7 minute read
NIGHT MOODS
VIETNAMESE “SUNBATHING” PR AWNS AT CASSIA
Culinary Collaborations
At this trio of restaurants, extraordinary teamwork is the recipe for excellence.
BY SHELLEY LEVITT
NEVER MIND THE ADAGE ABOUT TOO MANY COOKS IN THE KITCHEN. Some of Santa Monica’s most dazzling dining experiences are created with an abundance of talent. These are joint efforts among restaurateurs, hoteliers and chefs with different culinary traditions.
CASSIA
A pair of husband-and-wife duos are behind this boisterous five-year-old restaurant that merges the flavors of Southeast Asia and California. Chef Bryant Ng and his wife and business partner, Kim, partnered with Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan of the Rustic Canyon Family restaurant group. Santa Monica natives Loeb, a restaurateur, and Nathan, a celebrated pastry chef, have helped launch local chef-driven destinations including Rustic Canyon, Huckleberry Bakery and Cafe, Milo + Olive, Esters Wine Shop & Bar and Birdie G’s. Highlights of Cassia’s vibrant menu include Vietnamese “sunbathing” prawns, kaya toast, grilled lobster and a heritage pork charcuterie platter. ➤ 1314 Seventh St., 310-393-6699, cassiala.com
THE DINING ROOM AT OCEANA
With only 70 rooms—all suites—the Oceana hotel strives to offer guests the bespoke experience of a stay in a private beach home. That extends to dining experiences there. Oceana has partnered with Raphael Lunetta, the famed chef-owner of Santa Monica’s side-by-side restaurants Lunetta All Day and Lunetta, to direct an exclusive restaurant open only to hotel guests. The Dining Room offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, featuring ingredients sourced from the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Overnight guests might begin their day with avocado toast, move on to a midday grilled chopped salad and enjoy a burger for dinner with blueberry bread pudding as the culinary finale. ➤ 849 Ocean Ave., 800-777-0758, hoteloceanasantamonica.com
SOCALO
When it comes to successful culinary partnerships, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken take the cake. In a collaboration spanning 35 years, they introduced modern Mexican cuisine to Angelenos with the opening of their first Border Grill restaurant in 1985. Over the decades, this expanded into a mini empire of eateries and food trucks, cookbooks and nearly 400 episodes of the Food Network series Too Hot Tamales. In 2016, the Santa Monica location of Border Grill closed after 26 years. Now, the pair has opened Socalo, an all-day Mexican canteen featuring seasonal SoCal Mexican fare at the Gateway Hotel. The eatery will offer counter service and grab-and-go burritos, empanadas and more for breakfast and lunch, and full-service dining at night, including cocktails made with small-batch spirits, craft beers and Mexican wines. ➤ 1920 Santa Monica Blvd., socalo.com
DINE
CORA’S COFFEE SHOPPE
Satiate Whether the sun is rising or it’s the wee hours of the night, there’s a restaurant in Santa Monica that’s ready to satisfy your hunger. BY SHELLEY LEVITT Early or Late
EARLY BIRD EATS
CORA’S COFFEE SHOPPE
From Cora’s patio, where trellises are covered in bougainvillea, you could toss your burrata cream cheese bagel or buckwheat blueberry pancakes and hit the sandy beach. But with fresh ingredients sourced from the nearby Santa Monica Farmers Market, you won’t want to miss a single bite of the breakfast offerings, which are served starting at 7 a.m. seven days a week. Locals rave about the huevos rancheros and the baby artichoke and tarragon omelet. Check the chalkboard for specials like corned beef hash and Greek eggs with spinach and spicy yogurt. The juices and lemonade are all organic and freshly squeezed. ➤ 1802 Ocean Ave., 310-451-9562, corascoffee.com
DOGTOWN COFFEE
You could buy a surfboard or skateboard along with your avocado toast, granola (a gluten-free option is available), steel-cut oatmeal or eggs with bacon and feta at this Main Street spot. After all, Dogtown is located in the landmark building that once housed Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions, a legendary surf shop. Dogtown doesn’t just offer a nod to surfers—it also feeds them, opening at 5:30 a.m. on weekdays and 6:30 a.m. on weekends, in plenty of time to grab some grub and a shot of espresso or a 96-ounce carafe of Joe-to-Go before riding the first wave. ➤ 2003 Main St., 310-310-3665, dogtowncoffee.com
URTH CAFFÉ
Early risers can beat the ever-present, though fast-moving, line at the Santa Monica location of this popular heirloom coffee company that began
DOGTOWN COFFEE MEL’S DRIVE-IN
some 30 years ago. Beginning at 6 a.m. every day, the Main Street outpost, which opened in 2004, offers breakfast on the outdoor patio or in the cozy interior that’s decked out with marble counters and Italian fixtures. Choose from a specialty coffee and tea menu that includes Rude Awakening (their proprietary Manhattan Mudd coffee topped with espresso) and a Thai Red Tea Latte. The food menu, built around sustainable, seasonal and local ingredients, is extensive, with breakfast bowls, parfaits, panini and a score of egg dishes. ➤ 2327 Main St., 310-314-7040, urthcaffe.com
NIGHT-OWL FARE
CHEZ JAY
A 60-year-old iconic spot that has been declared a historical landmark and that proudly embraces the description of “dive bar,” Chez Jay welcomes locals, celebrities and visitors until 2 a.m. every night. Located just a half block south of the Santa Monica Pier and a quick stroll from the Third Street Promenade, the classic joint, complete with peanut shells on the floor and a jukebox, serves a timeless steak-and-seafood dinner menu, including steamed clams, an iceberg wedge salad, surf and turf, steak au poivre, shrimp scampi and chicken marsala. A trio of $7 offerings provides for dessert: cheesecake Chez Jay, sticky toffee pudding and chocolate chip cake. ➤ 1657 Ocean Ave., 310-395-1741, chezjays.com
MEL’S DRIVE-IN
The neighborhood rejoiced when Mel’s Drive-In took over the 1959 Penguin Coffee Shop space, preserving its Space Age–inspired, born-in-L.A. Googie architecture. Located on Lincoln Boulevard at the end of the famous Route 66, the newest of Mel’s seven locations is open 24 hours on weekends and until 2 a.m. on weekdays. Drop in for a dragonfruit-based Pink Panther smoothie, Hangover Helper juice (orange, apple, turmeric, ginger and lemon), The Penguin milkshake featuring marshmallow and chocolate syrup, a Melburger, a Cobb salad, spaghetti and meatballs, a BLT or a bowl of chili. In classic diner style, the menu is wide ranging, and somehow everything is done pretty much to perfection. ➤ 1670 Lincoln Blvd., 310-392-0139, melsdrive-in.com
ROCK’N PIES
It’s 2 a.m. and a craving hits for Buffalo chicken wings, eggplant parmigiana, pasta drowned in red sauce or pizza topped with artichokes, anchovies and salami. You’re in luck. Rock’n Pies offers all these must-have-it-now dishes, plus cookie pizza, cannoli and cheesecake for dessert until 3 a.m. every day of the week. For earlier hankerings, the weekday happy hour menu includes a meatball sandwich or a bowl of rigatoni Bolognese for just $6 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. ➤ 1120 Wilshire Blvd., 424-268-4380, rocknpiespizza.com
DINE
BAR CHLOE BARNEY’S BEANERY
Night Moods
After a sunny day in Santa Monica, take part in the city’s thriving nightlife. From spirited to lively to elegant, there’s a place for every after-dark inclination. BY SHELLEY LEVITT
ROMANTIC LOUNGE
BAR CHLOE *
An exception to most Santa Monica venues, Bar Chloe has a dress code: “Casual chic attire preferred. No flip-flops, shorts or beach attire.” That means guests at this intimate bar are the perfect complement to their elegant surroundings, where the lighting is low, the conversation is hushed, the banquettes are plush and the décor is timeless and gleaming. Enjoy a charcuterie platter, a burger or a classic grilled cheese sandwich accompanied by wine, beer or a seasonal cocktail made in house with ingredients from the farmers market. During the weekday happy hour from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., drinks are $5 to $7 and two mini burgers are $7. ➤ 1449 Second St., barchloe.com
ACTION-PACKED SPORTS BAR
BARNEY’S BEANERY
Sports fans can always catch the game at this lively spot with more than 200 feet of television screens. Located on the Third Street Promenade, the Santa Monica staple is open until 2 a.m. seven days a week, so patrons can celebrate their team’s victory or console themselves over its loss long after the final buzzer. Those who want to take part in the action can join in pool and trivia games and karaoke. The extensive menu caters to favorites like huevos rancheros, macaroni and cheese, chili, pizza, wings, burgers, barbecued ribs and banana splits. ➤ 1351 Third Street Promenade, 310-656-5777, barneysbeanery.com
