If you ever leave work early on a friday, go here.

Really. If you ever get to leave work at 4pm on a Friday - or any day, you need to do this.
Drive all the way out to the PCH. Yes, I know it's far, traffic's already bad, blah blah blah. Just do it.
Go to where Sunset meets the PCH, look for this sign:

...and pull into the Gladstone's parking lot. Walk your little feet up to the hostess stand and get a table by the window (or if you're outside, near the railing). Now sit back, relax and enjoy the best post-work evening of your life. Fine, maybe you'll disagree. But in terms of places you can drive to in LA that actually give you the utopic beach life we all dream of, Gladstone's is it.
To be realistic, you should probably make a reservation. But that's why the leaving work early thing is key. I can't imagine what the crowds are like late on Friday, or during the day Saturday or Sunday. And I'm sure your chances of a window seat are slim. So just figure out a way to make it happen.
My first sunset at Gladstone's was for a rehearsal dinner for a wedding. I was a bridesmaid in a wedding that...well...it was a little trying...to say the least. But the rehearsal dinner was fantastic - the best part!! We were in the Movie Room, a room for private parties in the back of the restaurant. Two sides were all glass for perfect ocean views. It also has a private door and staircase going straight down to the beach. Totally spectacular! For all the stress and shenanigans that had gone on, I felt like a different person when I sat down for that dinner. The food was amazing too - I'm not a big seafood person (anyone who knows me also knows that's the understatement of the year), but all of the cooked sea creatures looked fantastic and my steak was delicioso. The service was truly excellent too - which is always a challenge when dealing with large parties. I know most people probably go to Gladstone's within a month of moving out here. Well, it took me seven years to get there, but I can't wait to go back!

Not so much for the vegetarians

About a month ago I went wine tasting with 2 fabulous fellows up in the Sideways region - Los Olivos / Buellton / Solvang. After hitting up 4 or 5 wineries, putting something non-liquid in our bellies seemed like a good idea. We had the official Sideways wine region map, which also included some of the restaurants in the movie. We really wanted to try the Hitching Post II in Buellton. Unfortunately it was 3pm and the HP II doesn't open until 4pm on Sundays. Next door to the HP II was the carnivorous wonderland called AJ Spurs. Here's the thing, animal protection rights people, don't even bother walking in the door to AJ Spurs. The pioneer/log cabin/hunting thing they've got going on in the decor outside doesn't hold a candle to the actual weapons and dead stuffed animals (not the cuddly ones - the ones that were formerly actual animals) inside. When you're seated - and they know you're actually going to order some food, they bring you the free appetizer. Not bread and butter, not some fresh veggies - a crock of beef stew for the whole table. That's when we knew this place meant business when it came to eating.
As soon as you open the menu, it's confirmed that this isn't a spot for a light afternoon snack before supper. Everything on the menu is an entree. The only salad option is a Chicken Caesar. I mean, the ONLY one. If you're a vegetarian, you're ordering sides - and all of them will be in oil, butter, salt or some combination thereof. Everything else is carnivore entree city.
As their menu so eloquently puts it, here's what you get when you order a meal:
"All dinners include: A.J.'s hearty vaquero soup, salsa, tequila beans, rice pilaf, garden salad, A.J. spuds, sourdough garlic bread, an old-fashioned root beer float or after dinner liquer. (Tortillas on request only)"
So you're eating, people. Serious eating. A freaking root beer float as part of your meal?!? Genius.
Now, I'll be honest, my stomach wasn't totally prepared for the task and I felt not-so-great in the car on the way back. But I'm pretty sure the wine tastings - probably adding up to a whole bottle in my tummy - weren't the best stomach coater pre-feast at Mr. Spurs.
So when you're up in the area and ready for a Meal with a capital M, go AJ Spurs and go all the way.
And say hi to the stuff polar bear for me. I named him Winston.

Where are we, anyway?

It's been a while, my apologies.
However, I'm back with a whole slew of new spots...
Starting with an new spot discovered during an adventurous girls' night out.

After some spectacular star-gazing at a house with futuristic telescopes in La Canada, we set off to find a place called Airliner for a cd release party/concert of a band I'd never heard before. Usually these kinds of outings can mean disaster - either getting hopelessly lost (yes, it's still possible in the age of mapquest) or listening to 30 seconds of a musical debaucle and packing it in for home. But the Saturday night gods were on our side last night. As we drove down the 2 over to the 5 exiting and merging all over the place, we found ourselves in front of the spot - the Airliner. My pilot and I looked at each other when we got off the freeway and both wondered where the hell we were in Los Angeles. Local signage didn't help - all the non-government signs were in Spanish and none had a neighborhood in the name. Later research (this morning) says we were in Lincoln Heights, apparently. Anyway, once inside, it didn't matter what part of town we were in because the Airliner was packed with all sorts of fun folk. The easiest to spot were the all-girl Kiss cover band, but the rest of the crowd was great too. Even the drunkiest boys couldn't spoil the evening. The bands that played were great and the half outside-half inside venue meant we could maintian a perfect temperature. Not too sweaty not too shivery. Aside from the ladies bathroom being a bit of a disaster and the usual "what does a girl have to do to get the bartender down at this end?" wait for a beer, it was neat-o.