Joshua Malina

Welcome the Weekend: We frequently tape late, but when I’m not working, my weekend starts by going to Friday night service at my synagogue. I belong to Mishkon Tephilo in Santa Monica, and it’s a wonderful synagogue with an incredible congregation, and Dan Shevitz, the rabbi, is brilliant. At the evening service, you sort of welcome the Sabbath and the idea of a time of peace and being with your family and resting and removing yourself from the working world.

Toddler Hot Spots: I have an 18-month-old daughter, Isabel, so Saturday morning is park time. We hit the hot playground spots--Clover Park, one on California Avenue, Virginia Avenue Park. There’s a whole playground circuit, even one right on the beach where you can walk to the water’s edge. It’s one of the places that makes me think that--aside from the fires and earthquakes and mudslides--why does anyone live anywhere else?

Capo, capice?: Saturday night, we get a baby-sitter and go to one of Santa Monica’s great restaurants. Our favorite these days is Capo. You can drive by it without knowing it’s even there, but inside it’s this elegant, cozy Italian restaurant with wonderful food and a great wine list. It’s run the way a restaurant should be--the waiters know an incredible amount about what’s on the menu, and the service is great.

Smell the Roses: Sunday I like to go to the Huntington in San Marino, which is fantastic. Izzy stops to smell every flower--so the Huntington is a paradise to her. Melissa, my wife, she has literally passed on the legacy of stopping to smell the flowers to our daughter--one of the things I love about my wife.

Wine Shop: Almost every Sunday, I go to Wine Expo, on Santa Monica Boulevard. It’s run by great guys--Roberto and Al. It’s the anti-wine shop. Wine stores tend to be overpriced and overstocked with wines they think you want. This place is full of wines you’ve never heard of--and ones you want.