"Considering that Carbon Beach Club has views of crashing waves and rocky beaches from their umbrella-shaded deck, food could easily be an afterthought. Thankfully, the owners brought on executive chef Cody Dickey, who previously worked for Bobby Flay at Gato in New York City, and he reinvigorated the menu. Linguine vongole ($26) features chewy pasta ribbons tossed with sweet Spanish cockles, white wine, California olive oil, and herbs like parsley from Malibu’s biodynamic One Gun Ranch." - Joshua Lurie