On a gloomy winter weekend when there’s nothing more welcome than some drizzled-upon eggs benny and a refreshing mimosa (or two). Here are some top choices for brunch in Los Angeles and the Valley.

Los Angeles

Auburn

6703 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA

Considering chef Eric Bost’s fine-dining pedigree and the culinary raves that greeted its arrival, Auburn might seem an unlikely option for a decidedly laid back affair. One glance at the brunch menu suggests otherwise – whether it’s the Dutch Pancake with huckleberries and toasted hay cream, the Beef Ribs with black garlic glaze and torn herbs or the orange marmalade and granite Flan.

All Day Baby

3200 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

For Eastsiders, this neighborhood eatery offers breakfast all day. Try the Big Chicken Biscuit (fried chicken breast, B&B pickles), Mama May’s Banana Bread (ricotta, whipped honey, buckwheat, sea salt) or the White Corn Grits (shrimp “bolognese,” fried egg, crispy leeks).

Caffe Latte

6254 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

Serving the Mid-Wilshire area for more than 30 years, Caffe Latte offers an ideal brunch stop if you’re near The Grove. While the menu includes waffles, pancakes, pastries (not to mention such brunch staples as Eggs Benedict with fresh cut fruit), it specializes in custom blend coffees, loose leaf tea, fruit smoothies, protein smoothies and juices.

Westside

Fia Restaurant

2454 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403

Led by chef Brendan Collin’s globally-minded seasonal menu, this indoor/outdoor venue offers a weekend brunch highlighted by avocado toast with a Spanish fried egg, black truffle “cheesy scramble,” southern fried chicken and biscuits and the corned beef hash “loco moco.”

Gracias Madre

8905 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069

With its plant-based Mexican cuisine, Gracias Madre in West Hollywood offers a vegan option for brunch. Start off with a sampling of Tostada al Ajillo (chipotle hummus, new Mexico chili, roasted cherry tomato, sorrel, black radish), then choose among such items as the Chimichangas or Potato Flautas. Finally, wash it down with a Mexican mimosa.

Lanea

217 Broadway Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Open since last summer, Lanea aims to bring the soul of Mexico to Santa Monica. They’re big on football, but first the food. Brunch starts at 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays with their full menu plus Bloody Marias and a choice of breakfast tacos: Huevos con Chorizo (scrambled eggs, queso and spicy pork sausage), Huevos con Bacon (scrambled eggs, queso, and bacon bits) and Huevos con Sausage (scrambled eggs, queso and breakfast sausage links). Oh, and did we mention there’s live college football on Sundays, too?

The Valley

Hamptons 818

14917 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Established in 2016, Hamptons 818 boasts it has the best hash browns on Ventura Boulevard. Try them out or sample the Feta Fries or Vibe Nachos, both with their signature feta cheese sauce. Better still? The bottomless mimosas.

On the Thirty

14622 Ventura Blvd Ste. 112, Sherman Oaks, CA

On the Thirty offers food for every mood your taste buds might be in: from the Savory (Breakfast Sandwich on Italian loaf with farm fresh eggs and apple-smoked bacon) to The Sweet (red velvet Oreo waffles) to The Benny’s (Pork Belly on a toasted English muffin, with two poached eggs, arugula, heirloom tomatoes, house Hollandaise).

Mediterraneo at the Westlake Village Inn

32037 Agoura Road, Westlake Village, CA 91361

Sitting on the grounds of a rustic Tuscan-style resort, this restaurant (complete with dog-friendly front patio) offers a weekend brunch menu by executive chef Lisa Biondi that includes multiple variations on Eggs Benedict. Other fare ranges from spicy (Huevos Rancheros) to sweet (Lemon-Mascarpone Berry Crepes) to light (the Naked Breakfast Wrap).

Nellie’s Skillet

25858 Tournament Rd, Santa Clarita CA

On the way to Santa Clarita or a trip to Six Flags, you might want to check out this eatery and any of its signature skillets. Among the selections: Chilaquiles with its house enchilada sauce and scrambled eggs; the Country Skillet with turkey sausage, country gravy and spinach tomato; or the Chorizo Con Pasas with chorizo, home fries, green peppers, onions and two fried eggs.

VIP’s Cafe

18345 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana, CA 91356

This low-key breakfast spot features a retro chic atmosphere, American style breakfasts (they make a particularly scrumptious pancake) and fresh-squeezed juice. For dog owners, the patio is friendly to four-legged customers.

 

It’s the gift that keeps on yipping and chewing. For a lot of people, January means having to create a safe, secure home for the adorable, huggable bundle of newborn fur they received during the holidays. However, puppy-proofing your place can be harder than it seems. Here’s the scoop, so to speak, on how to make your home a healthy, happy one for the latest member of your family.

NO UNWANTED CHARGES

Puppies love to chew – not just on treats, toys, and shoes, but also on cords, cables, and wires. Owners should ensure all outlets, power cables, chargers and cords are either covered or put out of pup’s reach – otherwise the excitement of chomping into something new might not be the only jolt they receive.

GUARD THE GARBAGE

Nothing smells more tempting and irresistible to a puppy than the odors and aromas wafting from the lid of a trash can or the lip of a garbage bag. While most owners may have heard that chocolate is toxic to dogs (it is what did it to  Brian on Family Guy, after all), other potential hazards lurking in your refuse include bones and other objects they might choke on or snack bags they could potentially suffocate in when poking their tiny heads where they don’t belong.

POISON CONTROL

Also on your puppy’s menu if you’re not careful: medications. Medications can prove fatal (or at least expensive to treat) when not properly stored. The same goes for household cleaners, chemical detergents, pest control products, and even glue. Finally – and less expected – is the danger that some houseplants can pose for your four-legged newcomer. If you want to make sure your plants are safe for a puppy, check out the ASPCA Animal Poison Control’s list of toxic plants and flowers.

DITCH THE OPEN DOOR POLICY

Puppies are natural-born explorers, so doors and windows should be shut at all times to keep your pup from running away or, worse, falling out. Baby gates can also be useful to prevent them from going where they shouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean you should treat your puppy as a prisoner. Rather, make sure they have an area that they can feel relaxed and comfortable.

FENCE THEM IN

While many new dog owners focus on what’s inside their home, they shouldn’t neglect puppy-proofing the outdoors. Ideally, any fencing should be too high to bound over and too secure to squeeze or crawl through. Make sure your lawn is mowed down to avoid attracting ticks or other insects that might hitch a ride on your pup. And while you should keep your new friend away from the yard if it is been recently treated with fertilizers, pesticides or insecticides, also look out for any plants that could prove poisonous.

 

Every year, Top 10 Beverly Hills will curate lists of their “Top Ten” Real Estate Agents, Plastic Surgeons, Dentists, Doctors, Interior Designers, and more within the Beverly Hills area.

We are excited to see three of our very own agents made this list. There are over 3,000 Real Estate Agents in the Beverly Hills area alone. This is no small feat. Jimmy Heckenberg, Jordana Leigh, and Joe Babajian are on this list representing Rodeo Realty.

Jimmy, Jordana, and Joe are some of Rodeo Realty’s top producing agents. They are sure to listen to the needs of their clients while understanding that each client differs from the next. 

Congrats again! 

 

An AI-controlled hand has been created, which purely uses your brainpower and muscle signals to move. All that awaits its dispatch into the world is for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant its approval.

How does this prosthetic hand learn to move?

With over two million amputees in the U.S. alone, the need for prosthetics is there. Up until now, amputees relied on metal hooks for hands or robotic prosthetics that rely on physical buttons. All of which have limited mobility. BrainCo’s prosthetic arm and hand is much more mobile and does not require a heavy kit with buttons galore.

BrainCo uses a software platform where the user trains its future prosthetic using electrical signals. These allow the prosthetic to perform a range of motions and movements, enabling the user to do particular gestures such as playing the piano and writing detailed calligraphy.

Newlon explained that this allows amputees to no longer have to rely on a limited number of preprogrammed movements, they can customize the prosthetic to their own body.

If all of the above information wasn’t enough to impress you, then perhaps the cost will.

It only takes about 5 to 10 minutes to program six gestures, Newlon said. The more you use the hand, the better and more lifelike it becomes, he added.

Typically, prosthetics cost anywhere between $40,000 to $60,000. BrainCo’s, on the other hand, will cost between $10,000 and $15,000. That’s a huge amount of money saved and for a better product.

The company plans on launching their prosthetic later this year in the U.S. and will also be creating smaller prosthetics for children.

With 2020 kicked into high gear, Rodeo Realty is off to a great start. This month, LA Magazine released their 2020 list of “Real Estate All-Stars,” and named 22 of our own agents. With tens of thousands of agents based in Los Angeles, it is an honor to see so many Rodeo Realty agents included.

Rodeo Realty is not just a leader in Luxury Real Estate, it is a family of top-producing agents, unparalleled expertise, and global presence. Check out the Rodeo Realty agents included in the  “Real Estate All-Stars” list below!

 

Michael Barasch

Dana Frank

Josh Flagg

Casey Gordon

Scott Goshhorn

Jimmy Heckenberg

Poupee Komenkul

Jordana Leigh

Adi Livyatan

Paul Margolis

Peter Maurice

Leo McHale

Shane Nichols

Matthew Paul

Roger Perry

Ben Salem

David Salmanson

Marc Tahler

Andrew Teshinsky

Carol Wolfe

Kenneth Zietz

Desiree Zuckerman

Located in the hills west of the San Fernando Valley, the city of Calabasas has exclusive low-key hidden gems to offer. Ranging from the great Malibu Hindu Temple featuring original architecture and an authentic taste of traditional Indian food to the Commons at Calabasas where you can shop and spot celebrities out and about. Whatever you’re looking for, don’t skip over your backyard, you’ll find special places to check out!

Malibu Hindu Temple
1600 Las Virgenes Canyon Rd, Calabasas, CA 91302

Established in the 1980’s and regarded as the most iconic attraction in Calabasas, the temple was one of the first large scale Hindu temples created in the greater Los Angeles area. The temple provides a traditional place for Hindu worship and has a very nice auditorium for shows and a restaurant where you can get an authentic taste of traditional Indian food. The staff, Monks, and people who you will meet here are all very friendly and welcoming.

King Gillette Ranch
26800 Mulholland Hwy, Calabasas, CA 91302

Looking for that perfect staycation retreat? King Gillette Ranch is considered one of the most stunning settings in the Santa Monica Mountains! The 588-acre ranch offers a rare unspoiled view of California’s rich archaeological, cultural, and historic resources. The most known features include a haven for larger mammals of the Santa Monica Mountains and some of the original formal landscaping of Gillette’s estate including a grand entry, a serene pond, sweeping lawns, bridges, and the historic Spanish Colonial Revival style mansion.

Shop and spot a celebrity at The Commons at Calabasas
4799 Commons Way, Calabasas, CA 91302

The Commons at Calabasas is a chic shopping and entertainment complex owned and operated by American billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Rick Caruso. The high-end shopping center has become somewhat of a tourist destination that is regularly frequented by celebrities. Since its opening in 1998, it has become home to many retail, lifestyle, and specialty shops, as well as entertainment and dining venues. Even if you’re not in the mood to shop, it’s still worth a visit to take in the architectural beauty of the structure which resembles a Mediterranean style Tuscan hill town center in rural Italy.

Regal Edwards Calabasas
4767 Commons Way, Calabasas, CA 91302

Conveniently located in the classy Commons at Calabasas, the Regal Edwards Calabasas is a high-end movie theater with kick-back recliner chairs and plenty of legroom! It’s super clean with a great sound system and bar so you can even enjoy a glass of wine with your featured movie. The staff behind the concession stand is very friendly and efficient so you’ll be sure to get the service you deserve. With plenty of parking and the comfortable leather reclining chairs the Regal Edwards Calabasas is the best movie experience in the area!

Leonis Adobe Museum
23537 Calabasas Rd, Calabasas, CA 91302

Get transported back in time at the Leonis Adobe Museum. Great for kids and adults, the museum connects 83 historic and cultural sites, including historic houses, cultural centers, and art and maritime museums from San Diego to San Luis Obispo. There are even ranch animals preserving, and sharing California ranch life in the late 1880s. If you’re looking for an authentic experience for the whole family the Leonis Adobe Museum is for you!

 

 

One of our top producing agents, Jimmy Heckenberg, of the Beverly Hills office was featured in the Los Angeles Times. More specifically, the Los Angeles Times “Biggest Home Sales of 2019” list. Jimmy Heckenberg represented the buyer in this recent Beverly Hills property sale.

This multistory home sits behind gates on about an acre of land in Beverly Hills. It has approximately 20,800 square feet under roof, including seven bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, and eleven fireplaces. Yes, eleven fireplaces. The master suite alone measures about 3,200 square feet and includes three of the eleven fireplaces.

Other amenities on the property include a game room, home theater (with reclining seats), a dining room with a see-through wine wall on the other side, a saltwater swimming pool, a cabana, a computerized waterfall with a light show, and parking for about 20 cars. Talk about an entertainer’s dream space.

The beautiful property was owned by the founder of Eyemart Express with an original asking price of $55 million. The home officially sold at $34.65 Million.

Jimmy Heckenberg is well recognized in the Beverly Hills and Westside areas. The Heckenberg Realty Group is a well-respected part of the Rodeo Realty family. They have continually broken sales records, managed high profile transactions, and consistently deliver results to all of their clients. Check out more of his listings here!