Nicolas Eatery

In a neighborhood where restaurants range from “abandoned shacks on the side of the road” to “wildly expensive steakhouses and literal Nobu), the white tablecloths and pleasant service at Nicolas Eatery provides a welcome middle ground. There’s a spacious patio out back, shaded by the Malibu mountains. The menu leans French and their open kitchen gives you a peek into the action, where you’ll catch white uniformed-chefs darting about. The food won’t knock your socks off, the fries are appropriately crispy, the lobster roll is nice and buttery, and the farmers’ market salad tastes suspiciously like a bag of mixed greens from Ralphs.