Sipping tequila, shooting coffee

EVEN serial killers need girlfriends, and on Showtime’s “Dexter,” which begins Season 2 on Sunday, Julie Benz is the gal. In the series, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is a police forensics expert by day, a slayer of criminals who’ve escaped justice at night. “The pilot was the best script I’d ever read, and when I finished, I wanted desperately to be a part of it,” says Benz, who lives in Beverly Hills. “It really makes you question right and wrong.”

On Fridays I love catching up with my girlfriends at La Cantina on Hollywood Boulevard. It has patio seating, a low-key, kick-back atmosphere and great Mexican food. It’s great for people-watching. I’m obsessed with the Cabo salad: grilled chicken and romaine lettuce with bacon, tomatoes and avocado with a great vinaigrette. The Hollywood burrito is also good; it has chicken and veggies wrapped in a whole-wheat tortilla.

Right down the street is L Scorpion, a very cool tequila bar. It’s dark and gothic inside, with private booths in the back. They have more than 160 types of tequila and can do tequila flights, just like some places do with wine. I like the raspberry mint daiquiris, but if I order tequila, I’ll have the Don Eduardo Añejo. It’s for sipping, not for shots.

Out with the girls

Heading outdoors

On Saturday morning I’ll need lots of coffee. I love coffee so much that I have two coffee makers. After that, since I work out in a gym during the week, I must get outdoors, so I’ll go for a nice run on the bluffs above the ocean in Santa Monica.

I’ll swing by Fred Segal for a protein shake, but going there is really an excuse for me to buy another scented candle. Then I love to go to H.D. Buttercup in Culver City; it’s in the old Helms Bakery Building, and it’s about 50,000 square feet of home furnishings and all sorts of knickknacks. They have everything from sofas and beds to linens and apothecary bottles. I can spend hours there.

In the evening, I love to have dinner at One Sunset. It’s one of the sexiest restaurants in L.A. There are these long tables with really cool banquette benches that you kind of lean back on, and all the food is mini-sized -- tiny hamburgers, caramelized osso buco lettuce cups. I like the Sloppy Pig, which is slow-braised pork with shallots in a tiny sandwich. And they have the best banana-split hot fudge sundaes.

Soothing Sunday

On Sunday I’ll go to Ole Henriksen for a microdermabrasion facial, and it’s the most relaxing hour of my life.

Then I’ll go driving around looking for open houses. I’ve been obsessed with real estate for a long time, and I love the journey of discovering some neat neighborhood, especially way up in the Hollywood Hills. It’s the best way to learn about L.A. and see how other people live.

I’ll go meet my brother and his family for Sunday dinner. We love the Hump at Santa Monica Airport. I get whatever the chef recommends; it’s some of the best sushi I’ve ever had. We also like Musha on Wilshire in Santa Monica. We take off our shoes and sit at low tables with screens. His kids are part Japanese, and they help me order. Or we’ll go to Takao in Brentwood for the tempura uni. And if we really want fine Japanese country food, we’ll go to WakaSan (a.k.a. WakaSan Chi) on Westwood Boulevard. Very traditional.

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Mark Sachs