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The restored 1920s classic Casa Del Mar Hotel is a great place to have a drink (specialties, $12), and a light lunch (salads, sandwiches and entrees, $16-$28). The Veranda Lounge's 20-foot-high...
The restored 1920s classic Casa Del Mar Hotel is a great place to have a drink (specialties, $12), and a light lunch (salads, sandwiches and entrees, $16-$28). The Veranda Lounge's 20-foot-high floor-to-ceiling windows offer a panoramic view of the beach and ocean. The rattan seats are comfy, and there's no heavy hotel guest traffic to interrupt your conversation -- or reverie. Between 3 and 5 p.m., it's High Tide, what the hotel's Web site calls "a playful, delicious and decidedly different twist on the tradition of High Tea...featuring tea fare expertly prepared." http://www.hotelcasadelmar.com/dining.html
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A lot of restaurants on Santa Monica's Main Street strip have patios, but I don't think there's any as peaceful or spacious as Panini Garden's. If you want to linger over lunch in a spacious...
A lot of restaurants on Santa Monica's Main Street strip have patios, but I don't think there's any as peaceful or spacious as Panini Garden's. If you want to linger over lunch in a spacious outdoor setting, and even pull out your laptop, this is the place. The food is not a big deal, but the panini grilled sandwiches are reliably tasty. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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For breakfast, lunch or a late dinner, the Literati Cafe is a favorite for the writing and reading sets. It's conveniently located at the corner of Wilshire and Bundy in Brentwood. The breakfast...
For breakfast, lunch or a late dinner, the Literati Cafe is a favorite for the writing and reading sets. It's conveniently located at the corner of Wilshire and Bundy in Brentwood. The breakfast menu includes Belgian waffles with 100 percent Vermont maple syrup and fresh squeezed juices. At lunch or dinner you can choose from among a wide selection of organic-accented dishes, including tuna salad with dolphin-safe albacore tuna and no mayo, grilled veggie sandwich with eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms and bell peppers with pesto and herb crusted salmon lightly sauteed and arrangedd on scalloped potatoes and fresh spinach. The water is filtered, the bread and cookies are home baked and the vegetables locally grown. Hours are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. http://www.literaticafe.com/menu.php?menutype=menuchoice
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Babalu
Category:
Restaurants
1620 Montana Ave # 5 Santa Monica, California 90403 (310) 395-2500
After being closed for months from a kitchen fire, Babalu has reopened its doors, and its old regulars have flocked back for the tasty Caribbean-Asian-American dishes, including the specialty blue...
After being closed for months from a kitchen fire, Babalu has reopened its doors, and its old regulars have flocked back for the tasty Caribbean-Asian-American dishes, including the specialty blue corn crab cakes. Service can be chaotic, especially during the lunch crunch, but the food, and especially the impressive desserts (produced in house), more than make up for waits Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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Forget every Best Burger survey you've seen, forget, even, your own experiences. You will have the best hamburger of your life at The Counter, an industrial sleek restaurant on the eastern side of...
Forget every Best Burger survey you've seen, forget, even, your own experiences. You will have the best hamburger of your life at The Counter, an industrial sleek restaurant on the eastern side of Santa Monica. Warning: Arrive no later than 11:45 a.m. if you want a table. (The counter fills up soon too.) You can order a beef, turkey or veggie burger -- cooked medium unless you specify otherwise -- and have it served on a roll or in a bowl. What makes The Counter's burgers numero uno are not just the basic ingredients, but the extras and garnishes -- herb goat spread, grilled pineapple, roasted red peppers, Russian dressing, red relish, to name a few. The patties are 1/3 lb. ($6.50), 2/3 lb. ($8.75) and 1 lb. ($12). A must complement is french fries or onion strings. http://www.thecounterburger.com/orders_menu.shtml You place your order, with all the specifics, at the counter, then claim a table or counter seat. The hard surfaces of the interior make conversation a challenge, but anyway you'll be preoccupied with your burger production You can phone in for carryout. In or out, the service is efficient.
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The Miramar Hotel, on Wilshire Boulevard at Ocean Avenue, is a precious landmark in Santa Monica going back to 1921. Its guests have included the likes of Greta Garbo and Marilyn Monroe. You and...
The Miramar Hotel, on Wilshire Boulevard at Ocean Avenue, is a precious landmark in Santa Monica going back to 1921. Its guests have included the likes of Greta Garbo and Marilyn Monroe. You and your partner can plunk down $300 or more for a room and see the ocean and breathe in the history, or waltz through the front door and head straight for the Kai Pond Lounge. If you see or hear a waterfall, you know you're in the right place. An attentive server will take your drinks order, and the total damage won't exceed $25 (counting tip). Okay, alternatively, you can splurge at the Third Street Promenade McDonald's for under $10. But, hey, we're talking Garbo and Monroe.
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You could, very quickly, run up a couple of hundred dollars' worth of purchases at the Kiehl's store on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, and everything would fit in a tiny boutique bag. But if you...
You could, very quickly, run up a couple of hundred dollars' worth of purchases at the Kiehl's store on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, and everything would fit in a tiny boutique bag. But if you manage to restrain yourself in this airy temple to oils, lotions and unguents, http://www.kiehls.com/_us/_en/about/index.aspx?TopicCode=About%5EStores%5EStore_LosAngelesSantaMonica& you'll have a fun and possibly instructive experience -- not only on how to pamper your body but also protect it in a local environment (sunny and dry) that can be hard on skin. I like the Deluxe Hand & Body Lotion with Aloe Vera & Oatmeal. It's not inexpensive -- $19.50 -- but the 8.4-ounce bottle lasts a very long time. Before you go to the store, you might want to fill out an online personalized consultation. http://www.kiehls.com/_us/_en/profile/profile_gender_select.aspx?SelectedCatCode=Axe_Men Kiehl's proudly notes that it does no animal testing in developing its products.
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The Banana Republic store at the Wilshire Boulevard entrance to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica has an interior design that is so sweeping and soaring you want to clutch the staircase...
The Banana Republic store at the Wilshire Boulevard entrance to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica has an interior design that is so sweeping and soaring you want to clutch the staircase handrail for fear you'll start levitating. http://www.cimgroup.com/cities/santamonica/1202_third.asp But the clothes neatly piled on tables and shelves or suspended from hangers quickly bring you back to reality. The color spectrum creeps cautiously from black to khaki, with an occasional red that looks as if it's been stone washed so it won't call attention to itself. The staff, on the floor and behind the checkout desk, is friendly and helpful. But there's nothing they can do to inject fashion excitement into the men's jackets, shirts and ties. (The women's clothes don't look so great either.) You say to yourself, J.C. Penney has more thrilling threads. Wouldn't you know, this Banana Republic used to be a Penney's.
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If you're looking for a special gift, but one which won't break your bank, I recommend Liat Home and Body. This charming vestpocket store is a treasure trove of carefully chosen imports from Asia...
If you're looking for a special gift, but one which won't break your bank, I recommend Liat Home and Body. This charming vestpocket store is a treasure trove of carefully chosen imports from Asia and elsewhere, like, Buddha busts, necklaces of semi-precious stones, inlaid platters, and on and on. The prices are moderate, and, what I especially liked was that you can get your purchase gift-wrapped with top production values. On the shelves, you'll also find candles, oils and other specialties to pamper any body, mind or spirit.
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There are times when you have to go to Walgreen's or the other giant drug stores. But when you need toothpaste or aspirin or a birthday card, or a prescription filled, there's not a more welcome...
There are times when you have to go to Walgreen's or the other giant drug stores. But when you need toothpaste or aspirin or a birthday card, or a prescription filled, there's not a more welcome place than Drugtown Pharmacy, at 7th Street and Montana Avenue. The service is personal, and, in addition to all the basics, there are some absolutely wild offerings, like drop-dead women's party outfits hanging from the ceiling. Plus, on most Saturdays, knick-knacks and other flea-market-type things are on sale out front.
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