California's legendary coastline lures a worldwide wanderlust year after remarkable year. So it continues to baffle me why this Mecca of mesmerizing views and celebrated landscape is a virtual wasteland of culinary comeuppance. Chart House is an unfortunate tourist trap and Geoffrey's just isn't what it used to be. So do the residents of renowned 90265 and its denizen day-trippers really have to head to Santa Monica to grab a decent bite? Perhaps they did, until Terra came to town.

Terra is the house you wish you had in Malibu. Pass it on PCH and it will inspire a double take. Picture an unpretentious cozy little cottage, a Spanish tiled roof situated amongst a peppering of palms, an inclined canvas and beam ceiling inviting a circulation of ocean air with a bordello archway and wrought iron gate entrance. Its layout mimics a Mediterranean villa more than a restaurant. I haven't eaten a thing yet, but already I am feeling very good.

The dining room is one layer of the textural trifecta: separated by an intersection of French doors, the patio plays off of its prime real estate, while the bar is both intimate and informal, and the dining room - with its ceiling fans, sand tones, and crackling fire -fills the casually elegant void Malibu had long been missing.

I almost always love a good amuse bouche. Initially because more often than not I arrive starving, but moreover because it tells me the chef is excited to be there. We were plated with a pleasant little palate teaser of ponzu marinated crab cozied up in a thin skin of cucumber. Bite sized and blissful, the chef and I were now on the same page. My salad couldn't arrive soon enough.

And when it did, I dug right in. I've seen spinach salad go so wrong in so many ways. Many are bitter and masquerade that bitterness by being overdressed (ah, Los Angeles). But this display showed no such flaws. The sweet and sour cippolini onions provided a beautiful balance to the Scarborough Farms baby spinach; the sliced mushrooms were warm without being overpowering, the goat cheese tart and creamy, and the toasted soy nuts added punctuation and crunch. I wavered between several starters, many of which flirted temptation. Next time it will be difficult to begin with anything else.

White salmon has a short seasonal span, so I had to take advantage while I could. Good choice. Served in a sea of corn off the cob and fava beans to raise the brow of even the most discriminating foodies, it was the Tahitian vanilla bean beurre blanc that made this entrée dance. A natural and irresistible segue into dessert.

If the cippolini onions and the goat cheese didn't clue me in, or the fava beans and vanilla bean burre blanc didn't convince me, dessert made it abundantly clear that the husband and wife team of Christopher and Kristine (cute, no?) have an Ivy League comprehension of the pleasure brought on by the union of sweet and salt. With dessert I made a mistake. While my cookies and ice cream were nothing to complain about (especially when one of my cookies was a peanut butter covered pretzel!), my husband's salted caramel cheesecake made me want to lean back and applaud. Dusted with fleur de sel and served in a sweet little cup for one, next time, I'll have what he's having.

Malibu is lucky to have landed such a nest. With a garden that climbs up the mountain and an ocean within earshot, scenically you might just stand and salute. Or, since its Malibu, you'll stay seated, maybe recline a little, and order a second glass of wine. Under unusually starry skies, here you are, in a coastal beach cottage beside a roaring fire with a faint Pacific soundtrack hushing in the distance. Mother Nature has made herself at home. I welcome you to do the same.

By: Jolie Loeb

TERRA
21337 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90265
310.456.1221
Tuesday - Sunday 5-10pm / Closed Mondays
www.terrarestaurantla.com