Calabasas and the Sagebrush Cantina

Southern California has changed many times over in the fifteen years that I've been gone, I am sure. But some things never change, and those things are the hills and valleys and mountains surrounding Calabasas, which is situated on the far north end of the San Fernando Valley. That region has always smacked of the old West, of the days when prospectors and ranchers and badmen roamed the hills and ruled the territory.

Calabasas has always been a prime place to escape to, and because of it's somewhat iconic stature, as well as it's remote and romantic location, it has attracted over the years a comfortable mix of gentry and cowboy, displaced hippie and high-rolling movie producer, all mixed together in a land that even today seems far, far removed from the pace of metropolitan Los Angeles. Put all those elements together, the hills and the sagebrush, the easy access to the ocean and natural wonders, to cosmopolitan malls and Hollywood dreams and you find yourself in a community that is a throw back to another time and a place in California history that still stands today as a first rate destination for locals and visitors alike.

Years ago, when I regularly daytripped in and out of the area, it was mandatory, especially on warm Sunday afternoons, to stop by the Sagebrush Cantina and partake in a little bit of refreshment and tuck into their all-you-can-eat brunch. It was more than just the high quality Tex-Mex food, the sawdust on the floor and the ice cold margaritas that made the place a must see. It was more than catching out of the corner of your eye the jaded showmen or the bikers or the famous faces that go to these kinds of places just to be seen. Rather, it was the combination of all of those things, along with the sun spilling through the California oaks in the late afternoons, the piquant sage smell wafting off the hills, the ample portions that made their way to the table and the wild, wooley comraderie that only a place were everyone feels safe and comfortable and themselves that made this restaurant and bar a legend. I only remember good times there, and apparently, according to the article tagged on below, there are still plenty of good times to be had.

It has been many years since I've been to the Sagebrush Cantina but apparently some places, like the hills and valleys and mountains surrrounding it, are timeless. Happy days for all of us. Be sure to stop in on your next visit to LA. You'll be happy you did.

Cooks Talks!

http://www.latimes.com/theguide/events-and-festivals/la-et-neighborhoods2-2008sep02,0,2771038.story