Restaurant Review #254: Howdy's Taqueria, Malibu

Dos tacos: carnitas and carne asada soft tacos, $7.95

Howdy's Taqueria in the Malibu Country Mart shopping center is a great choice if you're looking for a casual, inexpensive, unpretentious place to eat in Malibu. The restaurant offers a mostly predictable selection of Mexican staples like tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, with a few unexpected choices like a Hawaiian salad, mole tacos, wild salmon soup, and--get this--sushi.

I can't speak for the sushi--I really can't stomach the idea of ordering sushi at a Mexican joint, even if I can feel the ocean breeze while I eat, and even though I have no problem eating Mexican ceviche, which is raw fish soaked in citrus juice (also on the menu).

I did try the tacos and a quesadilla. All of the food, including the tortilla chips, was remarkably light and ungreasy for a Mexican restaurant. The meat was a little bland, probably from the lack of grease, but it was fine. The cilantro and onions added some kick, as did the selection of salsas. The salsa bar offers a milder, green tomatillo salsa, a basic red salsa, and a spicy orange salsa. They were all good, but not memorable; the same was true of the tacos and quesadilla.

Steak quesadilla

The restaurant was plenty busy, but we were able to get a table indoors. They also have patio seating, which can be noisy because of the adjacent parking lot.

Howdy's has mixed reviews on Yelp!, but I think its overall rating of just three stars is undeservedly low. True, it's not the most authentic Mexican food, but you're in Malibu, not the Valley. Yes, it's a little pricey for Mexican, but it's inexpensive considering the ingredients are organic and free range and, again, you're in Malibu.

I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but for a fresh, affordable, and relatively healthy lunch when you're already in the area, it's a solid choice.

Howdy's Taqueria
3835 Cross Creek Rd # A
Malibu, CA 90265
(310) 456-6299
Howdy's Taqueria website
Howdy's Taqueria menu

Restaurant Review #197: Gladstone's of Malibu

Indoor dining room

I only went to Gladstone's because I dragged my family out to Malibu to visit Cholada Thai and it was closed (they're closed on Mondays--I forgot). There aren't a ton of dining options in the area, so we forced my mom to deal with her bird phobia so we could all deal with our raging hunger. I can't accurately say that I regret the choice, since we didn't really have any other options on our very tight schedule, but I will say that the experience was far from ideal.


You can't argue with the view

If you're afraid of seagulls or want to eat all of your meal yourself, definitely don't sit outside. These birds have no qualms about coming right up to your table and stealing your food, as we observed. You won't lose much of the beachside experience by sitting inside if you can get a table by the window. The windows open and have screens, allowing you to enjoy the view and the breeze without the annoyance of the birds. It's also pretty chilly, even on a sunny, late summer afternoon, so bring a jacket.



Valet parking is required and costs $3. If you're going to the beach anyway, paying half the beach parking rate at a beach lot is a nice perk, but if you're just going to the (already overpriced) restaurant, the parking charge (with the accompanying expectation that you tip the valet) is just annoying.


Down Home Lobster Roll

My mom ordered the Down Home Lobster Roll. Even if I could eat shellfish, I wouldn't touch this mayonnaise sandwich with a ten foot pole. I don't think the delicate (and expensive) flavor of lobster was meant to be smothered with cheap glop like this. The potato chips were soggy.


Shrimp sandwich

I couldn't try this one either, but my father was not impressed. It's worth mentioning that our server didn't give a hoot about my shellfish allergy when I was trying to order. The menu is laden with shellfish, so if you're really allergic (I'm only slightly allergic), please don't eat here.


Grilled cajun fish tacos

Cajun? You have to be kidding me. The fish in these tacos was overcooked and tasted like it hadn't been seasoned with so much as a pinch of salt. The tacos came with beans and rice--both cold, both flavorless. I wasn't hungry enough to bother sending them back, though, and they weren't good enough to take home as leftovers.


Seagull-friendly beachside dining

I like to give a restaurant the benefit of the doubt, but in this case I just don't have any reason to. Based on my lousy experience, I'd say that Gladstone's relies entirely on their beachside location and ocean views to draw diners and tourists. Such mediocrity makes it all the more annoying that the website and menu are so full of hype. There's nothing like eating with an ocean breeze caressing your face, but the food and service at Gladstone's really aren't worth the high prices. For the same money, you could get some gourmet cheese and snacks at Whole Foods and have a picnic on the beach in a location that isn't an obnoxious bird magnet. For even less money and if it isn't Monday, you can enjoy some of the best Thai food in the city just up the street. If you get taken to Gladstone's against your will, save your hard-earned money and get by on a beer and a baked potato--it's hard to screw those up.

Gladstone's of Malibu (also known as Gladstone's 4 Fish)
17300 Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Gladstone's Website
Gladstone's Menu

Restaurant Review #36: Malibu Kitchen, Malibu

"The Rachel"

Malibu Kitchen is kind of a mini gourmet grocery store, sandwich shop, and bakery all rolled into one. It's located in Malibu Country Mart, because, well, everything in Malibu is located in Malibu Country Mart. There are several tables outside with vinyl coated fabric table cloths. Apparently there were also birds outside, because my mom refused to stay and eat at a table. She is deathly afraid of being attacked by birds, and it's really amusing when she grabs you and ducks behind you because she sees--a bird. I am pretty sure this will prevent my mom from ever seeing the great cities of Europe. Anyway, the inside is all creaky, rustic wood. Wood floors, wood ceilings. It's a popular, and rather pricey place (but you're in Malibu, what did you expect?). The sandwiches run around $9 and come on your choice of any of 8 or so breads. The menu is extensive, offering something for everyone, including vegetarians (though most of the sandwiches were meat-based). It seemed like a place where you could create your own sandwich if you wanted, even though that wasn't stated on the menu.

I took my mom and brother here to pick up some sandwiches to eat on the beach. This turned out to not be such a simple plan. We had to wait in line for at least 15 minutes, maybe longer. The guy who took our sandwich order was rude to my mom when she said she wanted her sandwich on "white bread or something" (I get frustrated with her indecisiveness too, but strangers are not allowed to be rude to mommy). Then we couldn't find any beach to sit on (it was the 4th of July weekend, and Zuma Beach was a nightmare). On the plus side, the woman running the cash register was very friendly, the food was good, and they sell many interesting cheeses and soft drinks. They also sell pasta, ice cream, insanely expensive cakes ($80???), cookies, bars, and more.

I had The Rachel, which was turkey, imported swiss, saurkraut, and some kind of orange special sauce on toasted rye. I got mine on wheat though, since I don't like rye. The sandwich was quite tasty, though I fault them for putting the saurkraut next to the bread instead of between the sandwich and the meat, so that the bread wouldn't get soggy, which it did, of course. It didn't ruin things for me though. I enjoyed my sandwich while sitting on a piece of concrete overlooking the overcast Pacific and spending some quality time with my not-so-little brother. Mom ate hers in the car, where there were no birds.


Malibu Kitchen
3900 Cross Creek Rd Ste 3
Malibu, CA 90265-4962
(310) 456-7845

Restaurant Review #9: Cholada Beach Thai, Malibu

On the Westside, we have Thai options like Natalee Thai, Pam's Place, Thai Dishes, Bangkok West Thai, Toi, Yangtze, and T's Thai. Well, I've been to them all, and none of them come even close to Cholada.

This restauarnt is a bit hard to find, but it's worth it. It's next to Something Fishy, right off of PCH, a minute or two before you see the Malibu sign if you're coming from the Westside. The parking lot is tiny, which can be a problem at times. As you walk in, employees will often be pulling fresh basil at a table to your left. You'll be greeted with a smile and asked to sit wherever you want.

At Cholada, you can sit indoors and enjoy an ocean view, or you can sit in their patio area in the back, which has a nice secluded feel to it, plenty of plant life, and heating poles for chilly days and nights.


Satay chicken

I always order vegetarian pad Thai, so I can't comment extensively on their menu, but I can say that I'm a bit addicted to the noodles. The noodles are nicely chewy and the sauce is perfect--not that a perfect sauce really exists, given the number of variations of pad Thai, but this one is excellent. I've also had the spicy fish cakes for an appetizer, and those were delectable as well, as was the chicken satay, generous strips of moist chicken with a savory peanut-coconut dipping sauce. These experiences lead me to believe that all of their food is probably great. If this wasn't enough, this place is inexpensive enough to fit anyone's budget. The veggie pad Thai is $8.


Pad Thai

Don't bother with the wine, they only have one red and one white, which means the flavors aren't likely to match your food. The white was definitely of a lesser quality than any $7 bottle from Trader Joe's. Thai iced coffee and tea taste good like they always do, and there's also the usual Thai beer.

Cholada Beach
18763 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu 90265
310-317-0025
Map

Restaurant Review #6: Nobu Malibu

At Nobu Malibu, I died and went to sushi heaven. I savored the following:

Mushroom salad
Kelp Salad
Tiradito (Peruvian-style sashimi)
House Special Roll
Spicy Yellowtail Roll
Red Snapper nigiri
Mackrel nigiri
Kanpachi (young yellowtail) nigiri
Yellowtail nigiri
Avocado tempura
Shiitake tempura
Pumpkin tempura
Matcha (yes, it was!)

My friend had two shrimp tempura rolls and the kobe steak. He doesn't like seafood, so the fact that he liked his first roll enough to order a second definitely says something.


Rock shrimp with creamy spicy sauce

On a previous visit, before I realized I was allergic to shrimp, I had the rock shrimp, and those were the best shrimp I have ever had.

Nobu Matsuhisa is known for his Peruvian-influenced sushi dishes. His innovative creations have inspired many a roll gone bad at lesser restaurants, but the real thing is divine.


Tiradito

The tiradito cold plate consists of thin slices of halibut with a drop of hot sauce in the center of each piece. I enjoyed putting a single cilantro leaf on top of a piece of the tiradito and rolling it up with my chopsticks. I appreciated the presentation, originality, and intense flavor of this dish, but I would have prefered a more flavorful fish. Would the dish have worked with mackrel, I wonder? I could see the mackrel going with the spicy sauce, but I'm not sure about it going with cilantro. Of course, hot sauce and cilantro are strong flavors that might overpower or clash with a more flavorful fish.

The mushroom salad was to die for if you are a mushroom fan. It had a variety of sauteed mushrooms--shiitake, enoki (alien mushrooms), oyster, and more.

I tried to eat the kelp salad as a leftover the following day. I didn't like it at all, and thought the tangy dressing was a poor match for the seaweed. Not eating the dish fresh was probably part of the problem. It had white, yellow, bright green, and bright pink seaweed, making it surprisingly colorful for a seaweed salad.

The nigiri was all great. It was what it was supposed to be. Need I say more? Maybe not, but I will anyway. I especially enjoyed the red snapper, which I hadn't had before because while many places list it on their menu, it's not always available. It most closely reminds me of yellowtail, but I think I liked it even more than yellowtail (my favorite).

I didn't enjoy the kampachi, though it wasn't an issue of quality, just an issue of personal taste. I really hate the texture of shiso leaves. It's kind of like putting a think slice of scratchy cat tongue under my fish. And this fish, to me, tasted kind of soapy. Odd, I know.


Yellowtail and jalapeno cold plate

At Nobu, you can order a multitude of different kinds of vegetable tempura in sets of two instead of just getting a huge plate of mixed veggie or shrimp tempura, so I got the stuff you can't usually get - shiitakes, pumpkin, and avocado. I don't really think avocado tempura is a good idea, but I think mushroom tempura is heavenly. The high heat from deep frying seals in the mushroom's moisture, creating a fantastic and rare combination of crunchy and juicy.

I was excited about the tea because rather than dunking a bag of green tea in boiling water, it was obvious that this was real matcha, a powdered green tea mixed with a special bamboo whisk. It was a bit frothy on top--something that regular tea just doesn't do. I've never seen another restaurant serve this.

I really enjoy the atmosphere of this restaurant. The low lighting gives the restaurant a warm glow, and the place isn't too big or too noisy. It's in a somewhat secluded (and difficult to find) location, so there isn't outside noise from the highway or nearby businesses (most of which are closed at night). Our table was plenty far away from everyone else's, making it ideal for private conversation, but we did specifically request a quiet table ahead of time.


Nobu's dessert offerings include a banana filled crepe, dark and white chocolate spring rolls, a trio of creme brulees, a flourless chocolate cake, and homemade ice creams

As if the great food weren't enough, when it came time to leave, staff asked us where we were headed because PCH had just been closed again due to rain and mudslides. They called someone to make sure it really was closed, then made sure we understood the alternate route home they wrote down for us. The staff was very friendly and not pretentious at all in spite of it being an upscale restaurant that sees its share of celebrities (from what I hear). When we requested a particular table, we got it. When my friend requested that the check never get anywhere near our table so I wouldn't be preoccupied with the price since it was supposed to be a treat for me, the staff followed through. When one of my rolls had shellfish in it, which I am allergic to, they apologized about five times and re-made it immediately. Also, we werestill there about 45 minutes after closing, and almost everyone, including most of the chefs, had gone home, but no one so much as looked as us funny (even if on the inside they were wondering how anyone could possibly eat so slowly). It really felt great to be treated so well. Overall, I had to wonder why I bother eating at lesser quality restaurants when I could be having more experiences like this (if I saved my pennies--this kind of quality ain't cheap!).

This is one of my favorite restaurants and I recommend it to you highly.


The outdoor seating area

Nobu MalibuMalibu Country Mart (off PCH, where Ben and Jerry's, Marmalade, and a movie theatre are)
3835 Cross Creek Rd
Ste 18A (it's tough to find, bring their phone number with you in the car)
Malibu, CA 90265
(310) 317-9140
Hours: Mon-Thu 5:45pm-10pm
Fri-Sat 5:45pm-11pm
Sun 5:45pm-10pm
www.nobumatsuhisa.com