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Home / Articles Posted by Ben Malkin (Page 2)

12:28 am
Giving Back

Senior Concerns

401 Hodencamp Road Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-5467
Tel: (805) 497-0189| seniorconcerns.org
Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Seniors are the top priority at Senior Concerns, a private, nonprofit organization located in Thousand Oaks, serving eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, since 1975.

Learn More About About Senior Concerns

Article and Photography by Ben Malkin

Senior Concerns, the preeminent nonprofit that cares for and supports the growing senior residents of the Conejo Valley held their annual Boat Bash at the Westlake Village Yacht Club. The theme was based on the movie “Grease.” Danny, Sandy, Rizzo and Frenchy (still a beauty school dropout!) were definitely in attendance. The attendees were generous with their donations and ongoing support of seniors in need of support in our community.

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6:05 pm
Food • Beverage Publisher Letters

Publishers Letter

Ben Malkin & Robin Chesler

Why not? Who knows what tomorrow may bring? If the food is good, the style of cuisine is to your liking, and the wine and libation list is reasonably priced, then there is no better time to support your local restaurant, wine bar, or brew pub. As we emerged from the dark days of 2020 to 2021, the quality and service in restaurants have returned to whatever was “normal” for those that survived the pandemic (it wasn’t easy!).

While prices are higher due to inflation, the smart customer- and community-focused restaurants have kept the tab at the end of a date night for two somewhat under control. A creative way of doing that has been to increase the size of a portion so that their patrons can share. Since Robin is an expert at “sharing,” this has made her very happy. Besides… even I am willing to share an 18-oz Kansas City Strip Steak on the menu of the new and quite excellent Old Oaks Steak House in Thousand Oaks. As a result, their $80 steak really becomes a $40 steak. Since it is aged premium beef, once we add in shared sides, that’s plenty of food. Our first visit was somewhat “new restaurant not quite ready for prime time.” We gave it another shot and were very pleased. As you enter, the wine wall built by Scott Berry’s Cellar Masters is stunning.

We enjoyed a delicious food- and wine-pairing experience at Marcello Ristorante. The carefully chosen Italian wines paired perfectly with excellent eggplant parmesan, marinated shrimp, and the rest of a multicourse small bites dinner.

Last but certainly not least…wine! The best wine bar/winery in the Conejo has been, and continues to be, NABU Wines. I have been begging Greg Barnett to submit his Napa, Malibu, and now Mendocino and Paso Robles wines into competition. He is now knocking the ball out of the park with multiple medals from state fairs and wine events throughout SoCal. The reds are superior wines that can also be aged. The Albariño, a not-too-well-known Spanish varietal, is a star.

Last, but not least, take a look at our Sonoma wine country trip—more on that inside this issue.

6:43 pm
Publisher Letters

Publishers Letter

Ben Malkin, Publisher

Our theme this month is Style. In our Conejo Valley and Santa Rosa Valley communities, most of our attention regarding “style” is on our homes. While almost everyone dresses quite well, we are not a hyper-fashionista-focused place like Paris, New York, or even Los Angeles. The distance between us and La La Land may not be far, but culturally, we are pretty far apart. The “style” that concerns us the most is what takes place in our homes, both inside and outside.

If I look back on what attracted Robin and me to want to live in the Conejo Valley when we moved here 20 years ago, it was the natural beauty that still surrounds us and the way our cities and neighborhoods have been built out without creating too much congestion and pollution so common to much of Southern California. I lived in South Orange County for many years. When I moved there, it was similar to the Conejo Valley—but no longer. I am happy to be here.

Our homes are often a reflection of the community’s overall zeitgeist. Not necessarily the particular type of décor, outdoor landscape, or hardscape, but simply the care and love that have gone into it. If we love the environment and the community in which we live, it makes it easy and enjoyable to invest and continually improve the personal space in which we live: our home.

Cat in a Hammock, Holly Viane Interiors, The Sofa Guy and State Restoration take us on a style tour of new ideas and opportunities for your home. At Conejo Valley Lifestyle we have also expanded our social media presence on Facebook and Instagram. There you can find articles from Aldik Home, Milben Construction, First Choice Painting and the beautiful homes represented by the amazing Rosemary Alliso.

We also thought it would be nice for you to discover Ilene’s Boutique for some of the most beautiful styles in women’s clothing. Ilene has been tucked away in North Ranch for “only” 34 years. What took you so long to find her?

12:19 am
Food • Beverage Travel

By Ben Malkin

Photography by Ben Malkin and Left Coast Photography

While Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley are next-door neighbors in the heart of premium California wine country, a visit and wine tasting tour shows contrasting styles, experiences, and wines to enjoy.

Napa wineries are easily accessible. From the south to the north, most of the wineries are located on a grid bordered by Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail. Your visit to Sonoma Valley is more of an adventure that requires the use of Google Maps, and better yet, a good old-fashioned printed Sonoma Valley winery map. For Robin’s annual December birthday vacation, we dove into the “adventure” of a visit to Sonoma Valley.

Sonoma Valley is much more laid back than Napa Valley—$1,000/night rooms and acres of resort facilities are not part of the culture. For me, that’s a good thing. Michelin star or wannabe star restaurants and $400 dinners for two are for Napa, not Sonoma.

The advantage of a late December visit is less traffic and reduced crowds at the wineries. These days it is always best to schedule appointments for everything from a tasting to a complete wine and food pairing at some wineries. With the generous help of Amy Patrick at Sonoma County Vintners, we scheduled visits to wineries in the Russian River Valley up north to the Alexander Valley, enjoying beautiful road trips from Sonoma to Healdsburg to Santa Rosa. We visited the heart of their Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel country.

Next, some advice on quality vs. quantity: Schedule no more than three wineries a day, and if lunch is included, perhaps just two. We enjoyed incredible food and wine pairings at St. Francis Winery and Ram’s Gate Winery. Each provided a unique experience that we will always treasure. You can also choose to stay out of your car for an afternoon and visit the tasting rooms on the square in Sonoma.

We kicked things off at Ram’s Gate Winery, located at the entrance to Sonoma Valley near the famous Sonoma Raceway. Their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are classically Russian River and Carneros. The wine and food pairing was perfect and so extensive that we skipped dinner that evening.

One of our favorite wineries is Chateau St. Jean. We have been members for many years. Their Cinq Cepage Bordeaux-style blend is very special, as is their Russian River Pinot Noir. Foley Family Wines recently bought them. That meant when we visited Chalk Hill Estate Winery (www.chalkhill.com) later in the week (perhaps the best Chardonnay in Sonoma County), we were members. So corporate ownership is not always something to bemoan. The Foley-owned wineries have retained and possibly improved their quality.

Another exceptional experience was a visit to Ledson Winery. They are family-owned and managed, and very proud of it. The beautiful building and grounds are chock-a-block full of family history. They offer a wide choice of varietals and award-winning wines. You can spend hours just shopping in their Marketplace.

The next day, we enjoyed another food and wine pairing at St. Francis Winery and Vineyard, featuring a wonderful parade of small bites and premium, 90+ scoring Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel. You can find their wine at the grocery store, but to truly experience the best, you need to visit.

We headed north to Chalk Hill Estate Winery. It was a very adventurous drive, but well worth it when we finally got there. We found Chardonnay to die for (their “flagship varietal) and sublime Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Visit or join for 90+ showstoppers. We spent two or more hours tasting the wine and gazing at the vineyards.

The goal of our trip was to enjoy great wine, so there’s no restaurant reviews. On the other hand, our wine and food pairings were the most memorable highlight of our trip. Maybe next time we’ll visit Paso Robles wine country for more great wine, lots of driving, and exploring. Cheers!!

Our final experience was far to the north at Zialena Winery. Family-owned and nurtured by Mark Mazzoni, the wine-making tradition here goes back to 1931 and the culture of workers at Italian Swiss Colony saving money to buy their land. The wine is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and their own Zinfandel Mazzoni clone; very, very Alexander Valley. Their Cabernet and Zinfandel from the Alexander Valley are some of my favorites, well-structured and graceful.

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7:13 pm
Food • Beverage Travel

By Ben Malkin

Photography by Greg Barnett

Owner Janet Barnett with a wine tasting flight in NABU’s tasting room

NABU Wines

Handcrafted award-winning wines from Napa Valley to the Malibu Coast since 2012.

2649 Townsgate Road, Ste. 200, Westlake Village, CA 91361
Tel: 805.778.1100 | nabuwines.com
Tasting Room Hours: Monday-Sunday 12pm-7pm

CLICK HERE: Learn more about NABU Wines

Often referred to as a hidden gem in the Conejo Valley, NABU Wines has been an urban winery producing its handcrafted award-winning wines since 2012.

Why NABU, we ask?“When my wife Janet Barnett and I started the winery, our main focus was producing wines from Napa Valley and from our local mountains of Malibu, and that’s why we are called NABU,” says Owner Greg Barnett. Any “Star Wars” reference? “No,” he laughs, adding, “but we do have fun with our name on May the 4th, Star Wars Day, at the winery every year; people arrive in costume with light sabers and more. It’s a lot of fun.”

When you visit NABU’s winery, you have no idea what to expect, and when you step inside, you realize you have arrived at a destination. While NABU Wines still produces wine in the Napa Valley and the Malibu Coast, its focus has expanded to neighboring AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) in Northern California, including Mendocino County, where they produce Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon on the Talmage Bench in Ukiah, as well as Pinot Noir on the southern part of the Sonoma Coast.

“In 2023, I began producing white wines in Paso Robles again with Sauvignon Blanc and Albariño. Both have been well received by our guests and at competitions at fairs,” says Greg. “So far, both have won two gold medals each and one silver medal each. We also have four barrels of Petit Verdot almost ready to bottle. I am very excited to share this with everyone.”

This year, NABU achieved outstanding results at the county fairs in Orange County and Los Angeles and at the mid-state fair in Paso Robles, earning a total of 15 gold, silver, and bronze medals. At press time, they were still awaiting the results from the local Ventura County Fair.

NABU Wines is the only winery in the Conejo Valley that is open every day at noon for wine tasting. The wine flight features three white wines and three red wines, curated by their staff, who take great pleasure in sharing stories about each one with their guests.

When you look around the winery, you notice that it’s very music-centric, with vintage gear displayed, and they have an extensive vinyl collection featuring jazz, rock, heavy metal, current releases and other genres, spanning decades, available to choose from to spin on their turntable. You can also bring in one of your favorites to spin, too.

NABU Wines is located at 2649 Townsgate Road, Suite 200, in Westlake Village. For more information, call 805.778.1100 or visit NabuWines.com.

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