Fresh Fare at Mogan's Cafe (Pacific Palisades)

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In any new restaurant owner’s venture, there is the attempt to make a mark, to put your own stamp on an eatery, and to offer the best fare possible, with hopefully reasonable prices. Ryan Newcomb of Mogan’s Cafe in Pacific Palisades is such an owner.

A few months after he and his partner bought the place, he was found at the outside patio of the cafe, which is located in Highlands Plaza at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Palisades Drive, building a wall to separate the dining area from the food serving station. Newcomb said he knew exactly what he wanted and to get it right, he decided to build it himself.

It is such care and concern that make a visit to Mogan’s Cafe a breath of fresh air. This care extends to the extensive menu, which Newcomb said has not changed much since he took ownership in December.

Whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, the offerings are extensive. The dinner menu lists breakfast, lunch and dinner items on its own. The variety of almost a dozen sandwiches-from the Cajun chicken breast, with red onion, cilantro pesto and mozzarella cheese on grilled sour dough to the hot brisket sandwich, prepared with slow roasted brisket with onions, apple juice, wine and herbs and served with caramelized onions and roasted garlic mayo-will whet the appetite of any food aficionado.

Oh yes, there are the paninis, too, and the salads, gourmet burgers, stir fry, a large range of appetizers and the specialty main courses, which include a plethora of chicken dishes, from Marsala and Picatta to Flat Grilled Chicken. For a Mexican flair, try the steak or tofu fajitas, or the tostadas of chicken, fish or veggie. There’s even fish and chips that can be downed with beer, or wine if you prefer. A recent daily menu listed fresh halibut served with steamed veggies (cooked perfectly, with some crispness) and freshly whipped potatoes. The daily soup, butternut squash, was creamy, sweet and simply delicious.

Newcomb is definitely not new to the restaurant scene; he’s been the manager of Mogan’s for the past five years, and after much consideration and consultation with his business partner, he decided to make an offer to the previous owner that couldn’t be refused.

Once you’ve made a visit to Mogan’s, which is only about a 15-minute drive from the Malibu Pier, you won’t be able to refuse a second visit, and a third, and ….

Mogan’s Cafe, 548 Palisades Dr., Pacific Palisades, 90272; 310.454.0040; www.moganscafe.com

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