

10 Photographs by Monica Montigny

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

1. Meichelle Arntz, Christy Phillip 2. Sheri Mardiat, Peggy Hodson 3. Jill Nida, Holly Murphy, Mary Reynolds 4. Isa Eaton, Sarah Paskin, Marina Delio, Laurie Stone 5. Sara Donen, Vanessa Deford 6. Cami Salvesen, Alissa Parks, Anna Jordan 7. Lizzie Tobias, Suzannah Rake 8. Shelley Schulte, Jenny Hecht 9. Nick Salvesen 10. Allison Bell, Sharon Bolton

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Good Deeds 2

Cancer Support Community Valley/ Ventura/Santa Barbara The Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara’s (cancersupportvvsb.org) Wings of Hope Gala fundraiser took place at the Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in early May. Entertainment was provided by vocalist Carmen Carter, comic Jason Love, and the Durell Coleman Band. The event also saluted individuals for their outstanding commitment to the community; this year’s honorees were Shahryar Ashouri, M.D., philanthropists Tami and David Wank, cancer survivor Steve Furnari, and volunteers Ann Houseal and Lauri Rivetti. The organization dispenses free psychological, emotional, and social support to anyone dealing with cancer. Family members are also encouraged to take advantage of the facility as it is believed that a positive outlook and strong social and family support can improve a cancer patient’s survival, recovery, and quality of life.

Photographs by Mark Langton

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

1. Shahryar and Samar Ashouri 2. Ann and Robert Houseal, Lauri Rivetti 3. McCall James, Rebecca Buck, Gary Bryan, Bridget Karl 4. Donna Klugman, Ken Kossoff, Jackie Kossoff 5. Darius and Zita Rahvar, Diana Malmquist, Ned Davis 6. Beatrice Villavicencio, Isaiah Villavicencio 7. David and Tami Wank, Lisa and Brad Mindlin 8. Arkadi and Ludmilla Shaposhnik 9. Ted and Harriet Wasserman, Eric and Ashli Shapiro 10. Jason Love, Kirk Bell

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Good Deeds The Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse

In late April, the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (cadasb.org) celebrated its 67th anniversary with the 31st annual Amethyst Ball at the Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara. Dubbed Oh What a Night, the event featured the Four Seasons tribute band Walk Like a Man. Established in Santa Barbara in 1949, the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse is the country’s largest organization dealing with the prevention, intervention, and treatment of alcoholism and substance abuse for youths and adults. It provides residential and outpatient programs as well as comprehensive counseling and peer activities.

Photographs by Emily Hart-Roberts/MercuryPress.com 1. Holly Murphy, Diana MacFarlane, Susan Neuman, Betsy Turner 2. Alan Parsons, Catherine Remak 3. Mia Hilf, Peter Hilf 4. Andria Kahmann, John Herzog 5. Nancy and Barney Melekian 6. Lori Luhnow, Joyce Dudley, Bob and Patty Bryant 7. Belita Ong and Gordon Auchincloss 8. Jelinda DeVorzon, Laurel Beebe Barrack, Mireille Noone 9. Mike and Colleen Barnett-Taylor, Hayden Darling, Jennifer and Chance Darling

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818.419.1172 kfieldsrealtor@gmail.com www.kayfieldsrealtor.com CalBRE License #01323396

Buyers advised to verify accuracy of all information through independent inspection by professionals. If your home is currently listed for sale this is not meant as a solicitation. Each office is independently owned and operated.

THE SWEETEST THINGS Irresistible flavor combinations are the main attraction for these locally made palate-pleasers. BY HEIDI DVORAK PHOTOGRAPHS BY GARY MOSS

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OTTON CANDY

HAUTE SUGAR CO.

SAN LUIS OBISPO hautesugarco.com When Savannah Starr’s pretty cart rolls up and the sugar spinning begins, cotton candy memories of yore fade fast. Nothing about what she calls her “cloud puffs” is familiar, least of all the taste—and that’s the true beauty. Made with organic, white raw sugar, the swirled sensations, served atop handmade gold, silver, and glittery cones, include Tangerini with champagne pop rocks, Spicy Mango, Don’t Be Jelly with peanut brittle crunch, Chocolate-Covered Strawberry with crystalized rose petals, Frost Yourself with edible “diamond” sprinkles, and many others. She also makes custom puffs and cones. Savory taste buds might opt for Maple Syrup with smoked cheddar and gold-dusted bacon. Starr’s rental service even pairs her puffs with wine.

805LIVING.COM / JULY • AUGUST 2017

ILKSHAKES

BLVD BRGR CO. CAMARILLO blvdbrgr.com

They’re discussed on Facebook; they’re tagged like crazy. And once you see these pretty-as-a-picture milkshakes in person, it’s next to impossible not to order one. Owner Vincent Pillard creates unique shakes like the Peanut Butter Nutella, the Funfetti Cake Mix, and the Aztec with spicy chocolate and cayenne decorated with edible embellishments like red velvet cupcakes, honey and other drizzles, cookie crumbs, and mini doughnuts. Fond recollections of childhood may even surface with the addition of cereals like Fruity Pebbles and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. “You know how the bottom of the cereal bowl tasted the best when you were a kid?” says Pillard. “We want to re-create that feeling.”

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UNNEL CAKES

SWEETFROG CAMARILLO sweetfrog.com/locations/store/camarillo-ca

What could be better than having your favorite toppings served atop a warm, vanilla funnel cake? While Darla Robinson’s customers are filling out an order form and checking off toppings such as fresh fruit, frozen yogurt, Nutella, cookies, nuts, gummies, poppers, sprinkles, whipped cream, powdered sugar, brownies, and more, the cake goes from deep fryer to plate, with toppings added in a matter of minutes, to preserve that warm sensation. But don’t expect this at just any SweetFrog. Robinson’s creation is only served at her Camarillo franchise, so get ’em while they’re hot.

ARAMEL CORN

CARLA CORN MOORPARK carlacorn.com

You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be at a county fair to get the wonderfully sticky, buttery, salty kick of caramel corn that smacks of sweetness. But owner Carla Keefrider takes it a step further. She uses only real butter and real brown sugar (most cooks use corn syrup, she says) during the small-batch cooking process and infuses natural flavors to get gourmet results. Traditionalists go for the Brown Sugar, but other flavors include Cinnamon Bun, Coffee, Chai, Pumpkin Pie, Spicy, Orange, and Anisette (think: Good & Plenty). Order online or visit her store. At no charge, she even creates custom labels.

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AFFY

MEHLENBACHER’S TAFFY PASO ROBLES mehlenbacherscandies.com

It’s a dilemma everyone should have: Which of the 30-plus varieties of taffy sticks to choose? Owner Alicia Himelson’s been making old-fashioned taffy for a decade and is quick to point out that hers is not the salt-water kind but made with cane sugar and real butter in a copper kettle. Maybe that’s why the soft, slightly chewy sticks melt in your mouth. Summer inspires her to create flavors such as Strawberry Lemonade, Root Beer Float, Watermelon, Orange Cream, and Caramel Apple. Hand-wrapped sticks are sold at Jack Creek Farms (jackcreekfarms.com) in Templeton, General Store Paso Robles (generalstorepr.com), and Farm Supply (farmsupplycompany.com) in Paso, or buy a 12-pack online. 805LIVING.COM / JULY • AUGUST 2017

Candy Land Plan a sweet road trip: Drive from south to north (or reverse) and stock up on these crazy carnival-inspired confections. WOODLAND HILLS It’s like being under the Big Top at Sloane’s (sloansicecream.com) when you order the Circus Box Sundae. It’s served in a pink treasure chest filled with Circus ice cream, which is cotton-candy ice cream accented by Gummy bears. THOUSAND OAKS Newberry Candy (newberrycandy.com) custom rolls caramel apples in a wide selection of candies and other extras to make hundreds of different combinations; call ahead to find out dates for the DIY caramel apple bar. CAMARILLO The Fried Ice Cream cone from the Mister Softee of Southern California truck (mistersofteesocal.com) tastes like the traditional Mexican dessert. The chocolate-dipped cone is rolled in a crunchy layer of cinnamon, sugar, and crushed corn flakes. A store is slated to open soon in Old Town Camarillo. OXNARD For a taste of Guadalajara, try a raspado (shaved ice) made with imported

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fruit syrups at Xielo Artisan Desserts (xielodesserts.com). Quirky candy collectors can revel in the offerings at It’Sugar (itsugar.com), such as a popcornflavored Gummy Corn on the Cob on a stick and a cola-flavored Gummy Turkey Leg. VENTURA Disneyland’s not the only place to get a Dole Whip pineapple drink: Stop in at Coastal Cone (coastalcone.com) at the harbor. CARPINTERIA Get the two most popular flavors of Robitaille’s (robitaillescandies. com) legendary handmade fudge: decadent Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl and Rocky Road. SANTA BARBARA (AND CAMARILLO) Quench your thirst with Lester’s Fixins Bacon Soda With Chocolate at Rocket Fizz (rocketfizz.com). PISMO BEACH Freak out your friends by relishing a Hotlix (hotlix.com) sucker, embedded with scorpions, ants, worms, and other creepy crawlies.

AKE POPS

TALIPOPS VENTURA talipops.com

Talipops are so much more than cake on a stick. Bite into a hula dancer, Hello Kitty, a Lego man, a basketball, spaghetti and meatballs, Chewbacca, or brainstorm a design with cake artist Tali Parnes for a custom pop made at her home-based bakery. The exquisitely sculpted chocolate-dipped masterpiece is a combo of crumbled cake and frosting, touting flavors such as Bailey’s and Cream, Red Velvet, Snickerdoodle, Strawberry Vanilla, Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough, Pumpkin, Lemon, and a vegan option. Soon to come: gluten-free. 

805LIVING.COM / JULY • AUGUST 2017

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER

Dial up the fun on a staycation packed with exhilarating moments like these.

BY ELIZABETH TURNER

Santa Barbara I Instead of going to work, spend a summer morning floating above the scenic Santa Ynez Valley. Sky’s the Limit Ballooning Adventures’ Solving–Santa Barbara Wine Country Flights (santabarbaraballoonrides.com) offers breathtaking views of vineyards, ranches, the coastline, Channel Islands, Lake Cachuma, and the historic towns of Solvang, Buellton, Los Olivos, Santa Maria, and Paso Robles. The daily flights ($240 per person) last 45 to 60 minutes and end back on earth with muffins, fresh fruit, and champagne or mimosas.

Take to the Sky in a Hot-Air Balloon

805LIVING.COM / JULY â&#x20AC;¢ AUGUST 2017

Build a Bonfire on the Beach Lompoc, Avila Beach, and Oceano I Back in the days of

Gidget, beach bonfires were a rite of summer. Environmental regulations have changed the equation, but the tradition lives on at a few 805 beaches. As long as you use the concrete or metal fire rings provided, you can build a bonfire at Lompoc’s Jalama Beach (805-595-5400) and Olde Port Beach (805-595-5400) in Avila Beach. The fire pits are first come, first served, so weeknights are a smart choice. Getting one on a

weekend or holiday may require an early morning stakeout. Call ahead to make sure the rings are on the beach the day you go. If you’re willing to trade tranquility for a sure bet, Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ohv.parks.ca.gov) in Oceano permits bonfires anywhere on the beach, and you can drive your car (four-wheel or all-wheel drive is recommended) onto the sand. Just clear out by 11 p.m. to avoid a camping fee.

Malibu and Santa Barbara I Situated high in the hills, Malibu Wine Safari at Saddlerock Ranch (lasafaris.com) is a 1,000-acre ranch and vineyard and home to a host of exotic animals, including alpacas, zebras, American bison, llamas, Asian water buffalo, and a giraffe. On the 90-minute Explorer Safari ($65 per person) you’ll tour the ranch in a cushy open-air truck, stopping along the way to sample Semler and Saddlerock wines, admire the views, and feed the animals. For an awesome wildlife encounter without the vino, head to the Santa Barbara Zoo (sbzoo.org), where you can reserve a special ticket for $8 (in addition to general admission, $17 adult, $10 child) to hand-feed a family of Masai giraffes, the tallest subspecies and the world’s tallest land mammal.

FROM TOP: © ITSSKIN/ISTOCK.COM; KRIS HOLBROOK; OPPOSITE: GARY MOSS

Feed a Zebra (or a Giraffe)

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Spend the Night in a “Treehouse” Fillmore I Perfect for a couple’s or a solo getaway, this charming Airbnb rental (airbnb.com/ rooms/12849551; about $195 per night) isn’t technically built in trees, but it sure feels like it. The elevated one-bedroom hideaway with mini kitchen and full bath seems to float in a canopy of fragrant orange and avocado trees on a 10-acre working farm. An avocado tree grows through the center of the large deck, which boasts a grill, a built-in couch, and a fire pit. Guests are welcome to visit with the farm’s chickens, ducks, and goats, pick citrus and avocados, collect fresh eggs for breakfast, and sample from the vegetable garden during their stay. 805LIVING.COM / JULY • AUGUST 2017

Splash Around in a Swimming Hole Calabasas I One of Southern California’s best-loved swimming holes, the large Rock Pool at Malibu Creek State Park (malibucreekstatepark.org) offers a cool respite in a dramatic landscape of volcanic peaks and boulders. From the Rock Pool you’ll see climbers scaling the Planet of the

Apes wall made famous in the 1968 movie classic. To avoid the crowds, visit on a weekday or before midday. To get there, park in the main lot ($12), then head west along the easy Crags Road trail. To avoid parking fees, park on Mulholland Drive and take the Grasslands Trail to Crags Road.

6 84

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Catch a Wave! I Specializing in surf instruction for women and girls but welcoming to all, iSurf School (isurfschool.com) offers 90-minute private lessons ($100 including gear) for all ages and skill levels. The school also has semi-private and group lessons and after-school programs for kids. Throughout the summer, iSurf partners with Santa Barbara’s Parks & Recreation department to host a surf camp every weekday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($295 per week). The traveling camp takes kids wherever the best surf conditions are on a given day.

Ventura and Santa Barbara

Saddle Up at the Madonna Inn I No time for a night at the world-famous motor inn? How about an hour-long Madonna Inn Trail Ride (madonnainn.com) with experienced wranglers and gentle, friendly horses? Take a meandering ride through Madonna Inn Ranch and up Madonna Mountain for eye-popping views of San Luis Obispo, the Edna Valley, Bishop’s Peak, and Laguna Lake. The popular $65 trail rides are beginner- and kid-friendly, and for $80, you can upgrade to a ride-and-taste package that ends with wine and cheese back at the inn.

OPPOSITE: GARY MOSS; THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: COURTESY OF THE MADONNA INN; © IVAN JEKIC/ISTOCK.COM

San Luis Obispo

Paddle Morro Bay at Sunset I Soak up the magic hour on a leisurely Sunset Paddle with Central Coast Outdoors (centralcoastoutdoors.com). The three- to three-and-a-half-hour kayak tour ($85) begins two-anda-half hours before sunset, so you can soak up the natural rhythms of the bay as the beach crowds wind down. When the sun starts to set, you’ll paddle over to the Morro Bay Sandspit and settle into the dunes

Los Osos

for a drink and hors d’oeuvres. “We’re on the sandspit when the sun is setting on the ocean,” says company co-owner Virginia Flaherty. “On those evening trips, you have the place to yourself.” Also, check out the company’s newest Sea Otter Harbor Paddle ($56 to $130), a more strenuous trip that beelines to the northern part of the bay, where sea otters float and frolic with their pups.

Ojai I Boutique hotel meets glamping paradise at Ojai’s Caravan Outpost (caravanoutpost.com). Eleven high-style Airstream trailers mingle with the palm trees in a whimsical tropical garden setting. Nightly rates for new and vintage trailers of various sizes start at $179, and all include Wi-Fi, air

conditioning, kitchens, private baths with showers, and semiprivate patios. The outpost offers a fleet of loaner bikes for exploring the town, and a groovy gift shop sells locally made wares. In the evenings, guests gather around a communal campfire for wine, s’mores, impromptu music, and fireside chats under the stars.

COURTESY OF CARAVAN OUTPOST; OPPOSITE: ANDIE RINDAL

Glamp Out at an Airstream Oasis

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10 11

Soar on a Zip Line Above Santa Margarita Ranch Santa Margarita

I A zip line

tour with Margarita Adventures (margarita-adventures.com) is a double thrill ride for history buffs. The two-and-a-half-hour tour zips across the valleys and vineyards of Santa Margarita Ranch, which was settled in the 1770s by Franciscan missionaries who raised cattle, planted grapes, and built the

assistance mission Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia. Participants learn about ranch history on the scenic bus ride to the property, then hop on a series of six zip lines for a bird’s-eye view of vineyards, plant and wildlife habitats, and maybe even cows from one of California’s oldest continuing cattle operations.

Hike to the Serenity Swing I High on a hill above Poly Canyon and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the aptly named Serenity Swing hangs from a lone oak tree. From this swinging perch, you can view Bishop Peak to the south, Cuesta Ridge to the east, and Morro Rock rising up from the Pacific. Getting there requires a two-mile hike that starts easy but has a steep final push. Bring water and sunscreen, as there isn’t much shade on the trail. For a detailed map, search Serenity Swing Trail on Google Maps.

San Luis Obispo

Visit a Waterfall Thousand Oaks I California waterfalls, which are flowing particularly well after the past epic rainy season, merit a visit this summer. A favorite with families is Paradise Falls in Wildwood Regional Park (cosf.org). Follow

Paradise Falls Trail, an easy, dogfriendly, almost three-mile loop, to the 40-foot waterfall. There isn’t much shade on this hike, so bring water and sunscreen, and consider taking a break under the wooden teepee when you pass it on the trail.  805LIVING.COM / JULY • AUGUST 2017

www.gabor.de

Taste FOOD / WINE / DINING OUT

Ice Cream Rises to the Top Three chefs share gourmet recipes for fresh takes on the frosty favorite. By Jaime Lewis

ICE-CREAM CONES A freshly made waffle cone fills the house with a deliciously toasty aroma and makes a tasty vehicle for any ice cream. This recipe from Jeni Britton Bauer makes crispy cones with a buttery, nutty flavor. They are best eaten the day they are made but will keep for a week in a sealed container. Waffle-cone irons and rollers are available at Bed Bath & Beyond (bedbathandbeyond.com) and Target (target.com) as well as from online sources. Makes 8 medium cones (4 to 6 inches tall and 2 inches across the top) 2 large egg whites ¼ cup heavy cream ½ cup sugar ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract

JULY • AUGUST 2017 / 805LIVING.COM

com) followed a similar path. A cookbook author who opened her first scoop shop in Montecito in 2012, Trovato was previously employed as a food stylist, writer, and recipe developer. She found ice cream to be the perfect canvas for flavors like Black Pepper Pistachio and Honey Lavender, featuring farm-fresh ingredients. Today, she has four shops plus a retail factory in Carpinteria and is opening her fifth location in the Westfield Century City mall this August. As for her business model, she says, “If you don’t crave it at three in the morning, I don’t make it.” Included with the recipes here for creative flavors from Bauer and Trovato is an inventive formula from executive chef Thomas Drahos of the newly opened Blue Heron Restaurant (blueheronbaywood.com) in Los Osos–Baywood Park. Although Drahos’ specialty at the restaurant is contemporary coastal cuisine, he has a background in pastry and a flair for scientific experimentation. Try his Popcorn Ice Cream. With caramel sauce and nuts on top it tastes like Cracker Jack, he says.

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly ⅔ cup all-purpose flour Turn on waffle-cone iron. Combine egg whites and cream in a medium bowl and whisk to combine well. Add sugar, salt, and extracts and whisk for about a minute to combine well. Whisk in melted butter. Add flour, whisking only until lumps disappear and batter is smooth. Cook the cones according to the directions for the waffle-cone iron. To shape cones, pull the baked round off the iron and position a roller across the middle, leaving room at the bottom to grip the point of the cone. Working very quickly, fold one side across the roller and tuck it under the roller. Pressing firmly, roll the cone over onto the seam to finish. Allow it to cool for a few moments in order to set. Remove and repeat.

BLACK-PEPPER PISTACHIO ICE CREAM “Black pepper really enhances the flavor of pistachio, yet is very subtle,” says Rori Trovato. To get a smooth, fine texture and plenty of pistachio flavor, she suggests using pistachio paste, which can be purchased from amazon.com and some Whole Foods markets (wholefoodsmarkets.com). Makes 1½ quarts 1¼ cups pistachio paste 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 2 cups whole milk 6 large egg yolks ¾ cup sugar 2 cups whipping cream ½ teaspoon almond extract ¼ teaspoon kosher salt >

ce cream is edible perfume,” says Jeni Britton Bauer, the 2012 James Beard Award–winning founder and purveyor of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams ( jenis.com), whose newest scoop shop opened in The Commons at Calasbasas in June. “You can bury layers of scent in ice cream—the same as ancient perfumers layered precious scents in oils and fats.” As an art student in college, Bauer worked in a bakery and pursued her hobby of blending perfumes and collecting rare scents. After layering the essential oil of cayenne into storebought chocolate ice cream to rave reviews from family and friends, she started making ice cream at home, using the best whole ingredients she could find and pairing them to delicious effect. The experimentation paid off: Bauer opened the first of 11 scoop shops in Ohio in 2002 and in the meantime wrote two cookbooks: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Desserts (Artisan, 2014) and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home (Artisan, 2011). She now has 30 shops nationwide. Rori Trovato of Rori’s Artisanal Creamery (roriscreamery.

To convert vanilla waffle cones to chocolate, Rori Trovato of Roriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Artisanal Creamery suggests stirring two extra tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of cocoa powder into the batter of recipes for eight to ten 6-inch cones.

Taste Food

GOAT CHEESE ICE CREAM WITH ROASTED RED CHERRIES “The combination of these flavors reminds me of the center of a cheese Danish,” says Jeni Britton Bauer, who roasts the cherries called for in her recipe to concentrate the flavors and natural fruit sugars. Bauer recommends finding a fresh, locally prepared goat cheese for the best flavor and cleanest finish. Makes 1 generous quart ROASTED CHERRIES 2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) pitted red cherries ⅔ cup sugar 2 teaspoons cornstarch ICE-CREAM BASE 2⅔ cups whole milk 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams’ Goat Cheese With Roasted Red Cherries flavor.

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⅔ cup (about 5 ounces) fresh goat cheese 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt 1½ cups heavy cream ¾ cup sugar ⅓ cup light corn syrup To roast cherries: Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine cherries, sugar, and cornstarch in a 9-inch square baking dish, tossing to mix. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes, until juices are thickened and bubbly, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator overnight or at least 6 hours. To make ice-cream base: Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the goat cheese, cream cheese, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water and set aside. Combine remaining milk, cream, sugar and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan. Bring mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat; boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in cornstarch slurry. Bring mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into cream cheese mixture until smooth. Pour mixture into a 1-gallon resealable freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag into prepared ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes. Pour ice-cream base into frozen canister of ice-cream maker and spin until thick and creamy. Pack ice cream into a storage container, alternating it with layers of cherries and ending with a spoonful of cherries: Do not mix. Press a sheet of parchment directly on top and seal the container with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of the freezer until firm, at least 4 hours, before serving.

POPCORN ICE CREAM Thomas Drahos’ recipe for this popcornflavored ice cream calls for steeping the creamy base with popcorn, which is strained out later. Watch for Drahos’ special version of this ice cream, debuting at the Blue Heron Restaurant this fall, in which he forgoes the professional ice cream–machine process for a bit of molecular gastronomy by mixing crushed dry ice into the base for a fizzy effect. Makes about 2 quarts 1⅓ cups sugar, divided 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out and pod discarded (or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract) 2 cups whole milk 2 cups whipping cream 8 egg yolks

CHILL ADVICE “I make ice cream more like a cheese maker than an ice-cream maker,” says Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. She uses high-quality milk from grass-pastured cows rather than traditional egg yolks or chemical emulsifiers to thicken her ice-cream base. Her four tips for home ice-cream making are: Start 24 hours beforehand by washing the ice cream–maker canister, drying it well and placing it in the coldest part of the freezer. Do not remove until you are ready to pour the chilled cream into it. Chill any add-in components (roasted strawberries, roasted cherries, etc.) before beginning the ice cream–making process. Use three bowls: In a small bowl make the slurry, in a medium bowl add the salt and room-temperature cream cheese and whip all the bumps out, in a large bowl make an ice bath (heavy on the ice) and set aside. When boiling the milk and cream mixture, 4 minutes is exactly the time to reach. Set a timer and stick to it. 18-

to 20-ounce bag popcorn kernels, popped (not microwave popcorn) Purchased caramel sauce Chopped peanuts

In a small bowl mix half the sugar with vanilla bean seeds (or extract). In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat bring milk, cream and vanilla-sugar mixture to a boil. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks and remaining sugar. When cream mixture comes to a boil, slowly whisk it into bowl with egg yolk mixture. When completely incorporated, return mixture to saucepan and reheat over medium heat, stirring continually with a wooden spoon. Cook mixture until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. When mixture reaches 180°F according to an instant-read thermometer, remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl. Stir in popped popcorn. (This will feel like an absurd amount of popcorn at first, but it will shrink in volume as it steeps.) Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let mixture stand for 30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and strain ice-cream base through a fine-mesh strainer into a large clean bowl. Transfer mixture to ice-cream maker and process following manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer soft ice cream into an airtight container and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving. Serve topped with caramel sauce and chopped peanuts.  Jeni Britton Bauer’s recipes reprinted with permission, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, Artisan, copyright 2011

JENI’S SPLENDID ICE CREAMS

In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine pistachio paste, black pepper, and milk. Simmer until bubbles form around the edges and milk is just scalded, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and cold water. Place a medium-size bowl inside of the large bowl with the ice bath. Place a fine-mesh strainer inside of the medium bowl. Set ice bath aside. Meanwhile, in another medium-size bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar together until mixture is light yellow and creamy. Reheat milk mixture in saucepan until hot. Slowly pour half of milk mixture into yolk-sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Return milk-yolk mixture to saucepan with remaining hot milk mixture. Cook over low heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and retains a line drawn on the spoon with your finger, about 3 to 6 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and immediately add cream. Pour cream mixture through the strainer and into the medium bowl resting in the ice bath. Stir strained cream mixture until cooled. Stir in almond extract and salt. Cover bowl and refrigerate until chilled or overnight. Pour cream mixture into ice-cream maker, following manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer soft ice cream into an airtight container and freeze at least 4 hours before serving. Ice cream will keep for up to 1 week.

Demystifying Cancer Overcoming Challenges & Winning the War Join us for a free community educational forum at the Museum of Ventura County featuring UCLA Health physicians.

Thursday, July 27 6 pm Reception / 6:45 pm Forum Museum of Ventura County

Keynote speaker:

Dennis Slamon, MD

100 East Main Street Ventura, CA 93001 Free Valet Parking Advanced registration is required for this free public event RSVP via e-mail: access@mednet.ucla.edu or call (800) UCLA-MD1 (press 3 at the prompt) for reservations and more information.

Chief, UCLA Division of Hematology/Oncology

Dr. Slamon and his colleagues conducted clinical and laboratory research that led to the development of the breast cancer drug Herceptin.

Followed by

John Glaspy, MD, MPH Director, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Clinical Research Unit

Fun in the Sun

Forum includes a Q&A session with:

Melody Benjamin, MD

The perfect mix of affordability and enjoyment with stunning panoramic ocean views from every hole.

Medical Oncologist

Joshua Rosenberg, MD Medical Oncologist

1-800-UCLA-MD1 (800-825-2631)

200 State Park Rd., Morro Bay 805.772.1923 | golfmorrobay.com

uclahealth.org/venturaoncology CV/805

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PDFX1a to : .PDFX1a to westforme@gmail.com Donenfeld & Associates

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Andrew Edelstein Sheryl Evans UCLA Health Justin Staton

Taste Wine By Shauna Burke

Tickled Pink

Spanning a range of blushing hues, rosés make summer shine with a balance of brightness and depth.

rom an oceanfront seafood feast to a backyard barbecue, rosé and summer go hand in hand. Some say rosé is the best of both worlds, boasting the crisp acidity of many white wines and a measure of the depth and character of light-bodied reds. Often made by allowing the skins of black grapes to come in contact with the juice for just a short time, rosé is produced and bottled in a dizzying array of pinkish hues, from pale blush to nearly red. It’s also known all over the globe for its versatile food-friendliness. Without a doubt, showing up to any summer gathering with one of these local gems is a surefire way to gain some praise and appreciation from guests and host alike.

BECKMEN VINEYARDS 2016 PMV Grenache Rosé Ballard Canyon, $25, beckmenvineyards.com

With fresh, almost tropical aromas at first whiff, this wine bursts with bright red fruits, like raspberry, cherry, and pomegranate, on the palate. It pairs wonderfully with a sinful, creamy grilled cheese or croque monsieur. CHAMISAL VINEYARDS 2016 Rosé Edna Valley, $28, chamisalvineyards.com

Pinot noir delivers bright acidity, delicate notes of red berries, melon, and hints of citrus to this vibrant salmon-colored rosé. It goes well with an earthy golden-beet and goat cheese salad or melon wrapped with prosciutto. J. LOHR 2016 Gesture Grenache Rosé Paso Robles, $18, jlohr.com

A refreshing sipper with robust acidity and pronounced citrus notes. Serve it with sashimi, oysters, or a simple green salad.

KOEHLER WINERY 2016 Rosé of Grenache Santa Ynez Valley, $25, koehlerwinery.com

Grenache carries notes of strawberry and hibiscus. Crispy seared salmon topped with a sauce of lemon, Greek yogurt, and dill makes for a delicious pairing.

Fit for any celebration, this juicy sparkler is 80 percent chardonnay and 20 percent pinot noir and is filled with bright fruit and crisp acidity. It pairs beautifully with roasted salmon, salty smoked salmon, and fresh, creamy cheeses. 94

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LAETITIA VINEYARD & WINERY 2014 Brut Rosé Arroyo Grande Valley, $34, laetitiawine.com

MARGERUM WINE COMPANY 2016 Riviera Rosé Santa Barbara County, $21, margerumwines.com

Crafted from grenache and syrah, this dry, crisp rosé’s versatility makes it the perfect pairing for nearly any summer picnic fare. ONX WINES 2016 IndiePaso Robles, $19, onxwines.com

Made of tempranillo, this unique wine shows hints of watermelon, blood orange, and subtle herbal notes along with refreshing acidity. Pair it with a grilled chicken quesadilla or flatbread topped with creamy cheese and roasted vegetables. OPOLO VINEYARDS 2016 Rosé Paso Robles, $22, opolo.com

This is a traditional grenache rosé with syrah to add a bit of body and structure. Best served cold with Mediterranean tapas or grilled fish on top of couscous tossed with a citrusy vinaigrette. PEACHY CANYON WINERY 2015 Rosé Paso Robles, $24, peachycanyon.com

Made predominantly of zinfandel, with touches of primitivo and alicante bouschet, the 2015 shows notes of fresh red fruits, like cranberry and strawberry, along with bright, crisp citrus, and zippy acidity. Pair it with roasted mushroom quiche and a simple green salad dressed in tangy vinaigrette. PENVILLE 2016 Rosé of Grenache Los Olivos District, $20, penvillewine.com

Characterized by boisterous fruit, crisp acidity, and welcome minerality, this wine pairs well with shellfish or charcuterie. PRESQU’ILE WINERY 2016 Rosé of Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley, $22, presquilewine.com

noir rosé showcases notes of fresh strawberries from nose to palate. Enjoy it with fresh cheeses, especially goat cheese, and Castelvetrano olives. STEPHEN ROSS Rosé of Pinot Noir Edna Valley, $25, stephenrosswine.com

This shows off its fresh acidity at first sip, with notes of watermelon and strawberry. Red berries linger on the palate. A great sipper on its own, it pairs well with crab salad and fresh cheeses. TABLAS CREEK VINEYARD 2016 DianthusAdelaida District Paso Robles, $30, tablascreek.com

The classic, rich, juicy 2016 pairs well with many foods but try it with salty seafood— think burrata with anchovies or sardines on toast—and Mediterranean tapas like marinated olives, bruschetta, roasted peppers stuffed with crab, and even a hearty seafood paella. TATOMER 2016 Rosé of Pinot Noir Edna Valley, $27, tatomerwines.com

While elegant and delicate, this wine is also sturdy enough to stand up to a wide range of dishes. Pair it with fresh pasta, sautéed summer vegetables, and roasted wild salmon topped with a squeeze of lemon. TERCERO WINES 2016 Mourvèdre Rosé Santa Barbara County, $30, tercerowines.com

Mourvèdre grapes were foot-stomped on the skins for about an hour then whole-cluster pressed into a cooled stainless-steel tank, resulting in a rosé with just a touch of color. Try it with fresh cheeses or flatbread topped with salty, hard-aged Italian cheese and fresh herbs. 

A crisp sipper, this 100-percent pinot 805LIVING.COM / JULY • AUGUST 2017

Taste Dining Out By George Yatchisin Photographs by Gary Moss

A Pearl for Oxnard

Oysters star at the new EMC Seafood & Raw Bar in The Collection at RiverPark.

MC Seafood & Raw Bar aims to please. That’s clear at the start from the very cheery, brightfaced hostess and servers bedecked in black pants and branded T-shirts. The menu, almost intimidatingly large, features a wide selection of dishes, including sushi rolls, a seafood tower, lobster congee, and rack of lamb. Fortunately you can always start with a drink and ponder. The cocktail list leans to vodka—the EMC Martini features Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Midori Melon Liqueur, lime and cucumber; and there’s a Mule. The strawberry-showcasing Reservation made with Hangar 1 Vodka is a nod to Oxnard; a bit sweet with some agave nectar and grapefruit juice, it’s also a bit zingy with serrano chile. The wine list isn’t built to show off one’s expense account, instead offering tasty, wellpriced pours like Hahn Pinot Noir. Proudly representing the Central Coast are Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.’s Hoppy Poppy IPA and the ubiquitous 805 blonde ale from Firestone Walker Brewing Company. EMC Seafood is part of The M2K Group, a large Los Angeles–based company that began with Wokcano Restaurant and includes seven brands. This Collection at RiverPark location is the fifth for the EMC brand, the first of which had its debut in L.A.’s Koreatown in 2013. That location’s happy hour earns social media kudos, especially for its $1 chef’s choice oysters. The good news is, the Oxnard location is making the same offer. “Who doesn’t want $1 oysters?” asks Regina Chen, corporate executive chef for the entire M2K group. “The energy and atmosphere of our Koreatown location is something really special. We are thrilled to bring that experience to Oxnard.” Chen admits that EMC is best known for its oysters, ordered daily and offered in a variety of ways—raw (varieties like Washington’s Pacific Plump and Humboldt Bay’s Kumamoto) with cocktail sauce or in shooters, fried, and grilled. The grilled Tabasco Butter Oysters are infused with a wonderful smokiness yet are still a-quiver fresh, the oyster liquor blending with the butter and hot sauce to accent this tasty bit of the sea. In addition to the oysters, Chen highly recommends the Black Pepper Beef Mignon, juicy chunks of beef quick-fired in a wok. “Even though we are a seafood place, this dish is one of my favorites,” she says. “It has the caramelized sweetness of

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Regina Chen, corporate executive chef for the M2K restaurant group, brings popular elements of EMC Seafood & Raw Bar’s Koreatown location to Oxnard.

sugar and the savory [notes] of soy sauce and pepper.” For more adventurous foodies, Chen recommends the Uni Pasta. “There are not many restaurants that have this delicacy,” she says. “It is creamy, savory, and has that light scent of the ocean.” In this bowl of crazy flavor, the housemade egg pasta is elastic and lively and dressed in a cream sauce that’s rich without going overboard. A bit of fish roe lends a salty bite, and a spoonful of crispy seaweed on top adds color, contrast, and a satisfying crunch. The few tongues of sea urchin, often sourced from Santa Barbara, up the umami factor even more.

Shell game (clockwise from left): An oyster cradles pearls of masago roe and a lobe of sea urchin (uni) for shooting with a quail egg. Server uniforms reveal the menu advice behind the acronym. The king of all crabs holds court in the dining room. The Uni Pasta entrée delivers the delicacy for which it is named atop dried seaweed and egg noodles in creamy sauce.

The fish in a remarkable fish taco served with citrus fennel slaw tastes super fresh. It seems EMC’s excellence knows no bounds. “We are able to expedite such a diverse menu by employing a diverse staff,” says opening kitchen manager Jeremy Rallo. “We have Japanese chefs who focus on our top-quality sushi, Chinese chefs for our wok-fired dishes, and American chefs who focus on our grilled and sautéed items. Although there are many different languages spoken in the kitchen, we all speak the same when it comes to cooking.” Sharing is encouraged, and the kitchen of the relatively large (nearly 300 seating capacity) restaurant lacks heat lamps by design. “We ensure freshness by running food as it is ready,” Rallo says. “Some people do not understand this concept because they are used to things all coming at once. When doing that you will have some items waiting that could get cold or dried out by a heating lamp. We pride ourselves on our fresh food and family-style dining. It is good to share.” People in the dining room are doing just that, sharing dishes as grand as hickory-smoked grilled salmon that serves up to four or as simple as a shrimp tempura roll. The high ceiling holds the noise level down and attention tends to focus on dining partners and the food rather than on the décor. Nevertheless, a marvelous mural of a crab (by the often-edgy artists The Draculas) that dominates one wall could give a person pause, if just for a second, when ordering the soft-shell crab sliders.  805LIVING.COM / JULY • AUGUST 2017

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 chef-driven 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, 877-783-6067 angeloaksb.com Steaks and Seafood Entrées $31–$65 or Market Price

Great Views, Romantic Located on the grounds of Bacara Resort & Spa, Angel Oak takes full advantage of its perch above the Santa Barbara County coastline and of the talents of its French-born executive chef, Vincent Lesage. The menu is modern steak house with a seafood twist. Starters include foie gras torchon with strawberry chutney, a seafood tower, and Dungeness crab cakes accented by local citrus sabayon. Main-course options include steamed

This summer, the buzz on ice cream is that the first Honeymee (honeymee.com) in the 805 has opened at that beehive of activity known as the Camarillo Premium Outlets. Specializing in milk-flavored soft-serve treats topped with swirls of honey and bits of real honeycomb, the Los Angeles– based chain has taken flight with such additions as the Instagram-ready Babee. It features your choice of ice cream served in a sweet, oblong bun sprinkled with granola. Sweet!

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halibut with pea-verbena puree, grass-fed New Zealand rack of lamb with house-made harissa, and certified Kobe beef ordered by the ounce. Desserts by the resort’s pastry chef, Brooke Martin, include new takes on Baked Alaska and other classics. Branden Bidwell, a familiar face on the region’s wine scene, is both general manager and sommelier, overseeing the restaurant’s 12,000-bottle cellar. In the sleek dining room, floor-to-ceiling windows offer panoramic views of the ocean, echoed by the blue Amazonite quartz of the 25-seat bar.

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, wood-fired pizzas, and drink specials is available daily at the bar. Chris’ wife, Shandi, matches excellent wines to her husband’s cuisine.

BELLA VISTA IN THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT The Biltmore Santa Barbara 1260 Channel Drive Santa Barbara, 805-969-2261 fourseasons.com/santabarbara/dining.html Californian and Italian Entrées and Sunday Brunch $20–$75

Great Views Named for its sweeping views of lawn, ocean, and sky, Bella Vista has a slightly 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 prime bistecca tagliata with salsa verde and crispy potatoes. Weekly specials include a Seafood at Sunset menu of shucked oysters and barbecued shrimp. (At the adjacent Ty Lounge, Fossati’s Mussel Madness Tuesdays menu features the shellfish prepared six ways and presented in cast-iron bowls from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.) The wine list offers local and international labels. Afternoon tea is served on Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and requires reservations; call 805-565-8237.

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.

CA’ DARIO 37 E. Victoria St. Santa Barbara, 805-884-9419 cadario.net Italian; Entrées $15–$32

At the corner of Victoria and Anacapa streets, Ca’ Dario is somewhat off the Santa Barbara tourist path. That doesn’t mean it isn’t jammed with people twirling forks laden with al dente pastas sauced in Bolognese, or tomatoes with olives and capers, or smoked salmon with peas and tomato and cream. The Ravioli al Burro e Salvia is a fine example of a spinach-ricotta ravioli sauced in browned butter and crispy sage leaves. Steaks, lamb chops, and breaded chicken breast are quite filling. There’s a fresh fish special daily and sometimes a wonderful seafood risotto. Wines from Italy and the Central Coast line the walls.

CELLO RISTORANTE & BAR 2700 Buena Vista Drive Paso Robles, 805-369-2500 allegrettovineyardresort.com Italian and Mediterranean; Entrées $12–$49

Romantic Within the Allegretto Vineyard Resort, Cello showcases much of what lifelong forager and executive chef Eric Olson finds in dishes like foraged mushroom risotto, scallop salad, and acorn-oatmeal cookies. This upscale Italian restaurant also serves steaks, flatbreads, and seasonally inspired dishes composed of ingredients from local, sustainably operated farms, ranches, and fisheries. A serene covered patio with a boccie court and large iron fire bowls encourages eating breakfast, lunch, small plates, and dinner outdoors beside the substantial kitchen garden. Cello also boasts a strong garden cocktail menu and a wine list that includes a handful of impossible-to-get bottles.

FOUR SEASONS HOTEL WESTLAKE VILLAGE 2 Dole Drive Westlake Village, 818-575-3000 fourseasons.com/westlakevillage/dining Californian and Japanese; Entrées and Sunday Brunch $15–$72

Trained at Michelin-starred restaurants in his native Spain, executive chef Jose Fernandez brings a refined farm-and-ocean-to-table approach to the resort’s elegant dining rooms. At Hampton’s, posh furnishings and waterfall views are backdrops for a Champagne brunch buffet with live jazz on Sundays. The more casual Lobby Lounge features waterfall views with breakfast, lunch, and dinner and a Sustainable Living Menu. 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. Open Fridays through Sundays, The Tasting Room features California labels and a menu of wine-friendly nibbles. Sushi fans will want to visit Onyx, which gets its own write-up in the Foodie section of this guide. Valet parking is $7 with validation; self-parking is free for up to four hours with validation.

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.

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 wood-fired 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 holdrens.com Steak House; Entrées $23–$49 (more for surf‑and-turf combos) Romantic, Sunday Brunch

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The Dining Guide The décor is sophisticated enough for business, while 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 on Monday through Friday; happy hour runs daily at both, on the patio and in the bar, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Newbury Park location serves a Sunday brunch menu of omelets, Tiki Toast, and more from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All meals are served inside or out on the patio at both locations.

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.

Pismo Beach isn’t just about clams and clam chowder. Witness the seafood-and-more menu at Mattie’s Bar & Eatery (mattiespismobeach.com), newly opened just a few blocks from the city’s famous beach. At lunch and dinner daily, selections include peel-and-eat shrimp, a 14-ounce ribeye, and the inside-out quinoa “burger” served on a bun made from black beans, mushrooms, and the ancient grain. You’ll also find linguini and clams, fried clams, clam chowder, and, well, you get the idea.

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.

IL CORTILE RISTORANTE 608 12th Street 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

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

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.

UPDATE 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

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).

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

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.

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

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.

SAN YSIDRO RANCH 900 San Ysidro Lane Santa Barbara, 805-565-1700 sanysidroranch.com American; Entrées $18–$56 at Plow & Angel; $38–$63 at The Stonehouse; Sunday brunch $75

Great View, Romantic, Sunday Brunch The five-star treatment at this historic resort starts the minute you turn onto the long drive lined with olive trees and lavender; it continues as you are greeted by a valet who whisks away your car from the circular entrance to its two restaurants, both overseen by

executive chef Matthew Johnson. At Plow & Angel, the menu and setting are in keeping with a wellappointed tavern. Thick stone walls and a fireplace create a cozy space for enjoying barrel-aged cocktails and a menu of grilled flatbreads, beer-battered halibut and chips, and grilled New York steak with cognac peppercorn sauce. Upstairs, The Stonehouse dining room gleams with copper and burnished wood and has a sheltered terrace with views of Montecito. Seating is also available on outdoor patios below, furnished with a fireplace and fountain and flanked by loquat trees. At lunch, served Mondays through Saturdays, the rightfully famous BLTA is made with house-smoked bacon and Little Gem lettuce grown on the premises. A three-course market menu also emphasizes local ingredients. Served from 6 p.m. daily, the dinner menu includes house-made fettuccine with speck ham and carrot nage and Steak Diane prepared in the classic style—flambéed tableside. The list of wines and spirits is varied and deep. (Stonehouse is just one of 88 restaurants worldwide to earn the 2016 Grand Award from Wine Spectator.) Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. includes starters, entrées, desserts, and free-flowing Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne. At $75, it’s a steal.

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SUZANNE’S CUISINE 502 W. Ojai Ave. Ojai, 805-640-1961 suzannescuisine.com New American; Entrées $15–$28

Romantic Travelers to Ojai make Suzanne’s a part of their itinerary so they can explore what she’s up to in any given season. Relying heavily on the produce around her, Suzanne Roll turns out lunch and dinner dishes that are interesting and handcrafted. Breads for the sandwiches are made by a local bakery; soups change daily. You might see a rainbow trout grilled with rosemary and lemon or a stuffed Cornish game hen with an apricot-marsala sauce. The atmosphere is casual with seats on the back patio next to the garden and a most pleasant gurgling fountain and outdoor fireplace. For cooler weather, there’s also an enclosed patio. Note: The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.

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 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.

TRA DI NOI RISTORANTE 3835 Cross Creek Road Malibu, 310-456-0169 tradinoimalibu.com Italian; Entrées $18–$33

Sunday Brunch It seems this unassuming little restaurant in the Malibu Country Mart is never without a celebrity.

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The Dining Guide The tables underneath yellow umbrellas on the patio afford a view of the playground where nannies push swings stocked with rock stars’ children. Even though Malibu residents know what they want without opening a menu, chef Francesco Velasco can still impress the rest of us with his handmade spaghetti, shaved truffles, local olive oil, and grass-fed beef. His spaghetti carbonara manages to be both low fat and delicious. His seasonal specials are a treat. The wine list is well-curated and matches the food.

Drink local wine and admire the view. That’s the plan during Sip N Swirl, a summer-evening series of rooftop wine events presented by Finch & Fork Restaurant (finchandforkrestaurant.com) at Kimpton Canary Hotel in downtown Santa Barbara. Tickets, $35, include cheese, live music, and tastes from at least six regional labels. The July 19 lineup features Babcock Winery & Vineyards, DV8 Cellars, Jaffurs Wine Cellars, Larner Vineyard & Winery, Lavender Oak Vineyard, and Melville. Check the website for details about events on August 16 and September 20. 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 sundried tomato pesto.

Foodie Cuisine that shines

regardless of décor, service, ambience, or even views. UPDATE 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

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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 handcut 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.

UPDATE 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.

NEW THE BEAR AND STAR 2860 Grand Ave. Los Olivos, 805-686-1359 thebearandstar.com American; Entrées $14–$28

Weekend Brunch It’s an experience unlike anything else in the 805. Located at the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn, this restaurant, named for the motifs on the California and Texas state flags, sources much of its beef, poultry, and produce from the 714-acre Parker family ranch (a mere 7 miles away) to create what chef and partner John Cox calls “refined ranch cuisine.” The wood-

smoked traditions of both states are represented in menu offerings that have included cured Wagyu Carpaccio topped with shavings of cured emu egg, stuffed local quail with molasses gastrique, grilled catfish with charred lemon dressing, and, for dessert, a chess pie to make Cox’s Lone Star–state brethren proud. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily. Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays (get the Sunday cinnamon rolls) from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. features an à la carte menu with specialty cocktails. Grab a seat on the front porch and watch the people (and the occasional horse) go by.

BELL STREET FARM EATERY & MARKET 406 Bell St. Los Alamos, 805-344-4609 bellstreetfarm.com American; Entrées $10–$15

Kid-Friendly Farm-to-fork dining goes country chic at this spot in Santa Barbara County wine country. The tables are covered with butcher paper—the better to catch spills from glasses of regional wines while giving kids a canvas for crayon masterpieces. The deceptively simple menu features soups, salads, and sandwiches made with local produce, Cowgirl Creamery cheeses, and artisanal meats. Prepared on a rotisserie visible from the order counter, free-range chicken from Santa Clarita’s Huntsinger Ranch stars in the tamarind chickensalad sandwich served with house-pickled veggies. Assemble-your-own picnic baskets are available; ask about after-hours dinners with local vintners.

BIG SKY CAFE 1121 Broad St. San Luis Obispo, 805-545-5401 bigskycafe.com Eclectic; Entrées $14–$25

A comfortable artist and foodie hangout, Big Sky serves fresh market cuisine with a Southern inclination for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with a list of 20 local wines by the glass. Chef and owner Greg Holt prepares two types of soup (one vegetarian) from scratch daily and fish specials like wild-caught salmon in an ancho chili glaze made of harissa, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar or Thai catfish with tofu. Among the breakfast highlights are beignets and huevos rancheros; lunchtime offerings include a turkey burger with sweet potato fries and buttermilk-fried chicken salad with peppered walnuts and beets. In summer, market vegetables become gazpacho and green chiliflecked cornbread mini-muffins are perfect for dunking.

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.

NEW 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 wineblending and -bottling program that will be available to online and in-person patrons starting in mid 2017. Executive chef Owen Hanavan, formerly at Babareño in Santa Barbara, uses locally sourced meats, seafood, and produce in carefully composed small plates (bitesize lamb meatballs with mint, poached yellowtail with rice crackers) and entrées (16-spice pork shoulder, catch-of-theday 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 custom-crush 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 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 panroasted 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.

DOWNEY’S 1305 State St. Santa Barbara, 805-966-5006 downeyssb.com New American; Entrées $29–$39

Romantic Locals adore this gem of a restaurant, giving it raves online and in guides like the Zagat Survey, where it scored 28 for food (out of a possible 30 points). Chef-owner John Downey draws from nearby farms and waterways for his produce and seafood. Foragers bring their treasures to his back door. His exquisite cooking is seasonal so the menu is ever changing, but he loves potatoes, game meats, wild salmon,

local seabass, and duck. The nightly tasting menu is an economical way to experience many different menu items in slightly smaller portions.

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

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.

Ocean Views Walking Trail Picnic Areas Live Music Bocce

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-andsalad 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.” Glutenfree 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.

Arroyo Grande, CA│ 805.481.1772 │laetitiawine.com

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

Weekend Brunch 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 James Siao. Creative starters, flatbreads, salads, and entreés 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 Siao’s famous buttermilk fried chicken on Tuesdays and a new pork dish every Thursday. The happy hour menu is so good they offer it twice a day on Mondays through Fridays: Early Bird is from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Night Flight is

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The Dining Guide from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. Both feature 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.

Who doesn’t like a good BOGO? On Wednesdays during July and August, visitors to Ventura Harbor Village (venturaharborvillage.com) can take advantage of a full slate of shop-and-dine specials—some of which are more like dine-and-dine. Order fish and chips at local favorite Andria’s Seafood Restaurant & Fish Market and receive a wooden nickel good for 50 cents off dessert at Coastal Cone. Score!

FOREMOST WINE CO. 570 Higuera St. San Luis Obispo, 805-439-3410 foremostslo.com American; Eclectic Small Plates $8–$16, Entrées $18–$35

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. Chef Julie Simon’s menu pairs worldly flavors with ingredients sourced closed to home. Dishes include hoisin-braised duck leg and seared albacore with coconut-milk farro. The burrata bar serves several combos, like the Bee Keeper, pairing the creamy cheese with shards of chewy honeycomb, stone fruit or berries, fresh rosemary, and sea salt–roasted almonds. Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. features chilaquiles with smoked chilies, tomatillo salsa, crispy potato tacos, and avocado toast with seaweed butter. Happy hour on Tuesdays through Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. includes $5 by-the-glass wine specials, a $5 to $7 happy hour menu, and draft beers.

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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.

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.

KITCHENETTE 105 S. Main St. Templeton, 805-400-1006 kitchenettetempleton.com New American; Entrées $6–$12

With its gleaming subway tiles and order-at-thecounter service, Kitchenette is the faster, more casual version of Artisan, its dinner-oriented sister site in nearby Paso Robles. As co-owner and executive chef of both restaurants, Chris Kobayashi shows that his dedication to creative local fare isn’t limited to the evening: The menus span breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Breakfast dishes include house-made granolas, cinnamon brioche French toast, and yellow corn grits with linguica, braised kale, and a soft-poached egg. At lunch, a turkey bánh mì with country pâté and the Kitchenette Cheeseburger with special sauce (and your choice of one or two patties) are the stars. Desserts include homey ice-cream sundaes and seasonal pies along with Kobayashi’s signature Churros and Chocolate. Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options are clearly marked on the menu. Beverages include fresh-squeezed juices and local beer and wine on tap. The outdoor patio is pet-friendly.

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, a communal table atop vintage radiators, and private booths fashioned from church pews. As culinary conductor, executive chef Jason Paluska oversees a thoroughly modern menu that highlights local ingredients. Deviled eggs with jalapeño and crispy pancetta are popular starters to shared plates of roasted chicken served with blackpepper grits and black garlic-glazed lamb shank, depending on the season. Craft brews and wines by the glass extend the artisanal spirit into the bar. Desserts by pastry chef Jeff Haines include honey cremeux with spice-roasted strawberries, pistachio crumble, lemon curd, and smoked vanilla ice cream.

LES MARCHANDS WINE BAR & MERCHANT 131 Anacapa St., Suite B Santa Barbara, 805-284-0380 lesmarchandswine.com European; Small Plates $8–$16; Entrées $18–$30

Weekend Brunch The vibe is Parisian bistro, but selections at this combination wine bar, restaurant, and retail shop in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone give equal opportunity to the United States and other countries. The by-theglass 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 (you’re also welcome to bring in a pizza from the nearby Lucky Penny). Dinner is served daily from 5 p.m. Monday Night Chicken & Waffles features Richards’ lemon-brined fried chicken and sourdough waffles with house-made butter and hot sauce. Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. offers dishes such as shakshuka (a Middle Eastern poached-egg dish) and tres leches French toast.

LIDO RESTAURANT Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa 2727 Shell Beach Road Pismo Beach, 805-773-8900 thedolphinbay.com Californian; Entrées $18–$44 Chef’s tasting menu $65 or $100 with wine pairings

Great View, Weekend Brunch It’s obvious that executive chef Jacob Moss is a Central Coast native. He uses the resort’s gorgeous beachside setting as the backdrop for dishes featuring local, seasonal ingredients. Morro Bay oysters are served on the half shell with tequila-lime vinaigrette; while Cayucos abalone might be paired with roasted butternut squash and maple vinaigrette one season and marinated nectarines and blueberry beurre blanc the next. Steaks, roasted lamb with cauliflower puree and balsamic spheres, and pizzas topped with leeks, bacon, and a fresh-cracked egg are also available. Desserts by Brandi McClellan-Toback range from the semi-virtuous (Windrose Farms apple pie on snickerdoodle crust) to the sinful (Chocolate Indulgence cupcakes filled with marshmallow fluff).

MAD & VIN 1576 Mission Drive Solvang, 805-688-3121 thelandsby.com Eclectic; Entrées $16–$34

This restaurant located inside one of Solvang’s newest hotels 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 cheese fondue starter of melted Gruyère and fontina touched with brandy and the Nordic Caesar salad of local greens, white shrimp, and warm cheese croutons. At dinner, the lamb porterhouse with mint chimichurri and seafood hot pot, paired with selections from the primarily Santa Barbara County wine list, are not to be missed. Open from 4 p.m. on weekdays and from noon on Saturdays and Sundays, the bar is a Scandinavian-chic spot to meet friends for cocktails, like The Countess (think vodka, blood-orange shrub, and rhubarb bitters) and for bites that range from small, such as herbed olives, to large, like a rib-eye burger that also appears on the dinner menu.

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 solar-powered 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 houseroasted 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.

NOM TEQUILA GRILL 450 E. Harbor Blvd. Ventura, 805-652-5151 nomtequilagrill.com Mexican; Entrées $14–$22

Located inside the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach hotel, this casually upscale restaurant is named for the Norma Oficial Mexicana designation given only to distilled agave spirits made in Jalisco, Mexico. But diners may be inspired to refer to it as “nom nom nom,” thanks to the menu by executive chef Luis Martinez, a native of the tequilamaking region. Ceviches come with plantain chips, while street-food options like barbacoa beef taquitos showcase house-made roasted tomatillo salsa. Entrées include chicken in a savory mole, shrimp-and-crab meat enchiladas with Oaxacan cheese, and beef short ribs braised in ancho chilies and dark beer. Tequila is an ingredient in frijoles borrachos, an optional side dish, and in the guacamole borracho appetizer, which gets its smoky heat from morita chilies. Prefer your tequila straight up? Create a three-taste flight for $15 or $55, depending on how top shelf you

go. (The Million Dollar Margarita made with Tequila Ocho Extra Añejo and Grand Marnier is a splurge at $55.) Visit the website for news of tequila-pairing dinners and other special events.

OJAI VALLEY INN & SPA 905 Country Club Road Ojai, 805-646-1111 ojairesort.com Various cuisines; Entrées $11–$60; Saturday Buffet Brunch $29; Sunday Bluegrass Brunch $49

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 and Vine features California cuisine with a Northern Italian twist that comes courtesy of chef de cuisine Andrea Rodella. 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 monthly winemaker dinners. Start the evening with small bites and craft cocktails, both made with local ingredients as often as possible, 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 options include the tranquil Spa Café in Spa Ojai, where light breakfast and spa lunch are served inside or on the spa’s poolside terrace. The Oak is famous for its casual but attentive lunch service on a shaded patio overlooking the 10th hole. 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 pizzas, burgers, microbrews, and barrelaged cocktails. Next door, Libbey’s Market + Boutique is the place to go for a quick sandwich and a scoop of McConnell’s ice cream.

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.

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The Dining Guide With its glass shelves and glowing marble walls, the crudo bar is a jewel-box 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.

sandwiches include the Italiano, packed with arugula and truffle cheese and wrapped in prosciutto. (That’s right: The meat is on the outside.) Named for chef and co-owner Kelly Briglio, Kel’s Killer Mac is made with a new over-the-top combination of ingredients each week. (Gluten-free options are available.) Typically scheduled once a month, Sunday brunch features such dishes as Kel’s crab cakes with Meyer lemon crème fraîche, and French toast made with cinnamon brioche. Join the email list for news of upcoming popup appearances by visiting chefs and winemakers.

ONYX AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL WESTLAKE VILLAGE Two Dole Drive Westlake Village, 818-575-3000 onyxrestaurant.com Japanese; Entrées $15–$45

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

Romantic, Great View A master at sushi, chef Masa Shimakawa also serves modern Japanese fare inspired by his training in Japan and influences from Thailand, China, and beyond. Cocktails and sake flights are available to pair with artfully prepared crab-and-smoked salmon rolls and with such dishes as roasted black cod and beef sirloin grilled in hoba leaves. Dinner is served Mondays through Saturdays at the sushi bar on the patio overlooking the resort’s waterfall and in the stylish dining room decorated with saltwater aquariums and the restaurant’s titular stone.

Forget for a moment that it’s swimsuit season: You’ll have a much easier time ordering the addictive fried mac ’n’ cheese sticks served with tomato bisque and porcini-cream dipping sauces at Yard House (yardhouse.com). Created by executive chef Carlito Jocson, the appetizer is one of several new menu items at the restaurant’s locations in Northridge, The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard, and beyond. Other dishes include the aptly named Carnivore pizza and a gluten-free take on bucatini carbonara made with pancetta, butternut squash, and Parmesan cream sauce topped with a fried egg. Remember: We said “gluten-free,” not “diet.” PARADISE PANTRY 218 and 222 E. Main St. Ventura, 805-641-9440 paradisepantry.com Rustic; Entrées $9–$22

Sunday Brunch This combination café, wine shop, and cheese store occupies adjoining storefronts in Ventura’s historic downtown. Both spaces feature original brick walls and delightfully creaky wood floors. While 218 E. Main St. is devoted to wine sales and cheese and charcuterie displays, 222 offers wine tasting and soups, salads, cheese plates, and pâté samplers. Panini-style

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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. Three-course 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.

Q SUSHI & KIEU HOANG WINE LOUNGE 30770 Russell Ranch Road, Unit A Westlake Village, 818-540-3231 qsushi.com Japanese; Sushi and Sashimi $6–$22; Shared Plates $4–$18; Entrées $17–$32; Omakase $75+

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. Guests seated at a sushi counter of Breccia Imperiale marble can observe the creation of sushi, sashimi, and special rolls that showcase delectable cuts of Scottish salmon, Hawaiian and Japanese amberjack, and more. Playful options include the sashimi pizza, dotted with flower petals and miso beet cream. Others emerge from the serious heat of the robata grill, where pork ribs in miso BB“Q” sauce are prepared. The lunch menu served on Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. includes quick-bite options like rice bowls topped with ume-glazed chicken breast or assorted sashimi; the prix-fixe Q7 meal option starts with edamame and albacore sushi and adds six kinds of sushi, sashimi, and hand rolls. 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 beautifully garnished cocktails crafted from house-made elements like lemongrass syrup are also featured. Happy hour on Tuesdays through Sundays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. offers special pricing on selected drinks, shared plates and more.

SADDLE PEAK LODGE 419 Cold Canyon Road Calabasas, 818-222-3888 saddlepeaklodge.com New American; Entrées $26–$59

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 overseeing menus that are both elegant and stick-to-your-ribs: wild-mushroom agnolotti and mesquite wood-grilled steaks and game are among the selections. Tasting menus and wine dinners are available. 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 apple-mustard 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.

SLY’S 686 Linden Ave. Carpinteria, 805-684-6666 slysonline.com American; Entrées $12–$55

Saturday & Sunday Brunch Sort of casual, sort of stylish, this Carpinteria gem is a must-visit. With its Vespa hanging over the bar, glasswall wine room, and polished wood accents, it’s great for formal occasions. But the service is super-friendly and most of the patrons are comfortably dressed, so there’s nothing stuffy about an evening here, either. Chef and owner James Sly has been cooking for more than 40 years, and his cuisine tastes like it. You really can’t go wrong with anything on this American menu of steaks and seafood, but the abalone is a real treat. Unlike most chophouses, Sly’s offers a list of pastas as well as sandwiches and small cuts of steak for those who don’t have a huge appetite. Desserts are wonderful, too. Sly’s is open for lunch Monday through Friday, dinner nightly, and lunch and brunch on Saturday and Sunday.

NEW 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.

UPDATE 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 house-made 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.

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 blackand-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 pizzabread 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.

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 coconutmilk sauces, and in spicy vindaloos. Naan comes topped with garlic, basil,

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The Dining Guide 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 take-out orders. Brent’s Deli is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.

New at Santa Barbara Public Market, Bigeye Raw Bar (bigeyerawbar.com) serves poke bowls with a twist: Each is the creation of David Rosner, former executive chef at the Wine Cask. The results include a local yellowtail bowl accented with kimchi, watermelon, and kaffir lime vinaigrette. Local delivery is available, but it’s more fun to sit at the counter and watch chef Rosner and crew as they also prepare hand rolls, oysters, and snacks like blistered shishito peppers. ELADIO’S RESTAURANT & BAR 1 State St. Santa Barbara, 805-963-4466 harborviewinnsb.com American; Entrées $12–$25

Great View, Saturday & Sunday Brunch It’s tough to beat the view of the wharf and the ocean from the open, spacious patio with a fountain in the middle. Eladio’s whips up breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily for guests of the Harbor View Inn and anyone else who stops in. Morning staples include vanilla-dipped brioche French toast, crab cake Benedict, and smoked salmon scramble made with locally smoked fish. New England clam chowder, cheeseburgers, ahi salad with mango salsa, and fish-and-chips in a Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Double Barrel Ale batter show up at lunchtime. Pasta, steaks, and fresh fish round out the dinner menu. Happy hour specials are available daily from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

FINNEY’S CRAFTHOUSE & KITCHEN 982 S. Westlake Blvd., Suite 2 Westlake Village, 805-230-9950 finneyscrafthouse.com American; Entrées $10–$25

Kid-Friendly The “craft beer spoken here” neon sign at the back of the dining room doesn’t quite say it all at this casual but polished gastropub owned by Greg Finefrock, a local whose childhood nickname inspired the restaurant’s moniker. In addition to the 30 brews on

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tap, you’ll find craft cocktails, California wines by the glass and bottle, and a fun atmosphere and menu that has something for everyone. Shareable appetizers include gluten-free 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. Other options include tacos, salads, and flatbread pizzas (don’t miss the prosciutto and grilled pineapple combo). Families and other groups will gravitate to the communal tables available inside and on the patio. Seating is first-come, firstserved at the copper bar.

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

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 crepe-like 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.

HARVEST KITCHEN & BAR AT HYATT WESTLAKE PLAZA 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. Locally sourced and seasonal ingredients shine in executive chef Daniel Buss’ housemade potato gnocchi with sautéed kale and English peas, roasted jalapeño and chicken flatbread, and the Chef’s Daily Catch with vegetables. The For Kids by Kids children’s menu features dishes created by Haile Thomas, host of the YouTube series 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.

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

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.

JANE 1311 State St. Santa Barbara, 805-962-1311 and 6940 Marketplace Dr. 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.

LINN’S RESTAURANT 2277 Main St. Cambria, 805-927-0371 linnsfruitbin.com American; Entrées $10–$34

Kid-Friendly What started as a farm stand is now a family-owned business that includes a restaurant, a gift shop, a café that specializes in freshly baked fruit pies, and the original farm stand, for those on a sentimental journey. No visit to Cambria is complete without at least one breakfast, lunch, or dinner spent at the combination bakery and restaurant, located in the seaside town’s historic East Village. Berries are a recurring theme on the menu, appearing in fruit-filled scones, glasses of olallieberry lemonade, and the raspberry-orangecranberry sauce served with roasted Shelton Farm chicken. Executive chef Matt Beckett is as skilled at whipping up comfort food classics (think beef Stroganoff and chicken potpie) as he is with gluten-free options and dishes featuring grass-fed beef from Hearst Ranch.

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 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 family-owned and operated group of restaurants has clearly struck a chord: Its original location is No. 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 orderat-the-counter service can now be found at four 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 chiles Norteños, made with two poblano chilies stuffed with shrimp and Oaxaca cheese, and 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 and Goleta serve beer and wine as well as agave margaritas and micheladas. The newest spot at The Shoppes at Westlake Village has a full bar that offers top-shelf tequilas and drink specials. Diners who sit at the bar can order food there, too.

MARMALADE CAFE 4783 Commons Way Calabasas, 818-225-9092 and 3894 Cross Creek Road Malibu, 310-317-4242 and 3825 State St. Santa Barbara, 805-682-5246 and 140 Promenade Way Westlake Village, 805-370-1331 marmaladecafe.com American; Entrées $10–$22

Salads, sandwiches, soups and waistlinefriendly 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.

NÎROJ KURDISH CUISINE 30313 Canwood St. Agoura Hills, 818-889-7888 nirojcuisine.com Middle Eastern; Entrées $17–$26

Romantic, Live Entertainment Dishes from the Levant, a region that stretches from Turkey to Egypt along the Mediterranean Sea, are featured in this unexpected jewel of a restaurant located in Reyes Adobe Plaza. Familiar items such as dolma, hummus, falafel, and baklava (served warm, by the way) are joined by those specific to the Kurdish people and culture, localized by the use of produce from area farms. Vegan soups include nîsk, a puree of red lentils with sundried mint and spices. Lahmajun pairs ground beef and lamb with tomatoes, onions, and chopped chili peppers atop thin-crust bread. Seating is at a glass-tiled bar or at round copper tables in a dining room decorated with colorful textiles and ornate metal lanterns. Beverages include Turkish and Kurdish coffees plus wines from Turkey, Lebanon, Argentina, and California. Belly dancers perform on Friday and Saturday evenings.

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-and-sour 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.

PUBLIC SCHOOL 805 120 Promenade Way, Suite A Westlake Village, 805-379-3909 psontap.com American; Entrées $8–$28

Saturday & Sunday Brunch Named for the area code and the goal of offering guests “an education in the art of food and beer,” this gastropub makes the most of its schoolyard theme. Baseball mitts decorate one wall and happy hour is known as “recess.” (It’s also known as a bargain: Meal-worthy bites are just $4 to $6 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays). More than 40 craft beers, most on rotating taps, are available to pair with executive chef Phil Kastel’s inventive fare. He earns extra credit for adding crispy fried capers to an appetizer of salmon “pastrami” carpaccio. Burgers, salads, and wood-fired flatbreads are lunch and dinner options; fried Jidori chicken and waffles are on the breakfast menu, available from 10 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Organize your own field trips to Public School 612 in downtown Los Angeles and Public School 310 in Culver City.

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

Dog-Friendly, Great Views, KidFriendly, 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 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. 805LIVING.COM / JULY • AUGUST 2017

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The Dining Guide SUSHI PLANET 951 S. Westlake Blvd., Suite 114 Thousand Oaks, 805-379-9844 sushiplanet.net Japanese; Entrées $7 and up. Prices vary for sushi, sashimi, and premium rolls.

Tempura, bento boxes, udon, and sashimi are on the menu. But what this local chain is really known for is its colorful and creatively named rolls. The Saint Valentine consists of crab salad, avocado, tuna, salmon, and shrimp rolled in soy paper to form a teardrop shape; they’re served in pairs, which resemble hearts. Some of the simplest preparations are also the best: You can’t go wrong with tuna tataki, a beautifully plated dish of seared tuna cut into thin pieces and topped with slivers of jalapeño; baby spinach leaves and a sweet ponzu sauce help cut the considerable heat. Beer and wine are available.

TOSCANOVA 4799 Commons Way, Suite A Calabasas, 818-225-0499 calabasas.toscanova.com Italian; Entrées $15–$44

Garden View, Romantic Like its sister site at the Westfield Century City shopping mall, this restaurant at the Commons at Calabasas re-creates the feel of a Tuscan getaway without the airfare. In Calabasas, diners have the option of lounging around a patio fire pit or sitting at a table overlooking a garden that is a draw for barefoot children at play on the grass. On the menu set by owner and founding chef Agostino Sciandri is a section devoted just to mozzarella (burrata with sautéed eggplant, anyone?) as well as a pizza topped with seasonal truffles, house-made pappardelle with wild mushrooms, and grilled sliced filet mignon with baby arugula and shaved Parmesan. Lunch adds sandwiches and flatbread pizza to the mix. The bar is the place to be on Tuesdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., when your first order of the featured beverage is 5 cents.

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.

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BOGIES BAR & LOUNGE 32001 Agoura Road Westlake Village, 818-889-2394 bogies-bar.com Spanish-California Small Plates and 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 roll-up 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 prosciuttowrapped pork chops with apricot-cashew 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 awardwinning 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 $10–$20; Pizzas $14–$18; Pasta $15–$23

With its 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 napoletana. Simple and flavorful, each pizza emerges blistered and soft, with just a few toppings. Favorite pies include the Queen Margherita with San Marzano tomato sauce and buffalo mozzarella and the Nordista with pesto, mushrooms, speck, and fontina. Don’t miss co-owner Gessica Russo’s house-made pastas or the weekday night aperitivo hour from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., featuring cocktails such as the classic Negroni and Aperol Spritz as well as beer and wine, served with a complimentary plate of small bites.

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 half-gallon 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 all-day 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.

OLIO PIZZERIA 11 W. Victoria St., Suite 21 Santa Barbara, 805-899-2699, Ext. 2 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 entrees, 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-andmatch 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 chilemarinated 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.

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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.

TRATTORIA FARFALLA 160 Promenade Way Westlake Village, 805-497-2283 farfallawestlakevillage.com Italian; Entrées $13–$30

The dark and sexy environs evoke both romance and fun, aided by a classical guitarist playing in the lounge area on Friday and Saturday nights. Excellent Italian fare from chef-owner Santino Coccia includes an extensive list of cheeses and a full-blown fresh mozzarella bar. Salads are created as either starters or main courses. The pasta list is long and has many interesting choices. Pizza, plus seafood like cioppino and branzino, and plenty of meats will satisfy most appetites. 

Farm to Table for More Than 20 Years BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER SERVED DAILY 20 LOCAL WINES BY THE GLASS

bigskycafe.com 805-545-5401 1121 Broad Street, San Luis Obispo 805LIVING.COM / JULY • AUGUST 2017

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Celebrate the joy of summer at the Westlake Village Inn. The Inn offers a unique destination with many experiences. Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re rekindling a romance, spending time with the girls, or making memories with family, the Westlake Village Inn is an the ideal destination for the perfect vacation getaway.

31943 Agoura Road | Westlake Village, CA | 91361 | westlakevillageinn.com | 818.889.0230

lake arrowhead | $7,995,000

sherwood country club | $7,195,000

country club estates | $6,880,000

lake sherwood |$5,995,000

sherwood country club | $3,999,000

camarillo | $2,199,000

santa ynez | $1,295,000

ENGEL&VÖLKERS Westlake Village

960 S. Westlake Blvd. Ste. 10 Westlake Village, Ca 91361 818.889.1602 westlakevillage.evusa.com calBRE 01910946

los olivos | $1,027,000

ENGEL&VÖLKERS Santa Barbara

1323 State Street, Santa Barbara, Ca 93101 805.342.0227 santabarbara.evusa.com calBRE 01976469

©2017 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. All data, including all measurements and calculations of area, is obtained from various sources and has not been, and will not be, verified by broker or MLS. All information should be independently reviewed and verified for accuracy. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.