Saddle Peak Lodge

My co-worker and I were invited to Saddle Peak Lodge to try their new chef's tasting menu. I wasn't sure what to expect as we drove through the winding roads of Malibu. My co-worker is a huge taxidermy fan, so imagine her delight when we entered the main dining room.

The building has been around for a hundred years. While my design taste leans towards midcentury modern, I'm kinda digging the rustic hunter's lodge look.

My co-worker had the Manhattan and I had a mojito. (Okay, I had a couple sips. It was STRONG!)

Tomato soup amuse bouche. It reminded me of the borsch I had as a child at the Hainanese-owned Russian restaurant in Singapore called Shashlik.

Smoked salmon blini with caviar. The blini was a little doughy but I liked it.

Albacore sashimi with Hawaiian papaya, red onion, cilantro, avocado, and orange-ginger puree. I don't really understand the puree. What do I do with it? Is it a sauce?

Mushroom agnolotti with truffled wild mushrooms, and Parmesan. This was soooo good. Simple, rich, and oh so tasty.

Rabbit roulade with bacon, mushrooms, apples, sage, and huckleberries. The bacon was great but the rabbit was a little dry.

Crispy Berkshire pork belly with carrot, daikon, cilantro, and mint. This was my favorite dish. The slaw was a nice balance to the wonderfully fatty pork belly.

New Zealand elk tenderloin with vanilla butternut squash, brandied cherries, cipollini onions, and mushrooms. I liked the elk, which was perfectly cooked. But the puree was confusing.

Cafe latte

Banana huckleberry croissant bread pudding with Tahitian vanilla ice cream. It's the first time I've had a croissant bread pudding, and I loved it! It's rich but not too sweet, and the huckleberries were a nice touch.

Peach beignets with crème anglaise.

419 Cold Canyon Road
Calabasas, CA 91302
(818) 222-3888
http://www.saddlepeaklodge.com/