Brentwood

We first fell in love with the food at Parakeet Café last spring, when they catered lunch for goop staff at our wellness summit in Carlsbad. (We were late to discovering them: If you live in San Diego, you already know them for their colorful, vegetable-forward toasts and juices.) Soon after—much to our delight—they opened this space in Brentwood, where they do an incredible brunch, among other things. Everything on the menu is free of seed oils; they use avocado oil, coconut oil, and EVOO. And they have an impressive selection of gluten-free and refined-sugar-free baked goods.

We like coming here for a latte and one of their (unreal) gruyere and thyme croissants, plus a sourdough loaf to-go. The heartier, eggy breakfasts and sandwiches are great, too.

Pause is where you go for a bit of physical and mental relief—they offer float tanks, hot-cold experiences, LED light therapy, lymphatic compression, and IV drips, including NAD+. Their infrared sauna setup is the best in town.

Los Angeles has, in recent years, upped its pizza game considerably, and Pizzana is right up there with the best. Both the Brentwood and West Hollywood locations are open for delivery. If you live close by, take advantage and order the ready-to-eat option. For those a little further afield, the chefs are offering a heat-and-slice option that ensures every bite is as crispy and cheesy as it would be at the restaurant. The funghi pie with fontina cheese and caramelized onions is out of this world (and makes an excellent leftovers breakfast the next morning). You can’t go wrong with a classic margherita, given the San Marzano tomatoes used for the sauce are grown exclusively for Pizzana in the Neapolitan countryside.

Prepandemic, Jon & Vinny’s spicy fusilli, ham and yeezy pizza, and delectable Italian rainbow cookies were regular guests on our takeout rotation. These days not much has changed. The restaurant is still making sensationally tasty breakfast, lunch, and dinner takeout from its Fairfax and Brentwood locations. Sister businesses Helen’s Rotisserie (yum), the more Mediterranean-leaning Kismet on the Eastside, and Helen’s Wines are following suit. And all the restaurants under the Jon & Vinny’s umbrella are now selling $45 produce boxes to support local farms like Carpinteria’s Coleman Family Farm and help keep your pantry stocked with peak California bounty.

Jeff Cerciello (former Thomas Keller culinary director) perfects the bakery-cum-larder-cum-restaurant concept in this sunny space with all-day dining at rustic communal tables, including a wonderful family-style dinner with a market-driven menu. Ingredients here are top-notch, and Cerciello knows what to do with them, keeping the food exciting and tasty without over-complicating. The Roast Jidori Chicken is a standout, along with any of the fresh seafood or excellent produce-based dishes. There's an attached mini-grocery store with an excellent cheese selection, pastries, and prepared salads and sandwiches.

At Jon & Vinny’s in Brentwood, the hysteria-level popularity is entirely justified, mainly because every dish is mind-blowingly wonderful. The pizza is chewy and blistered and cheesy. The handmade plates of pasta are luscious and hearty and addictive (the cavatelli with fennel sausage and the ricotta ravioli top our list). And those little cones of soft-serve are a dose of nostalgia impossible to pass up.

There’s no doubt that the familiar forms of yoga, like Ashtanga and Jivamukti, can be incredibly rigorous, but typically we associate yoga with feelings of calm. CorePower combines the stretchy, lengthening magic of yoga with the strength-building power of weights. The studios are kept warm to help loosen up stiff joints, and the upbeat teachers make keeping up easy (or at least easier). Wear fitted, sweat-wicking workout gear if you have it—the combination of free weights and downward dog will have you breaking a sweat.

This spot is famous for its custom-made infrared saunas. In the personal pods, which look super futuristic, you lie on a bed of jade stones while your body is bathed in red infrared light. Your head is outside of the pod during the entire the forty-minute session, and the surrounding air is diffused with a custom blend of aromatherapeutic oils. The lymphatic compression massage and unique Magnesphere machine, which aims to improve your balance and sleep by way of deep relaxation, are so very worth exploring.

Erika Bloom Pilates has finally ventured west (until now, it was just New York and Connecticut that got to sculpt and tone with the best in the business), taking up residency in Brentwood. The open space is flooded with natural light, making it a relaxing and—oh yes, we’re going to go there—fun workout. The studio’s knowledgeable staff curates personalized routines that borrow from Pilates, yoga, Alexander technique, Feldenkrais, and weight training. There are also programs for pre- and postnatal women, osteoporosis, injury prevention, acupuncture, bodywork, and holistic health consulting.