Malibu, Blackberries & Google Maps...

Its time for BiG's first TB meeting...whoot whoot!  Dunno wad to expect really, although i expected to see Jenn the day before hahahaha!!  Not to let a mere 24 hours come between a scheduled meeting and myself, i resolve to not stay in San Diego and chill by the pool all day, and get sun burned, and get old, so i  get up on the horse once more to go to town...LA town that is.

5:45am and i'm out...since i got home from LA the night before at 2:00am, i decide to sleep a in a little later than i had planned to, and woke up at 5:45am instead of my intended time of 5:00am.  I think that extra 45 minutes did the trick.  Doing 80mph the whole way into the crispy San Diego morning, with only a minor "speed bump" entering LALA Land proper, we arrive at the Pricess's palace in 1 hour & 45 minutes.

  Not bad, not bad.  The gate guards at her complex are very nice, so they allow me to park between the two garage entrances and wait...giving me more time to throw the previous day's trash into the trunk hahahaha...Ninja!!

Actually reaching LA was a bit of a surprise to me in more ways than one hahaha.  When i called in for an "on the road" progress report, 40 miles from downtown, my gas light popped on, and i realized that i'd just make it there with the gas needle pounding the E zone...for 40 miles, i silently believe in the power of prayer.  Meh, it worked and i reached LA with the gas needle on empty haha, and away we went...after stocking up on gas and cigarettes, we fly on the wind, westward...Time to Food!!!  We have 10 oclock reservations for brunch at the Inn of the Seventh Ray in Topanga.

  The pictures and reviews look promising, and its on Jenn's list of things to do anyhoo.

[CHECK]:  Do my first TravBuddy Meeting.  Woot Woot!

Feeling a little decadent we popped the top down and turned the heater on (hahahaha).  People were honking at us and there was a park ranger behind us, so we pulled over to the side of the road, to find that the cover for the top had not closed all the way down because the wind was holding it up as we drove...note to self, pop the top down when not moving hahah.

[CHECK]:  Drive through Malibu with the top down (and the heater on hahahaha!!).

We got so into enjoying the scenery and the conversation, we drove almost all the way across malibu before we hit Pepperdine University and realized we'd missed our turn.

  Apparently, Highway 23 and Highway 27 are confusing, and somewhat synonymous, so we pull over and utilize my newly installed Google Maps GPS...Bam!!!  We are back on track and rolling with step by step instructions even a 5 year old (or a college graduate hahahaha) could follow.  We were there within 20 minutes easy, with 20 minutes to spare before our reservation.  And a very good thing that we arrived early too...i would find out after i returned home that the place is valet ONRY!!!  What a stupid concept considering there are only 20 parking spaces and they are all within 15 feet of the front door...sigh...LA rears its ugly head again hahahaha.

The place is awesome though.  Some peoples' reviews i read on Yelp actually complained about the service, but it really was a plus for me.

  At nearly 98% table capacity empty, it took the Maitre'D 10 minutes to seat the one guy in front of us.  Then it was our turn.  We went on something akin to an easter egg hunt for the perfect table, and we finally settled into a booth at the very end of the cliffside dining area.  No wonder it takes so long to get a seat hahaha, its so interactive.  Everyone on staff gives you their full attention and made our stay a comfortable one.

I ordered a slice of the Poppyseed Cake, only to find that they were out of it...sigh, so i opted for the Vegan Apple Persimmon Cake...quite moist for vegan fruit bread...the portions were a bit on the scant side, but the rich moist texture and subtle flavors make it quite worth it.

..although one could easily mistaken it for a wet and sticky carrot cake hahaha, if that doesnt sound too unprofessional.

I also ordered the Wild Seabass Sandwich, and as it turned out they were also out of seabass, hahaha, not my day really...good thing i am adept at rolling with the punches...they offered to fix me up a salmon sandwich, but one really cannot substitute seabass with salmon...so i went for the item that id been eyeing since i sat down, the Duck Bacon Aumlette, and no thats not a mispelling...they just spell it that way...AUMletter hahaha.  The wild seabass was advetised with horseradish aioli, caramelized onions and paprika dusted veggie chips...cant really just toss salmon in there and call it a day...wouldnt be right.

  I must return to try my beloved Poppyseed Cake and Wild Seabass Sandwich.  Hopefully when it DOES come in, the sea bass will still be Wild, and not simply or marginally fun.

Jenn went straight for the Poached Eggs, unwavering in her demeaner, fangs glaring...with complete conviction...kinda turns a guy on hahahaha.  The poached egg came with two toasted pieces of grilled bread, and man was the bread good in of itself.  The whole thing sat in a bed of white bean stew, with kale.  The white beans were quite rich, full, filling and fulfilling hahaha.  Its hard to find a good robust soup these days, was not expecting to find a solid stew at a place like this...we took turns breaking the yokes over the bread and letting it drip all over our fingers and the stew (well just me really, Jenn would prove to have far more grace than i hahaha).

  Its amazing how good it feels sometimes when your eyes roll back into the back of ur head...and for a moment, ur willing to believe in heaven on earth...huevos for everyone!!!!  I actually thinking back to it now, feel bad for eating one of Jenn's eggs.  It was REALLY good hahahaha...if and when i return, im gonna be ordering my own and not sharing hahaha!!!

Our waitress had recommended the Roasted M1arket Veggies Flatbread with goat cheese...i was actually expecting a lot, and this turned out to be the biggest dissapointment of the day hahaha.  It wasnt bad per se, but it didnt live up to expectations.  I will say though, that the sauteed mushrooms and chunky soft feta, sprinkled with a canopy of bitter baby spinach worked well together, i was rather impressed with the contrast in texture and flavors.

..it was the flatbread itself that did not hold up against the rich and savory toppings...kinda like eating caviar and champange using ritz crackers hahaha.  The flatbread should be more substantial, holding up on its own, as well as supporting the flavors on top of it...i wouldnt go so far as to say that it was flat (ok, bad choice of words but nothing funny intended here), but it certainly lacked something that fell through the piece as a whole...it'da been better to scrape everything off the top and eat them as a salad, rolling the flatbread up to be munched on as a tertiary accompaniment.

Lavender linens, purple orchids on the tables, and lavender hand soap in the restrooms...the female restroom had a lavender curtain on it like the wizard of OZ.

..hahaha.  The main building and its surrounding terrances and decks looked as if they had taken the complex from a lavish vineyard or country club and then plopped it right down into a dry riverbed in the hills of malibu hahaa...the foliage is lush and compliments the wood beams and trim, but the view itself is nothing to be raved about...rather the feeling of detachment from the negatives of the daily grind and a warm connection to the plants and the food and the general ambiance speak well of the positive reviews.

After breakie, the top came back down and we stopped along the highway in front of the Getty Villa to take pictures on the sands...we ducked underneath the lines of a couple fishing from the shore as the waves lightly crashed against the rocks, lapping and stroking them, as we hopped and hurdled with each ebb down the coastline.

  Jenn suggested that i time the wave as it rolls out after breaking against a giant rock on the shore, and hop around the side of it for a picture...well i made it in time, but then i got bombarded by wave after wave after wave...apparently id fallen for the bait, hahaha.  I half tried to hold my pants up, but by the time the water got up to my thighs i said forget it and just let it go hahaha...whee!!!  Fun in Malibu!  Freezing fun in Malibu!!