Natalie Zea

Texas-raised Natalie Zea, 32, costars as much-married socialite Karen Darling in ABC’s tantalizingly titled Wednesday night soap. She lives in Silver Lake.

DRINKING IT OLD SCHOOL: The HMS Bounty on Wilshire, across from what’s left of the Ambassador Hotel, is a really divey, old-man place that serves up a great steak. Inside there’s a nautical motif, obviously, with velvet paintings of ships, faded red-leather banquettes with wood paneling and dim lighting. I’m not into see-and-be-seen places. I want to go to somewhere with character, an eclectic crowd and no waiting in line for a table. The go-to entree is the filet mignon served with a baked potato and broccoli. I dress up like I’m straight out of a Frank Sinatra film and immediately order an amaretto sour from the bar. FLOWER POWER: On Saturday mornings I go to the Silver Lake Farmers Market. My house has to be stocked with Casablanca lilies. It’s an expensive flower and I’m quite frugal, but I can get a bunch for five or six dollars. They also have great, fresh organically grown vegetables -- and I mean fresh, still dirty from the ground. SURF CITY: I love surfing in Manhattan Beach. It’s a friendly place for beginners -- there’s no locals-only mentality. They have a surf camp during the summer, so they’re used to learners. I’ve been doing it for a year and a half and, on a scale of 10, I’m probably a 7. I’m really good and yet I have no interest in sports. I can’t explain it. KOREAN HIDEAWAY: The Prince on 7th Street in Koreatown is so good, I almost don’t want to give it away. It’s on a street that, if you were drunk enough, could double for a block in New York’s West Village. Inside, time’s stood still -- red-velvet wallpaper; all these strange, obscure paintings that don’t match, and all the customers are Korean. It’s a gin-and-tonic kind of place and never very crowded -- just normal people having a drink after work. AIRPORT LUST: This is kind of weird, but I love going to Burbank Airport, and not just when I’m traveling. It’s got this great 1970s feel -- very relaxed and unrushed compared with LAX. It makes being in an airport fun again. If I have to pick someone up, I’ll have a beer and wait quite happily by baggage claim.

-- Mark.Sachs@latimes.com