The Old Place (and too many parentheticals)

I don't really review restaurants, although I probably have about as much business doing so as I do reviewing wine. However a stumble the other afternoon necessitates a recommendation, and it has little to do with wine (sort of).

D and I went to the beach for the afternoon, something I don't always like to do. Something about the 'scene' at the beach in L.A. is just not my favorite. I grew up visiting the Oregon coast and prefer the blustery weather, small crowds (if any), and beautiful rocky views, just me. But I agreed that a few hours in the sun would make for a fun afternoon if we could drive up through Malibu canyon on the way home and check out the rumored wine scene. The Malibu area is home to over 40 wineries (mostly very small) and yet most Angelenos have no idea.

The drive up out of Malibu through the canyon is really beautiful, and the scenery would shock most haters (those of you who say things like Smell-A, or Hell-A, you know who you are). We stopped at Cornell Winery which is almost all the way up to Aguora. Funny thing is, it isn't really a winery. It is more of a tasting room for local wines, with a few vineyards planted out back that aren't really producing. However, this was a nice surprise as it allowed us to be exposed to Malibu wines in general (maybe more of a surprise, than a nice surprise). We tasted through several Malibu wines, including Cielo Farms, Mailbu Valley Vineyards, and Colcanyon Estates. I gotta say, I was not overwhelmed by the wine but it was interesting to see what Malibu was doing. And the setting and people at Cornell were great, very willing to talk 'Malibu' wines, and very realistic about what you can and can not find in this region.

So why do I even bring this stop up on the blog? Because the tasting room experience was coupled with a stop at the very funky The Old Place restaurant right next door was such a unique L.A. experience I want people to give it a shot. The Old Place is a small, dark, old west saloon inspired place that makes you forget your near the big dirty city, and offers some great food and wine. While only a few miles off the 101, this is the kind of restaurant where you sit on a bench with everyone else, and the bar tender chats you up and offers a carrot out of her garden down the road (yellow carrots, not orange). You then are asked if you want to taste through a few of the by the glass offerings until you find something you like. The wine list includes Malibu wines, but also other California options to round it out. This is the type of place where you can order homemade mac and cheese that will drip with butter and gruyere, or a big bucket of steamed clams. For our afternoon snack we received two beautiful lobster tails accompanied with local sage and browned butter (just something the fish guy had in stock that morning.) I don't know how to describe how comfortable, familiar, dressed down and delicious this place comes across. It is just the right food, done by the right people, in the right place.

If you live in L.A. or ever come to L.A. for business or pleasure you should do the Malibu wine trail. Maybe don't do it expecting to find amazing wine that is just undiscovered, but do it for the absolutely unique experience, and certainly make Cornell and The Old Place one of your stops.