Malibu Wines - Yes, There Are Wineries and Vineyards in Malibu (Perfect Staycation Spot!)

Whenever I'm with my friend 'Designer', random but serendipitous things tend to happen to us.  We don't necessarily plan for adventure but somehow end up on them.  Back in May, on a whim we had gone to LACMA's annual Muse Art Walk - as we arrived fairly late in the day, we chose our first gallery for speed - because it was attached to the parking lot we pulled into. It happened to have a wine tasting table outside.  At the time we thought, "cool, free wine, just in time before they call it a night!" - little did we know that was only the start of our next adventure. 

The company hosting the tasting was called Malibu Wines.  On a previous hike up Temescal Canyon, we had spotted vineyards on the hills overlooking the ocean, roughly in the Malibu area - but we thought those might have been private backyard wineries of the rich and famous.  As if reading our minds, the friendly wine rep at Art Walk proceeded to talk about their tasting room up in the hills of Malibu, and that we should check it out sometime.  In fact, she had tokens she was giving out for complimentary tastings at the tasting room!  "Take as many as you want," she said, "it's the end of the day.  Take some for your friends!"  We actually liked the wines they sampled at the show, grabbed a few tokens, made a note to look up the place and moved on to the gallery.

It wasn't until Designer's birthday came up this past week, and we were looking for a daytime activity to celebrate (before hitting the bars, wanted to make a full day of it!) that we remembered the tokens that had landed in our hands so long ago - and decided to use them for a mini staycation. 

We were excited to see that we could bring our own food to eat in their picnic area - as they do not have a restaurant on the premises, which was all the more appealing to us as we are both on a budget! 

So, first order of business was to pick up sandwiches and salads from Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery in Santa Monica - which was conveniently for us on the way to the PCH.

Despite being a weekday, the deli was packed with hungry throngs of people, probably 6 deep, 4 wide by the deli counter - and since we were off to a late start due to pre-Carmageddon traffic, we opted for the pre-made sandwiches and salads.

It was grab and go, then a straight shot up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu. Finding the winery was a bit of a process  - the road up the hill, Mulholland - was a small street that didn't have an obvious sign and we passed right by it the first time.  After getting up the hill it was another challenge to find the entrance to the winery - largely as we had been distracted by an amazing looking Tuscan villa atop a hill (we vow to go back to visit) and Malibu Wines had such an unobtrusive entrance, you wouldn't notice it unless you knew where to look (thank you, iPhone GPS!).

As we finally set foot on the grounds of Malibu Wines, we were completely charmed.  It was a cozy space with just a dozen or so tables out among olive trees and lush greenery, three open bar counters set into stone-walled buildings, with a giant vintage looking water/wine tower, vintage pickup trucks bearing wine barrels, and rustic wooden chair-swing adding personality.  On the far side is a gazebo which we thought was made for weddings, and a silver airstream which we guessed is a service station when they have barbecues for private events.

Apparently Malibu Wines is not a working vineyard - but they do pour two wine labels: Semler (from the vineyard across the street) and Saddlerock. Three tasting flights were on offer: one for each label, and a "Light" flight with combinations of the two.  Each consisted of four wines. 

As it was a hot summer day, we decided to go with the Light flight ($12 normally, but free for us that day with the tokens!) - which included tastings of NV Saddlerock Sparkling, 2010 Semler Sauvignon Blanc, 2010 Saddlerock Chardonnay and 2009 Semler Rose.

I am definitely not a wine connoisseur, so not going to attempt to analyze the wines, but to my amateur palate I liked the NV Saddlerock sparkling (Blanc de Blanc) the best - it tasted light and refreshing, pairing perfectly with the gorgeous weather that day!


We took our glasses to the picnic area and unpacked our Bay Cities Deli spread:  'Godmother' sandwiches (with genoa salami, mortadella, coppacola, ham, prosciutto, provolone, lettuce, tomato), caprese, potato salad and the cutest single-serving tiramisu cups with plastic shovel-like spoons packed in!  Not sure if the sandwich was so named as it represents an offer you can't refuse - but the ingredients and fresh bread really was pretty irresistible!

Paradise Cove - Heavenly *Private* Beach Dining

Paradise Cove is possibly one of the best kept secrets in L.A.  Hidden away off the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway, for non-locals :)) in Malibu, less than 20 miles west of downtown Santa Monica - Paradise Cove offers a family-owned restaurant and bar ON THE SAND, on their own private beach far away from the unwashed masses and wide-eyed, slow-paced tourists that clog up its more famous neighbors down the coast.

I first became aware of this place through an acquaintance who makes the drive up the PCH regularly in the summer, to hit hot surf spot Zuma Beach / Point Dume.  He made a comment on the drive up that he'd seen the sign for Paradise Cove many times, and always wondered what it is - so, we decided to explore on our way back, after dinner at Neptune's Net further north.  The place turned out to be almost surreal - with tables and daybeds set up on the sand, next to bluffs falling away to the ocean and the hot summer night tempered by cool breezes from the water just steps away.  And twinkling lights amongst palm trees adding to the charm of the whole space.  You could almost pretend you were in Hawaii or some other tropical vacation destination.  On that particular occasion, more than a year ago - we only stopped for drinks - but I remembered loving the feel of the place so much that I had made a mental note to put this in my '10 Best Date Spots in LA' file. 


A year and many other distracting dining experiences 'in the city' later, my 'Designer' friend happened to want to spend Labor Day at the Getty Villa (also in Malibu - well, technically Pacific Palisades, but close enough) - and that there is a ginormous seafood platter to be had for $19.95 "at some place called Paradise Cove Beach Cafe" - we quickly put the two together to make it a Malibu day trip adventure. 

I had forgotten that parking is only $3 for 4 hours with validation from restaurant/bar after minimum purchase of $20 ($25 if over 4 hours or without validation) - and the lot is attached to the restaurant and beach, so it was super convenient, and put us in a happy mood right from the start!

We had arrived an hour before our reservation time, as we finished with the Getty Villa much earlier than anticipated.  The hostess was friendly and said she would try to accommodate us, though it might be a 20 minute wait if we wanted to sit outside.  The interior of the restaurant is kitschy cool, with lots of celebrity and nautical themed pictures in frames all over the walls, and of course, the inevitable nautical decor and island theme at the bar.  On the other hand...there was seating outside.  On the sand.  Tough decisions is why we get paid the big bucks (not!) - so we grabbed hold of the lobster-shaped pager, and headed for the outdoor walk-up bar - determining quickly to pass the time with giant Pineapple Mojitos ($12 each).  

Though advised not to take the drinks onto the open beach, and to stay within the roped area - the venue was thoughtful enough to provide some seating for those of us who were just looking for a place to kick back until our table was ready for dinner.  We dutifully found the yellow umbrellas denoting the designated area - and was happy to see that the tables were still on the sand, though further back and closer to the parking lot - and plopped down to enjoy our drinks and peruse the menu.

Every table around us seemed to have a giant martini glass filled with a mountain of Crispy Calamari ($15.95) as a centerpiece.  It looked amazing, but far too much food for us if we wanted to save room for the giant iced seafood platters we'd read so much about!

 

So, with superhuman self restraint, we held ourselves to just the drinks while enjoying the fresh air, ocean breeze, and people watching.  And the crowd is very amusing to watch - running the gamut from local looking families, to college student couples, to girlfriends chatting over drinks and appetizers, to large and rowdy groups (the large table next to us clearly enjoyed the beach bar very much, and sang happy birthday to the girl at the head of the table throughout the night) and Jersey Shore types (of the MTV variety).  I loved every minute we spent at Paradise Cove, but, the more serious-minded may not - we found it amusing that there was a guest at the bar who was so 'happy' with her various mojitos, that security traversed the restaurant to ensure the very expressive girl had someone to drive her home.

Though there is a huge potential in the location and setting for a romantic dining experience - perhaps due to the very reasonable food and parking prices, accompanied by the ultra casual atmosphere and lure of a private beach, Paradise Cove attracts a broad demo.  This place could be great for a first date, if your date is into a more laid back vibe - and you don't mind a little bit of unpredictability - your experience could depend on the day, where you get seated and which guests are around. 

It ended up being more than a half hour wait until we got seated at our table for dinner, but when the Iced Seafood Platter ($19.95 per person) arrived, the sound of drool hitting table drowned out the ocean waves and all thoughts of the lengthy wait.  The platter served up, on a bed of ice in a giant ceramic bowl - 2 oysters, 2 crab legs, smoked salmon, 4 peeled shrimp, marinated calamari and scallop ceviche.  Though not the freshest seafood I've ever tasted (it's hard to top sashimi breakfast at Tsukiji market) - it was really, really good for the price.  The oysters, though not as plump as I'd like, tasted of clean, deep ocean and left me wanting more.  The calamari was also delicious, at a perfect consistency - not too tough/chewy - with its light, refreshing marinade that tasted like Italian dressing.  My only minor complaints were the smoked salmon, which was a little salty, and tasted like it came out of one of those vacuum sealed plastic packages you can buy at the grocery store. And the crab legs were tasty, but the shells were so soggy that they were impossible to actually crack - we ended up using our forks to pull pieces out of the shell from the ends.  'Designer' enjoyed the oysters, but had the same comments on the salmon and crab.

Though listed technically under appetizers, the platter was big enough to have for a meal in itself!  We both left stuffed to the gills...but not before each ordering a bowl of New England Clam Chowder ($10) to take with us.  The extensive menu also offered lots of mouth-watering surf and turf options, including mahi-mahi as well as oysters by the half dozen - reasons to come back another time.  For those who don't eat seafood (blasphemy!) - the Beach Cafe also offers burgers and fries.

All in all, the only unfortunate thing about the experience was that we were there at the very end of summer, and by the time we finished it was already getting cold - even with heat lamps turned on around us.  So we didn't stay to enjoy the beach and the intoxicatingly charming space.  But next summer - note to self - Paradise Cove will be my second home!

Update April 2011:

Armed with an OpenTable Spotlight deal ($25 for $50) that was set to expire 4/13, Designer and I had two massive bowls of clam chowder (lots of fresh clams in every spoonful, love it! Though didn't love the cracker balls that were pre-dunked into the soup, which tasted a bit stale) and two giant iced seafood platters. Armed with an OpenTable Spotlight deal ($25 for $50) that was set to expire 4/13, Designer and I had two massive bowls of clam chowder (lots of fresh clams in every spoonful, love it! Though didn't love the cracker balls that were pre-dunked into the soup, which tasted a bit stale) and two giant iced seafood platters. 

This time the seafood platters did not have oysters (and oysters in general are no longer seen on the menu), but instead offered a few mussels marinated in what tasted like Italian dressing. The crab legs were much fresher, the shells were actually still firm.  The smoked salmon still wasn't anything to write home about, but hey, we were getting essentially one of the platters and a glass of OJ for free with the OpenTable Spotlight deal so we weren't going to complain.  Designer took the salmon home to mix with cream cheese for breakfast.

I also filled up on the Ice Cream Cocolada, served in a coconut shell - that made me feel even more like I was on vacation!

Although not a true foodie destination (I don't go home and dream of the food, but I do dream of the ambience / experience!), Paradise Cove is still definitely worth the drive out for drinks or just to chill on the beach and pretend, for just one afternoon or hot summer night, that you are in some tropical place far away from the daily grind in LA.

 

On a 7 point scale:

Flavor - 5.5 bites

Presentation - 5.5 bites
Originality - 5 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 5 stars
Overall experience - 5.5 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100%

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Paradise Cove Beach Cafe
28128 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265
Ph: 310.457.2503
Website: paradisecovemalibu.com
Twitter: twitter.com/paradisecove
OpenTable: Look for reservations
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