Sabbatikos

For Mother’s Day this year we finally took Tawny to one of her bucket-list LA eateries – Casa Vega. Casa Vega is an iconic Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, founded by Rafael “Ray” Vega who opened Casa Vega on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks in 1956. The restaurant quickly became a beloved institution, known for its authentic Mexican cuisine and sultry atmosphere, and bright outdoor patio.

Over the years, Casa Vega has attracted a loyal following amongst numerous Hollywood celebrities, including the Kardashians (who threw their Christmas party there), Dr. Dre, Megan Fox. Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Aniston, and Selena Gomez, who undoubtedly enjoy not only the delicious food and strong margaritas but the nostalgic 1950s-inspired atmosphere. Early in its history, one of its first celebrity customers was Rock Hudson, who frequented the restaurant so often that Table 1 was named in his honor.

It wasn’t until my recent post, Once Upon a Time at El Coyote, with the film clip from Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that we noticed Case Vega was featured in this film as well!

We had reservations, but showed up early from our tour of the extraordinary Getty Villa between Malibu and Santa Monica (another post to come). While we had to wait a while before being seated, a spot opened on the outdoor patio and we took it. We’ll return another time to eat indoors. It was a beautiful spring day in LA, perfect for outdoor dinning on patio with light wrapped trees, pompom umbrellas and oscillating wall fans.

The meal was elevated Mexican: Queso Fundido, Sidecar Margaritas, Table-side Guacamole, Elotes, and the bubbling cauldron of flank steak, chicken breast, tiger prawns, stuffed chile relleno, queso, green onion and bbq enchilada sauce, served in a searing hot Molcajete!