BLACKBOOK U R B A N P R
BLACKBOOK U R B A N P R I M E R Christian Louboutin boutique and this season’s Tudor boot (below left) at Brentwood Country Mart Jenni Kayne, Broken English and James Perse. over the Pacific Ocean. Another sophisticated beachside option is Viceroy Santa Monica (viceroyhotelsandresorts. com), with spacious whitewashed rooms and suites, an übertrendy eatery serving mouthwatering street-food-inspired plates to share and poolside pilates and yoga sessions to boot. NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOURHOOD Venice, which borders Santa Monica to the south, is known for its restaurants, with chef Travis Lett and restaurateur Fran Camaj’s Gjelina, Gjusta and GTA being its anchors. The most recent big foodie news is the reopening of 37- year-old landmark Rose Café (above; rosecafevenice.com) under new chef Jason Neroni, who expanded the menu to include dinner (order the hearthroasted chicken). GO FOR A SPIN … OUTSIDE On a nice day, skip indoor spin class at cult fitness chains SoulCycle or Cycle House and instead cruise around town on a bicycle from the new Breeze Bike Share (santamonica bikeshare.com). OPEN-AIR SHOPPING On the Santa Monica border, the Brentwood Country Mart (brentwood countrymart.com), housed in nine barnlike buildings, has longtime tenants like a barber shop and shoe repair alongside stores like SURF AND TURF Line up at lunch for a tuna, salmon or snapper bowl at Sweetfin Poké (sweetfinpoke.com). Meanwhile, two stalls from downtown’s Grand Central Market recently debuted at the beach: butcher shop Belcampo Meat Co. (belcampo. com) and Wexler’s Deli (wexlersdeli. com), known for its pastrami sandwich. SEE A FILM After a two-year restoration, the 45-year-old Laemmle Monica theatre reopened in February as the Monica Film Center (laemmle. com), which shows independent, foreign and art-house movies. HIGH-LOW DINING Rustic Canyon, the neighbourhood along Rustic Creek, is home to Patrick’s Roadhouse (patricksroadhouse.info), a diner where Arnold Schwarzenegger is a regular, and Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi (giorgio-baldi. com), maybe the most star-filled destination in all of Santa Monica. ♦ The pool at the Viceroy Santa Monica The marble-topped bar at Heteroclito Uncorked GREEK GRAPES Rarely exported, the country’s small-batch wines are making an outsized name for themselves. BILL KNOTT visits Athens’ new hip wine bars The gods haven’t smiled on Greece much recently, but at least Dionysus has a cheeky grin: the Ancient Greek wine deity now has several distinctly modern temples erected to his memory. Athens’ new-wave wine bars are the perfect places to explore assyrtiko, moschofilero, xinomavro and their ilk. And be assured: it’s a lot easier getting your mouth around the wines than pronouncing the names of the grapes. » VINTAGE WINE BAR AND BISTRO This place near Monastiraki takes its food as seriously as its wine, which means very seriously indeed: nearly 400 wines are available by the glass through Coravin. Try the picanha (rump cap) steak, or nibble your way through its superb local cheeseboard. vintagewinebistro.com CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: © HETEROCLITO, © VINTAGE WINE BAR & BISTRO, © VICEROY, PASCAL SHIRLEY, © CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, DONATO SARDELLA/GETTY IMAGES 28 DEPARTURES-INTERNATIONAL.COM CONTACT PLATINUM CARD SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS
Inspire a lifetime of achievement with a Kailis Australian pearl. Exclusively available at select stockists. Visit kailisjewellery.com.au Grace Huang
