Manhattan Beach (CA)

Driving from San Diego to LAX is a risky proposition.  According to various  locals, it could take 2 hours or all day. I chose to hedge my bets and go in plenty of time for my red-eye that evening. Lucky for me, there was a serious outlet mall in Carlsbad (right on the way).  One of my San Diego associates told me that if I have extra time, I should go kill it at Manhattan Beach, a high-rent beach neighborhood surprisingly close to the airport.  Perfect!


I found may way to the Manhattan of the left coast. It struck me as a laid-back, less-resortish version of Laguna... definitely more up my alley. Less loud "look at me" money and more "I just like the beach" money. I could be totally off-base, but that is the vibe I got.


I walk down to the beach, sticking my toes in the water despite the fact that I am the only one sans wetsuit within 30 feet of the surf. The water is bracingly cold, but I'm a happy Piscean Hoosier happy to get one last taste of the ocean before a summer filled with murky, muddy, lakes (better than nothing, but not the big blue Pacific).

Four Sisters--a beach eatery in Manhattan Beach, CA

When I think my feet may start turning blue, I head away from the beach and decide Happy Hour sounds good. I find a cute little place called Four Daughters (named after--you guessed it--the owner's four daughters) and settle into the bar. I order a glass of cheapish Cabernet (Santa Rita 120), Bang Bang Shrimp, the Sliders, and a house salad. Each of these items sets me back a whopping $4. I could get used to the beach!


Everything is yummy. There's a nice little jicama/cucumber slaw under the shrimp, the salad is very fresh, the vinaigrette is homemade, and even the wine is tasty. The thing that strikes me about California (broadly speaking) is that they really understand how to use vegetables more effectively. They always taste good, are fresh, and the variety here is incredible. You actually want to eat the garnish instead of just shoving it to the side of your plate.


Four Daughters is the near-perfect little beach eatery (4/5). My only knock is that the wine list isn't mostly California, which I truly don't understand with the gold mine of local wines in their backyard. Alas! The atmosphere is, well, beachy. The service is laid-back and friendly. The food is laid-back and friendly. In fact, all of Manhattan Beach seems laid-back and friendly. And, well, beachy. I will happily arrive at LAX with a few hours to spare in the future to make a little detour. Cheers!

Laguna Beach part 2

The Rooftop at Casa del Camino was the ultimate SoCal party deck. Sweeping views of the deep blue Pacific frame a teak and granite bar where the bartenders lose track of how many mojitos they serve after the first 10 miutes of their shift (true story--I asked).

Sangria + View

Fresh berry sangria, grapefruit fizz martinis, fabulous Bloody Marys, and those magnificent mojitos... Where o where do we begin? I'll take you through all of them (I did have a whole weekend.... Haha).


The sangria was delightful. It was comprised of great red wine, brandy, Grand Marnier , pineapple and orange juices, and more fruit than an office-to-office Christmas gift basket. Not overly sweet, not overly boozy (at least on the palette), I think it may be the perfect breakfast drink. (Besides, with pomegranate seeds and blueberries, this beverage can certaily be classified as a wellness tonic.)


The mojitos--available in four great fruit flavors--were out of this world. A handful of muddled mint leaves gave way to Bacardi Silver, a homemade citrus sour mix, a mango puree, fresh citrus and a sugar cane stick to stir. No little umbrella necessary for this vacation dream-drink.

Ahi Tuna Poke

The grapefruit fizz was ok. Our bartender (Pete-a supermacho cheeky badass) accidentally put a salt rim on it instead of a sugar rim. Gross. Then he didn't even believe me and had to try it to make sure. Come on, Pete--the customer should always be right. Yikes!

The Bloody Marys were also fabulous--very spicy with lots of lime. The food on the roof was decent. I wouldn't call it amazing but it was sufficient for munching. We went with the pork dumplings, the Hawaiian Ahi Poke, and edamame. Nothing was overly noteworthy, but it was all fresh. The Poke was served with fried wontons that resembled pork rhinds and were far too heavy and oily for the delicate miso-soy tuna. The pork wontons were tasty with a satisfying crunch.

The RoofTop gets 2.5/5. The food was standard and overpriced, the service was substandard, it was always very crowded, but the ocean views and SoCal atmosphere still made it the place you wanted to be. My prediction it tat it will always be tat crowded, but if you are in Laguna Beach, you might as well enjoy the view.... Cheers!

Laguna Beach (part 1)

This weekend we pretended to be jet-setters and headed out to Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach is home to unbelievable surfing, hyper-developed coastlines and faux celebrities. In fact, it only took us (ok, just me) a few hours to spot a OC Real Housewife at the hotel rooftop bar (Jo from season1. Yes, I am mildly embarrassed that I know that).


I had my doubts, but the occasion was one of my dearest friend's nuptials, so I happily decided to enjoy the premium price of sun and surf.


We arrived at 10:30pm on Friday night, hungry and bleary from the exploits of LAX, piece of-crap-rental cars and far too many hours without sleep. Hotel Casa del Camino is right on the South Coast Highway. It is decorated in a Moroccan theme (there were Moroccan lamps, adobe walls and a hookah in our room). The lobby is always bustling with trendy beachgoers and edgy partygoers.

The Lost Suite at Hotel Casa Del Camino

Lucky for us, the hotel tapas restauarant--K'ya Bistro--was still hopping. In fact, it seemed like the place to be. Ripe with locals (hipsters, posers, and plenty of people wanting to be seen) it was a people watcher's dream.


Our server (a handsome young model/actor/surfer type) was kind and knowledgable and happy to make recommendations to two road-weary travelers. I had a beautiful glass of La Crema Pinot Noir (one look at the wine list had me exclaiming "Toto, we aren't in the MidWest anymore!"). Jeff had a craveable mango mojito (many more would be enjoyed throughout our stay). Cheers to vacation! We ordered Tilapia Piccata and Truffled Mac and Cheese (with blue cheese, porcini, and crispy almonds). Both hit the spot.

It was pricey (about $70 with tax and tip for a very lean version of dinner). Then again, this is the OC. I give K'ya 3.5/5 for a kickin' atmosphere, good food, great drinks and friendly service. Welcome to the beach! Cheers... (stay tuned for part 2 and pics)