Kim Devore / The Malibu Times
HERE’S THE DISH
It was a Hollywood style happening at the sea as Granita pulled out all the stops for its 10-year anniversary bash. The popular Malibu eatery was dressed up with black and white balloons, billowing drapes and festooned with decorative shells, starfish and coral. But the main attraction, as always, was food, glorious food.
Chef Jennifer Naylor scurried around overseeing the last-minute details as she set up a gigantic ice mound spilling over with Pacific oysters on-the-half shell, gulf shrimp, clams, mussels and Dungeness crab. A bustling crowd of 300 sauntered in wearing white as requested, and sporting everything from capri pants to sarongs, silk to sequins, and was greeted by owners Wolfgang Puck and Barbara Lazaroff.
They sipped champagne and apple martinis while waiters made the rounds with crabcakes, beef carpaccio and tuna tartare as well as signature favorites like four-onion pizza and crispy potato gallet.
“Jennifer makes a halibut over potatoes that absolutely drives me crazy,” gushed Maria Janis. “They don’t just make what’s on the menu, they go way beyond that.”
Many at the mega-feast were longtime Puck pals. “I remember him from the old Spago on Sunset,” said Malibu snipper Bernie Safire. “But this is really a unique restaurant. The food is great, the people are great and you don’t always get a lot of that.”
Another thing that seems to make Granita special is the decor. Even in a shopping mall and lacking an ocean view, the place has an undersea atmosphere. The multicolored granite floors are shaped like rippling waves, sea creatures float around in enormous aquariums and sea anemones fashioned from glass sprout from the walls.
And then there is the wonder of a water closet with its towering tile kelp beds.
Lazaroff says this gem of a john has made a memorable impression even among those who have seen it all. “Johnny Carson once told me, ‘Barbara, if I can’t get a table in the dining room, just set one up in the bathroom.'”
As far as everyone here was concerned, Puck continues to live up to his legendary rep-utation–an accomplishment that seems to surprise even his most loyal fans.
“Puck and I go way back to his days at Ma Maison,” recalls Charles Aidikoff. “The first time I tasted his food, it was incredible. I knew he would make it, but not like this.”
While Puck has savored many a success, he knows that making it in a tough restaurant town like this one makes the taste even sweeter–or, as he likes to say, “I can’t believe it’s been 10 years, it’s really 20, because every year you survive in Malibu it counts double.” Salute!
GETTING CAGEY
One of Granita’s more famous fans, Nicolas Cage, will soon be celebrating an honor of his own. He’ll receive this year’s American Cinematheque Award on Sept. 22. Every year, A.C.’s splashy gala draws a who’s who of Hollywood and is highlighted by a retrospective of the artist’s work, including clips of their most memorable–and forget-table–endeavors. Oscar winner Cage joins an impressive list of past honorees that includes heavyweights like Tom Cruise, John Travolta and local notable Mel Gibson.