A WEEK IN SHANGRI LA
Part One
(Feast Bistro)
Recently, our friends, Stu and Kyle, asked us if we wanted
to spend a week house/dog sitting in their lovely home in the town of Ojai, surrounded by
mountains with “pink moments” where the mountains literally turn pink in the
sunset. Who can turn down an opportunity
to sip wine and gaze at a pink mountain moment or two? Not Richard.
Not I.
Made famous as Shangri La in Frank Capra’s “Lost Horizon,”
Ojai is a mystical, spiritual valley littered with artists, farmers, hippies
and Hollywood stars with renowned theater,
music, art and lavender festivals. Some Native Americans believe mankind was
born out of its mineral springs. I’d be
hard-pressed to argue that point.
After a mere hour and fifteen minute drive from our home in Studio City,
we settled in and explored the neighborhood as we walked the dog and drove
around town. After spending many
sleepovers in Ojai, the terrain wasn’t totally unfamiliar, but we found new
neighborhood pockets and fun markets to explore.
Saturday was “Ojai Day,” a yearly event in town. The main street was blocked off and filled
with booths selling herbs, jewelry, soaps and scents, sidewalk art and all sorts of local
artists’ wares.
Our friend, Candace, decided to drive up from L.A. for lunch and to
browse the booths. The town turned out
en masse, enjoying the street food while watching children play in various
playground venues set up for the day as they shopped and mingled with their
neighbors.
We opted to have lunch at Feast Bistro, one of my favorite
restaurants in town. Started by Beryl Schwartz, Elio Zarmati and chef Susan
Coulter, Feast Bistro offers healthful, delicious gourmet food at affordable
prices. It has patio dining, a
wine/beer/espresso/tea bar where you can also get Belgian chocolates and
pastries from local bakers, but we chose a table in the front room where we
could watch the action on street.
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| patio |
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| back room |
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| open prep area |
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| front room |
Richard and I had never lunched there and were pleased to
see such a full, diverse menu:
from Eel River organic beef burgers to veggie burgers of brown rice, mushrooms, sweet peppers and oats; a Vietnamese chicken sandwich to a Memphis-style pulled pork sandwich; cheese tortellini in bacon and tomato cream sauce to spicy chicken breast w/ greens and veggies topped with bleu cheese crumbles; homemade soups to steamed mussels and clams; salads to a bacon, caramelized onion and smoked mozzarella flatbread. Something for everyone.
from Eel River organic beef burgers to veggie burgers of brown rice, mushrooms, sweet peppers and oats; a Vietnamese chicken sandwich to a Memphis-style pulled pork sandwich; cheese tortellini in bacon and tomato cream sauce to spicy chicken breast w/ greens and veggies topped with bleu cheese crumbles; homemade soups to steamed mussels and clams; salads to a bacon, caramelized onion and smoked mozzarella flatbread. Something for everyone.
Richard ordered the Memphis-style pulled pork sandwich
topped w/ tangy cole slaw and a side of pommes frites. Of course, I had a bite. Tender and savory. We both loved it.
Candace had the day’s flatbread special with assorted cheeses
and veggies and I opted for the flatbread on the menu (put bacon on something
and I’m ordering it) – both were delicious (yes, I had a bite of Candace’s) and
both were served with a little salad in the middle. It looked gorgeous and tasted even better.
We toured the booths a bit more and discovered a collection
of antique cars – well antique to some -
then waved goodbye to our friend, as she left for her short journey back to L.A.
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| This car was just like Candace's lst car |
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| This is the car (an MG) I always wanted |
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| Now that's a real antique car |
then waved goodbye to our friend, as she left for her short journey back to L.A.
It was time to walk the dog and a wait for some pink
moments.
Feast Bistro
254 East Ojai
Avenue
Ojai, Calif. 93023
805-640-9260
Below is the dinner review I wrote a couple of years ago:
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