Mariel Hemingway Plays It Again

When actress Mariel Hemingway first went into the restaurant business, a lot of people were skeptical. But her Manhattan bistro, Sam’s Cafe, received kind words from New York Times critic Bryan Miller, and it was always jam-packed. The place was so successful that Hemingway and her husband Steve Crisman opened a second restaurant in New York (which received mixed reviews) and a third in Houston.

Recently, they opened their first Southern California Sam’s, far outside the mainstream of L.A. restaurants, in Westlake Village. It’s possible this is a tryout location; when Richard Melman opened his first Southern California Ed Debevic’s, he chose Torrance--and then later opened in Beverly Hills.

Either way, the restaurant, on the grounds of the Westlake Inn, is in a pretty setting. Tall pines surround the place and ducks paddle lazily in a small lake that winds around the back of the restaurant. Inside, there’s an airy, country feel--plenty of light wood, lots of windows--it looks as if it could be the best restaurant in a mountain ski resort.

The food is modern American: trout in a blue cornmeal crust, roasted chicken with garlic-mashed potatoes, pork tenderloin on a bed of flageolets (a play on pork and beans). None of this seems designed to blow you away. It’s fine neighborhood food, not quite ready for Beverly Hills, but then neither are the prices. Two can eat well here for less than $40.

One more thing: Sam’s plans to offer child care during dinner soon--something else you won’t find in Beverly Hills.

Sam’s Cafe, 32037 Agoura Road, Westlake Village; (818) 707-2677. Entrees $7.95-$17.95.