A beautiful day in Newport Beach – cold but lots of sunshine and blue water. It was a great place to meet my friend Kathy for lunch.

Malibu Farm has been in the Village for about 3 years, and is a perfect place for a casual meal with a great view. You can eat sitting out on the boardwalk or inside (which feels like outside). They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and have a full bar.

Our server delivered our hot beverages in a teapot to keep them warm – nice touch. Impossible burger with roasted potatoes for Kathy. Mustard-crusted chicken sandwich with broccoli mashed potatoes for me. Menu a little pricey, but you don’t mind when the food and service are good. That was the case today.

Down the street on Via Lido is a 4-story building with an attached 2-story. Very contemporary, lots of open office space and houses Blue Bottle Coffee. The importance of this building is that I worked there in the sixties when it was Newport Balboa Savings and Loan. The architect had preserved parts of the old building because of its historic significance to early life on Lido Isle. The receptionist took us on a brief tour to show us a mural of the old building and the original safe (in the area where I once worked).

We strolled down the boardwalk, listened to a little guitar music in the open area by Nobu. Lovely afternoon with a friend I hadn’t seen since Thanksgiving. It’s always good to catch up.

The Other Thing - New year’s resolution – Engage in more blog-worthy activities!