the canyon bakery

I love when I find a cute spot with tasty eats in my neighborhood. Perhaps because there aren’t all that many options here in Topanga? The Canyon Bakery is a local bakery churning out freshly milled whole grain baked goods, naturally leavened breads, pastries & pizzas here in the canyon! They take online orders for Friday pick ups, but currently are only “open” as a weekend pop up, aka Sunday Fundays! After stalking their Instagram for a while, we finally made it over to try out the goods. Their freshly milled Hundo whole grain Sonora cinnamon rolls had caught my eye, so that was a must order, and it did not disappoint! The giant spinach & cheese spelt croissant swirl was flakey and delicious as well. Talk about up my alley!

If you’re a fan of freshly baked breads, definitely grab a loaf or two to take home. The sprouted ancient grain and the chocolate cherry rye loaves were both big hits in our house, whether turned into a sandwich or eaten alone! There are plenty of gluten free things on the menu as well, including bagels, muffins and a millet bread, so don’t feel like you have to miss out if you happen to have a sensitivity to wheat or gluten. I’m also happy to see that on subsequent trips, The Canyon Bakery seems to be expanding their menu a bit, to include exciting things like whole grain focaccias studded with purple potatoes & castelvetrano olives, apricot jam brioche buns with creme fraiche & mint, and roasted shallot & gruyere buns! Next on my list to try are their Hundo spelt pizzas! Yum!

surfrider malibu

If you are planning a trip to Malibu, I definitely recommend checking out The Surfrider Malibu. This boutique hotel is the epitome of chic, oozing with California surf culture, and is situation right on the coast with expansive sea views. As if that’s not reason enough to book your stay, their rooftop restaurant churns out some truly fresh and delicious local-inspired cuisine. The menus are Coastal-Californian with a focus on locally sourced, sustainable and organic produce, and strike a wonderful balance between farmland and sea. The drinks are not to be missed either, and include natural and organic vineyards and distilleries, Ayurvedic tea houses, local coffee roasteries, and a cocktail menu featuring local produce. The vibe here is as if you’re hanging out on the deck of your own Malibu beach house (if only we could all be so lucky), so relax and enjoy a long, leisurely lunch al fresco- no shoes required!

I’ve gotten the opportunity to dine here midday for a post-beach brunch, as well as for a nice dinner out with friends, and each time the food was thoroughly enjoyed, having us planning our return trip soon. I mean, seriously, how picture perfect are these dishes? The Gjusta bakery sourdough with burrata is never a bad way to start the meal, along with the fresh ceviche. I highly suggest ordering any of the fresh fish on the menu- in our case this was a wild caught, local catch of the day served in a balinese curry that was just to die for! And that flat iron steak (from local Santa Carota Ranch) was cooked perfectly and plated beautifully as well. My toddler and I were huge fans of the (gigantic) seasonal cobbler, which featured local blackberries, heirloom apples, coconut crisp & vanilla gelato, and was the perfect ending to our meal :) I’m getting hungry again just writing this, so looks like we need to plan a return trip soon!

endless color topanga

I love a local, neighborhood spot. Even better if it serves vibrant, deli and flavorful food! Endless Color Topanga is just that and more, serving up wood-fired pizzas and organic market plates, along with a nice selection of biodynamic wines and beer & hard kombucha on tap! They have a lovely outdoor patio where you can enjoy your eats, and hang with friends over a drink. What’s even more fun is the ambiance inside the joint- they have a stellar selection of records for sale. So feel free to peruse the albums while you wait for you pie.

The fresh, organic, market-driven plates vary by the season, and are on display when you order, so pick a few that look good to nosh on while your pizza is cooking. The brussels sprous with citrus and the roasted rainbow carrots are always a good move. When it comes to pizza, I’m a fan of the Super Greens, which comes loaded with spinach, leeks, mozzarella, goat & cheep cheese, or the Zucchini, which is a tasty combo of zucchini, confit tomatoes, goat cheese, fennel fronds, mint & arugula. Yum! They also serve classics like pepperoni and margherita for the purists out there. At Endless Color, all the pizza dough is made in-house using 100% Dark Northern Spring Wheat (grown in the deep volcanic soil of the Pacific Northwest), and is fermented for 72 hours to give it that perfectly crisp, yet chewy texture. And if you’re gluten-free, fret not- they also offer a gluten free dough using heirloom rice and millet flours, which is fermented for 24 hours! Don’t skip the homemade (gluten free!) cookies either! I’m partial to the double chocolate with cashew, or oatmeal with golden raisins & walnuts :)

For the longest time, Endless Color was only open in the late afternoon/evenings, which I thought was somewhat of a missed opportunity given the lack of decent food options in Topanga (but also understandable given the state of the world…). I’m happy to report that they’re now open all day, and plan to launch a full on breakfast and lunch menu soon! For now, I love stopping in for a coffee and pastry on my morning commute. Yay for delicious local spots!


topanga mother bread

topanga mother sourdough bread

To me, there’s not much better than freshly baked bread. The smell, the texture, and the taste all just makes my heart sing. You can get good bread many places these days- from farmers markets to grocery stores to the bakeries themselves- the options are endless. But truly great bread is a bit harder to come by, and that’s why I was so delighted to find Topanga Mother, a local bread dealer here in my neighborhood that delivers freshly baked bread to your doorstep! Naturally fermented sourdough breads, made using only organic flour and whole grains, are the focus here, and each fully hydrated dough is hand shaped into a super delicious loaf for you to enjoy at home.

The menu at Topanga Mother is simple- country, seeded country, raisin pan, and olive loaves are available to order. While classics are great, I love me a mix-in, so naturally I gravitated toward their olive studded and cinnamon raisin loaves. The ratio of mix-ins to bread is high here, just how I like it, so every piece includes a juicy, delectable bite. The whole family is fan, and we blazed through our delivery quite quickly. Topanga Mother delivers every Wednesday and Sunday, and you can contact them if you have a special request, or need a bread fix on other days of the week as well! Talk about top notch service. I have to say, opening my front door to find freshly baked (still warm!) sourdough on my doorstep is one of my favorite ways to start the day!

m.georgina

I’m so excited that the days of dining out are slowly but surely returning to us. My reviews of tasty spots became far less frequent over the last year, and it was honestly such a bummer. While drooling over the endless foodie photos on my phone, I came across our last dining out experience right before the pandemic hit. My husband and I hit up M.Georgina for a date night, and I have to say it’s almost as if we knew we weren’t going to be able to dine out for quite a long while after that. We really did it up big, and everything was super delicious! M.Georgina serves up seasonal Cali fare using fresh produce, grains, fish, and meat from local farms, and even bakes sourdough bread on site! The atmosphere is great here as well- I love the open kitchen, and getting to watch all the chefs in action creating magic on the plate.

The oysters and kampachi crudo were super fresh, and the perfect light start... along with freshly baked house levain and cultured butter, that is. I was also a fan of the Monterey squid with house togarashi- so flavorful! The chefs incorporate red fife (an ancient grain) into their campanelle pasta with cotechino ragout, and I loved the little something extra it gave to the dish. We went veggie and meat heavy with entrees, ordering the chard saag with romancesco and the Liberty Farms duck for two! As if that wasn’t enough food, we finished with three desserts, because why not finish on a (sugar) high note, am I right?! I love how M.Georgina celebrates the farms and seasonality of Los Angeles in their approach to cooking. You really can taste the quality difference in each and every bite. Check out the rest of our meal in the slideshow above, and get ready to drool! Out of an abundance of caution and to keep guests and employees safe, M.Georgina has temporarily closed during the pandemic, but I look forward to the day they open their doors again soon!

lappert's hawaii ice cream & coffee

My husband and I just got back from a lovely little Hawaiian getaway. We visited the island of Kauai, and it was magical in so many ways. From the hikes to the beaches to the food, we were blown away and really had the best time. Following very true to form, I had researched several sweet spots before our trip, and discovered a plethora of ice cream, shave ice, and açaí bowl options. Sounds like heaven to me! One place that looked super legit was Lappert’s Hawaii Ice Cream & Coffee. I noted multiple locations on the island, and quickly planned our visit. Upon arrival to the shop, the delicious smell of freshly made waffle cones drifted over us, and we knew we made a good choice. Lappert’s makes a bunch of unique flavors using local ingredients and mix-ins, like Kauai Pie (Kona coffee ice cream, Hawaiian macadamia nuts, shredded toasted coconut & dark chocolate fudge) and Caramel Coconut Macadamia Nut (bourbon vanilla ice cream, toasted coconut, Hawaiian macadamia nuts & caramel swirl). Wow, just reading that again makes my mouth drool. How good does that sound? Several flavors tempted us, and tried our fair share, but I went with the two mentioned above, and they did not disappoint. Yum! Lappert’s opens early in the morning, as they also serve fresh, daily-roasted local coffee, so feel free to stop in for your java fix as well! However, I wouldn’t judge you if you decided on ice cream for breakfast, instead! Those flavors are hard to deny! Here’s to hoping Lappert’s opens a shop in Cali soon!