Saddlerock Gardens

I had experience with Saddlerock Garden Dinner only. I cannot judge wine safari, but my experience with so called 5 course dinner was terrible. I was really ashamed that I gathered my friends for my husband birthday at such a poor dinner. It was a five-course mixture of unprofessionally cooked rice and veggies created by immature chef presenting this meal as the cooking inspired by travel through the Spain. If you ever been in Spain, you would think that chef Alina is joking. First course: a salad from cucumbers and tomatoes which were definitely prepared in the morning of the same day. Second course : ceviche with may be a couple of shrimps in it. Third course: potatoes with green beans and souse. And fourth course was some kind of sausage. The fifth course coffee was premade with sugar and cinnamon. So if you have a problem with the sugar, you are out of luck. And this entire joke is only for $150 per person. The only nice thing about this so called dinner is really beautiful Malibu ranch that chef Alina has access to. Nobody from Saddlerock Garden replied back to me after I have complained.

Friendly cool staff, friendly cool animals (except the zebras, they're aholes), and beautiful scenery. It seems like this place is always hopping with enthusiastic people wanting to enjoy some wine and sun.

Enjoyed the entire experience. Ask for tour guide Tug….toot toot!

Awesome hidden gem in the Malibu hills. Blown away by how much fun we had here.

Fun

Amazing!

Positivity outstanding!!!

[Review #201] This is my 2nd Yelp event: Yelp LA's Supper Club, & was so excited for my BFF to join me on this rustic fine wine & dining experience (for her pre-50th birthday celebration) helmed by Chef David Wilcox with seasonal menu of local veggies & meats. It was a rather long drive (traffic) up from the South Bay, but once we hit the exit Kanan Rd., it was a relaxing & scenic ride in. When we arrived at the Saddlerock Gardens, we were greeted by this modelesque welcome host who gave us directions to the site... good thing too because it's a bit of a drive once you turn on Mulholland Hwy. Our 1st thought was "what a fabulous place to hold events, or weddings" (ahhh... the minds of EAs... LOL). Unfortunately, as we stepped out of the car, wrong shoes! :-O The parking & "dining room" was on dirt so comfortable closed toed shoes are highly recommended. Another friendly face (possibly one of the chefs from the ingredients in his hands) welcomed us as we made our way to check-in, & hoped that we enjoy tonight's meal. =) Once we checked in, we roamed the grounds & took some pics of this natural beauty, & I, of course, eventually gravitated towards the food. ;-) 09/16/17 Menu * Slow Cooked Beef w/Herb Butter * Grilled Tomato Bread & Saddlerock Herbs * Mushroom Escabeche Grilled Bread Toasted Almonds * Chickpeas Salad w/Carrots, Broccolini, Sheep's Milk Feta * Summer Squash, Lentils, Red Bell Peppers, Crouton, Dill * Tuna Conserva, Beets, Salsa Verde, Sesame * Smoked Garlic Porchetta w/Braised Saddlerock Greens, Smoked Onions, Aioli * Cardamom Pound Cake, Vanilla Bean Crème Fraiche, Apple Jam We sampled the pa amb tomàquet (one of my favorite appetizers/snacks when I was in Spain) a couple of times & forced ourselves to stop so we don't stuffed our faces before the actual meal. Yeah, it's only bread but it was THAT good. Shane, the owner, welcomed our group, gave a brief history & intro of the gardens, then invited us to tour & try the seasonal veggies. The cherry tomatoes were sweet & juicy, the basil was aromatic... I just needed some mozzarella to make a caprese salad. ;-) The dining room was set against a gorgeous backdrop of majestic rock & buttes. Dinner started shortly after with a mushroom escabeche grilled bread joined by their very own Saddlerock Rose of Sangiovese. I'm not a big fan of mushrooms, but this amuse-bouche was well-seasoned & perfectly cooked that I wanted more, more, MORE. A glass of Chardonnay was paired with the family & main courses. I had 1 serving of each wine, which was more than enough to enjoy with the courses, & our servers would offer to top our glass when it was low (quite generous with the wine pairings). One server commented to "dump the rose" for the family courses & 2nd wine pairing. My tablemates were aghast of that thought. Hahaha... We really enjoyed the fresh seasonal vegetables - true farm-to-table dishes. Yum! My favorites were the chickpeas & summer squash salads. The ingredients were a standout on its own yet complementary with the rest the components. Service was friendly & efficient with a brief description of the dish, & finished plates were discreetly cleared away. The menu was exquisite, well-thought-out, but some things were amiss. I didn't recall seeing the 1st dish/appetizer been presented, maybe we missed it while we were wandering the gardens before the start of dinner? My friend had beets weren't properly cleaned & tasted gritty whereas mine smelled & tasted "earthy." Our porchetta main dish had little meat so 2 diners didn't get any, so we asked one if the servers if there were any left because our portion was small, & he was able to round up a tasting for our 2 tablemates. And the meat was a bit too salty. My guest said her pound cake was too smoky, she tasted more smoked than dessert. Mine was smoky too but was not overwhelmed by it, however, I couldn't discern the taste of apple jam from the huge macerated blueberries; I'm not sure if there was any jam since I couldn't see or taste any. Restrooms are a bit of a walk & somewhat challenging when day became night; the rocky terrain can be difficult to navigate even with the string lighting. I also couldn't get the faucet to work so I went to the kitchen to wash up. =) It was dark walking to the restroom when something jumped onto our path. I turned on my phone's flashlight & we saw the cutest little frog on the dirt road. There was no pond or water nearby so I can't fathom how this guy would survive. We saw a couple more frogs in the garden when one of the chefs said we're welcome to pluck some of the delicious cherry tomatoes we had while touring the garden. The outdoor dining allowed us to enjoy our meal while being treated to a golden sunset, to a velvet twilight, & finally, a black curtain dotted with brilliant stars. It was a near perfect experience... I highly recommend signing up Thank you Brittany F. for your efforts in setting up this awesome dining experience!

I had very bad experience with Saddlerock Garden Dinner. I cannot judge wine safari, but my experience with so called 5 course dinner was terrible. I was really ashamed that I gathered my friends for my birthday at such a poor dinner. It was a five-course mixture of unprofessionally cooked rice and veggies created by immature chef presenting this meal as the cooking inspired by travel through the Spain. If you ever been in Spain, you would think that chef Alina is joking. First course: a salad from cucumbers and tomatoes which were definitely prepared in the morning of the same day. Second course : ceviche with may be a couple of shrimps in it. Third course: potatoes with green beans and souse. And fourth course was some kind of sausage. The fifth course coffee was premade with sugar and cinnamon. So if you have a problem with the sugar, you are out of luck. And this entire joke is only for $150 per person. The only nice thing about this so called dinner is really beautiful Malibu ranch that chef Alina has access to. And by the way, no one from Saddlerock Garden replied back to me after I have complained.

This experience was amazing. Our tour guide Joe was very knowledgeable about the properties vegetation, animals and history. We are definitely returning.

Such a lovely unique experience at Saddlerock Gardens! I have been to Malibu Wines several times, so when I was looking to book a Wine Safari, I was immediately drawn in by their Spring Dinner Series. The event started early at 3 PM with arrival bites and drinks - Chardonnay, Merlot, White Sangria, Lemonade, Coffee and Iced Chai. We were encouraged to mingle with other guests, explore the grounds and take in the beautiful scenery. Garden tours started around 4 where we were lead through the garden and shown Saddlerock's current projects. Dinner was served shortly after, which was combination of family platters and buffet style served from the butcher block. If you're a foodie, looking to try something different with a loved one or simply in need of some good outdoorsy fun, this is definitely your thing. I will definitely be back with my family! Arrival Bites - marinated beets and radish - chicken liver paté toast - saddle rock gardens fava bean toast Family Style - snap peas, saddle rock gardens lettuce, toasted almonds, lemon - roasted cauliflower, spring onions, salsa verde, sesame - smoked beef brisket, red cabbage, mustard, torn herbs Self Serve - whole grilled local black cod, grilled asparagus, saddle rock garden sage, brown butter, lemon Dessert - cheesecake, eli's bees honey, strawberries

My boyfriend and I assisted a garden dinner this past Saturday. I can't depict in words the love that grows from this experience. To begin with, the property in itself is gorgeous. We enjoyed walking around the garden all while enjoying wine, and getting to bond with the beautiful scenery. The 5 course meal was amazing. The appetizers and vino all delightful as well. The meals are all family style which is nice. We also got to meet Chef Katie Hardin. To put it simply... you'll fall in love. We're definitely making this a favorite of ours. Coming back soon. -Isamar and Rafael

I wanted to love this experience. It was a beautiful day, we walked the gardens, they encouraged us to try the raw veggies, had some wine, appetizers, made new friends, watched the sunset. Everything they tell you it'll be. Unfortunately the food was pretty bland and the veggie option was a plate of cold beans. But I was willing to get past all of that for the gorgeous "unplugged" day [no service in the hills]. But then we got home and my boyfriend got sick. The next morning, I was sick. Light headed, spinning, cannot keep anything down. It was nothing I'd ever experienced before... a few days later, once I recovered, the friends we made reached out... and they had the EXACT same issues. They were terribly ill for a few days as well. I emailed the organization to let them know what happened. Everyone kept telling me its important to report it because others might've gotten sick too. This isn't what you expect when you spend $125/ticket. I can go to a Michelin star restaurant for that rate. Unfortunately (again), no one got back to me. So here I am writing this on yelp hoping it saves someone else from going through this disappointment.

Saw the link for the seasonal dinners on the farm on the Malibu safaris page and went for it! It was absolutely amazing. The food was delicious the service was great and the farm and garden are beautiful. Where else can you have a tumeric chai or a glass of wine and walk through a garden, picking vegetables and looking at a view of vineyard filled hillsides. The garden is only 1 year-old and and I can't wait to come back and see the fruit trees and what is blossomed into. The dinner was deliciois farm to table from Journey Men restaurants head chef , accompanied by great saddle rock wines. Highly suggested activity with a one person or a group of friends. Thank you Shane and crew for the hospitality!

I had the best meal of my life here. Not only was the food incredible, this is the coolest dinner location. Stunningly beautiful! Can't wait to come back.

An amazing experience here for one of their farm dinners. We arrived and the setting is beautiful. You grab a glass of wine, have some appetizers and meander the property. After that you sit down for a family style multi-course meal with amazing food and fun folks around you. The whole sitting with strangers thing was pretty low-key and we chatted a bit but didn't feel pressure to talk to those around us. I would love to go back for another one of these dinners and if you have ever thought about doing one of those outdoor garden/farm dinners, this is the place to go!

I had the ultimate pleasure of being a part of the new Saddlerock Gardens dinner/garden tour. I was blown away by the knowledge of the garden manager and by the amazing food made by their cook. We were treated to wine, salad fresh from the garden, papusas, and then a walk through the gardens where we were able to try snap peas, radish, and witness the planting of a new section of their garden: strawberries! I am so excited for this to kick off and be the next big thing everyone is talking about. It was a fabulous evening! Thank you, Shane, for sharing your little piece of heaven with us all!

Would give this place 4.5 out of 5. The atmosphere is off the charts. You are smack dab in the heart of Malibu on an absolutely stunning vineyard/ranch. It couldn't be more picturesque or *~Cali~* living. I was here for a farm to table garden party. We had a great explanation of the concept and new CSA project by one of the family members of the vineyard/ranch while drinking some rose (they gave generous pours). The table set up was stunning and the food was pretty delicious and all veggies were fresh from the gardens. The porchetta was off the charts. I know this is a new venue and event so the food could have been served a little more professionally for the price point but everything was great. Can't wait to see what they do with the place in events to follow!!

I came to Saddlerock Gardens for goat yoga, which was hosted on a weekend by an outside group. What a stunningly beautiful place! It was surprisingly easy to find (with ample parking!), but once you're past the entrance, it feels a world away from the chaos of Los Angeles. The expansive rolling hills are an incredible sight. And the goat yoga, hosted by a charitable organization, is not to be missed. This was one of my favorite experiences in my 7 years in Los Angeles. I will definitely come back with friends.

The food was good, I wish they would've had more options for vegetarians. The ambiance was good, it did get chilly at night

As a Malibu resident I have been waiting for a true farm to table experience and I finally found it here! This spot is a true gem in LA with great food and ambiance. Can't wait to come back, and experience the new spring flavors!

Such a unique and amazing experience unlike anything I've ever attended in the Los Angeles area. Amazing food, great wine, beautiful setting, and wonderful company. I highly recommend checking it out.

Celebrated my 50th birthday here last night with a group of close friends. It was THE BEST!! The grounds/setting are beautiful! The food and drink were AMAZING and the whole vibe was fun, laid back, and just perfect! Could not have asked for a better night! Thanks to Shane and the rest of the crew who accommodated our food restrictions and just made it a A+ evening!