California’s Ultimate Farm-to-Table Experience, Period

Saddlerock Gardens hosts a can’t-miss outdoor dinner series

April 5, 2018 9:00 am

L.A. is full of interesting dining experiences, from the dumpling houses of San Gabriel to the street tacos of, well, everywhere.

But the one that’s tough to find anywhere else — let alone near a city — is a dinner series staged on a vineyard located in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Enter the Saddlerock Garden Dinners, a bi-weekly Saturday supper in which everything from the mushrooms to the vino is produced a few feet from the dining table.

Throw in some stunning views and a rotating roster of the region’s best chefs, and you can go ahead and mark a win on your dating scorecard.

The five-hour experience kicks off around 4:45 with a garden tour. This is something you won’t want to miss, as you’ll learn a lot about how your meal is grown, and even get to pick some of the items.

Then it’s on to the main event.

Saddlerock Garden Dinners (3 images)

It’s five courses, served family-style. Because of this, they make no substitutions — so if you’re vegan, vegetarian or have any food allergies, well, this might not for you. Sorry.

Everything is made on the premises, right down to the sourdough bread that’s baked outside and comes to the table piping hot and crazy delicious.

Wanna learn how to bake bread? Watch and learn.

A couple more things to know before you go:

  • It’s in the mountains and gets chilly. Dress accordingly and perhaps bring a blanket.
  • Do not drive. Lyft and Uber make their way up here, but if you want a pro move, go for a hotel not far away. The Malibu Surfrider is a recently remodeled spot that has a beachy aesthetic, Pacific views and a comfy bed for riding out a food coma.

Tickets to the dinners are $130, but for bottomless harvested veggies, locally slaughtered animals and homegrown Saddlerock wine, we’d call that a bargain.

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