In this year’s annual holiday getaway, we took a trip down to Topanga. Also known as – Topanga Canyon, this area of over 19,000 square miles is well-known today and throughout the past as a haven for entertainment artists including actors, actresses, and musicians. During the 60s and 70s, Topanga was made famous with resident stars including Neil Young, Dennis Wilson (The Beach Boys), Andy Dick, among others.
And today, with current population just under 10,000 – there are plenty to do in Topanga. Here are some of our highlights of the trip.
Canyon Bistro & Wine Bar
In the heart of Topanga, we found a French/American cuisine restaurant located on the CA-27 Hwy just north of Old Topanga Canyon Road. C.B. features lively french cuisine along with live music on the weekends. A easy find to spot regular residents at this restaurant. For lunch, we recommend the Yellowfin Tuna Tartare for starters. This starter features ahi tuna mixed with shallots, parsley/olive oil and srircha. And it’s topped with avocado puree, pesto and smoked tomato vinagrette. For those sushi lovers out there, this starter is a great bite. For salads, we went with a Bistro House Salad. It features baby greens, roasted apples, walnuts, and crumbled blue cheese. All topped with a light flavor of balsamic vinaigrette. And for soups, we went with the Tortilla Soup. Very buttery and smooth and topped with tortilla strip bits.
For main entrees, we went with several choices. The Bistro Burger features 8 ounces of prime Angus patty and all served with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and served on a toasted Labrea Telera bun. Our second item – local grass fed burger. Similar to the Bistro Burger, this features a Paso Robles (90% lean) beef patty. Both very healthy-conscious choices. Lastly, we also recommend the Soup & Grilled Cheese Combo. A choice of one of their soups along with a grilled Tillamook cheddar cheese sandwich along with arugula on LaBrea country white bread. A good choice for the cold weather days in Topanga.
To top off dessert, we went with the restaurant’s recommendation of Chocolate Fondont (Lava Cake) and it didn’t disappoint. A slowly baked chocolate desert. Half of it reminiscent of a chocolate cupcake. And the other half as chocholate pudding. A timely order of Chocolate Fondont is nothing fast to make. But it’s well-worth it.
The restaurant features indoor and outdoor seating including a boutique wine bar. Owner and chef, Larry Cohn, is a professional chef and music hobbyist. His passion for music drives the outdoor music on the weekends including evenings.
For more info – www.canyonbistrotopanga.com
Topanga Creek Outpost
An exciting bicycle shop located up the hill on CA-27, this outdoor sports store features mountain and recreational bikes for all levels of riders. No matter if one person is new to the sport or someone who bikes frequently, T.C.O. has bike riding equipment for all ages. They also feature weekly biking adventures on Wednesday and Saturday mornings also known as #UnpredictYourWednesday and #UnpredictYourSaturday.
For more info – www.topangacreekoutpost.com
Topanga State Park
With the overall feature of over 36 miles of trails, the Topanga State Park is one of world’s largest wildlife area within reasonable distance away from a metropolitan city – Los Angeles. With so many trails to discover in Topanga, it’s a hit-and-miss for the new visitor to this area. We highly recommend preparation for searching trails to tailor to one’s needs – elevation, difficulty, river/mountain/grass, trees, time of hike, etc.