Olympic Grill Opens in Moorpark

Olympic Grill opened its doors yesterday at 6593 Collins Drive in Moorpark, close to Moorpark College. Olympic Grill is owned by the previous owners of Burger Express in Newbury Park, who announced the name change yesterday on their "old" Facebook page.

Olympic Grill's specialties are breakfast (including their highly desired breakfast burritos that were so popular at Burger Express), burgers and Greek and Mediterranean specialties. My stomach is grumbling just thinking about it.

The new Olympic Grill Facebook page is at www.facebook.com/pages/Olympic-Grill/508422342545082. To confirm their hours, either visit their Facebook page or call 805.552.9178.

Grand Opening of Public School 805 in Westlake Village is Monday, June 17th

As we heard a month ago, Public School 805 is opening at The Promenade at Westlake on Monday, June 17th. The restaurant/bar built from the ground up adjacent to The Grill on the Alley (same ownership) features craft beer and a chef-driven menu by Thousand Oaks native, Executive Chef Phil Kastel. I got a sneak pre-opening peek!

Very comfortable setting and a nice covered outdoor area. The decor is contemporary with touches of "old school" throughout.

Nice looking inside area looking towards the bar...you can see textbooks and a globe in the decor. (Photo provided by PS805)Looking up from our booth I saw a wall decorated with 25 old baseball gloves. Now that's old school!My wife was impressed that she was able to order both gluten and dairy free straight off the menu. We shared the Pan Seared Salmon with Cauliflower Couscous and the Pearled Farro and Brussel Salad. They were both delicious to both my wife, the self-proclaimed "Foodie" and myself. I don't eat cauliflower and brussels sprouts often but these were so good I'd dine on them anytime.

Yes I will eat cauliflower if served this way, with pan seared salmon at Public School 805Can't believe how much I enjoyed brussels sprouts in this pearled farro and brussel salad!

My wife didn't share the appetizer with me, mainly because I was off blabbering with a few people. It was the Heirloom Tomato Stack with ruby red grapefruit, balsamic reduction, basil and fire roasted pecans. She loved it and "could eat it every day."

But I got her back. Well, not really, though, as she said she was too full to share the Lemon Meringue pictured below. This was a fantastic finale that left a great taste in my mouth for the next hour. It was so good that I didn't even polish off the beer in front of me.

Other featured menu items include Dragoons Irish Stout Short Ribs, Colorado Lamb Burger, and Roasted Poblano with Quinoa. There's also Scrimshaw Fish and Chips, Chorizo and Shrimp Campanelle and woodfired pizzas among other items. On tap are craft beers from the U.S. and around the world. 24 on tap (16 rotating taps) and bottles and cans. Full bar with wine and cocktails also available.

Full lunch and dinner menus with most items in the $10 to $10 range, plus some great "Recess" (Happy Hour) specials for $4-$6 in the bar area from 4-7PM on weeknights. Doors open at 11:30 a.m.

I get the feeling that this place will be very popular. Has a great look and feel. High quality, yet casual. My wife of course wants to come back...with her friends! :) Learn more at www.publicschool805.com.

White Rabbit Cafe Oxnard Closed June 9th; N'Awlinz Bistro Oxnard to Open Soon

Musical eateries at the Centennial Plaza in Downtown Oxnard. The White Rabbit Cafe that opened its doors on June 23, 2012 closed those doors on June 9, 2013. However, they did announce that they will continue bringing their popular food truck to Ventura County. White Rabbit food truck updates are at whiterabbittruck.com.

A few weeks ago, N'Awlinz Bistro of Newbury Park announced on its Facebook page that it would be opening a second location this summer at the Centennial Plaza. Well, the White Rabbit Cafe is located at 221 W. 5th Street and the owners of N'Awlinz Bistro have an on-site beer and wine license pending at that location...so my suspicion is that this indeed is the future home of N'Awlinz Bistro in Oxnard.

Stay tuned...

Sushi Teri Teppan House Opening Soon on Daily Drive in Camarillo

Well, Sushi Teri closed sometime in 2015. Let's see what's next for this location.

Final Update 5/13/13: Sushi Teri Teppan House in Camarillo opened its doors to the public today. It looks a lot brighter in here. While pretty much the same, I was a bit sad to see the humongous sushi conveyor belt completely removed. I thought that was so cool.

Update 4/30/13: Sounds like Sushi Teri Camarillo will be opening sometime in the next few weeks according to the person that answered their phone at 805.389.5455.

Original post 3/21/13:

In the space previously occupied by Yamato at 1901 East Daily Drive in Camarillo there is a sign that says a new sushi bar is coming to town...Sushi Teri Teppan House. Great news!

Yamato closed its doors last summer but left behind quite a nice, large rotating sushi bar (in fact, this easily the longest rotaing sushi conveyor belt i've seen in 30 years of sushi consumption) and teppan restaurant.

More on Sushi Teri at sushiteri.com.

New Eatery Chill & Grill Opens in Camarillo, Serving Shaved Ice, Grilled Items and More

UPDATE 2/18/14: Grill & Chill closed its doors on February 15, 2014 but indicates a new eatery Sesame Inn, will be opening there soon. I contacted Sesame Inn in Newbury Park and they confirmed they are in process of opening this second location at a future date TBA.

A new eatery, Chill & Grill, opened in Camarillo last week, located at 1775 E. Daily Drive, Unit G, in the same plaza as Brendan's Pub, Presto Pasta, Cafe India and other businesses. The space was previously occupied by Off the Hook.

Hmm, this could be interesting. Not to be confused with the Dairy Queen Grill & Chill that opened in the Camarillo Outlets that opened two years ago.

Chill & Grill sounds promising in that they sell Hawaiian Shave Ice, including Build Your Own and Shave Ice Shakes. Their menu also includes rice plates, sandwiches, salads and some great sounding burgers and hot dogs. I also see specialty and flavored teas on their menu.

Visit www.thechillngrill.com to learn more or call 805.383.8013. They are open 11am to 8pm seven days a week.

Zen Garden Chinese Cuisine Coming Zoon, I Mean, Soon, to Oak Park

Update 5/28/13 (Original Post 4/18/13): Zen Garden Chinese Cuisine has been open now for over a week. Open 7 days/week. Call (818) 879-9888 for more information or visit zengardenca.com.

Thanks to Conejo Joe Twitter follower Andrew C, we became aware of a new Chinese restaurant coming to Oak Park, at the corner of Lindero Canyon and Kanan. Zen Garden Chinese Cuisine will be located at 668 Lindero Canyon Road, in the space previously occupied by Osaka Sushi.

SunLife Organics Now Serving Up Smoothies at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks

Today The Lakes at Thousand Oaks announced that SunLife Organics is now open, serving up smoothies, fresh juices and supplements. SunLife Organics has operated in Malibu for several years. Visit their Facebook page for more information.

SunLife Organics Thousand Oaks at The Lakes is located at 2200 E Thousand Oaks Blvd, Suite 110. Call 805.379.2999 for more information.

Public School 805 Coming to The Promenade at Westlake in Summer 2013

UPDATE: Public School 805 closed its doors on June 17, 2018.

Update 5/13/13: Public School 805 indicates on its website that class will be in session in June. They are currently hiring. Visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/publicschool805 for more information.

Posted 1/26/13: Public School is a new gastropub style full-service dining concept that is preparing to open in early summer of 2013 in Westlake Village at The Promenade at Westlake, next to The Grill on the Alley. As you can see from the photos below, Public School 805 is "An Education in the Art of Food and Beer."

There are currently two other Public School locations, the Public School 612 flagship location next to the Daily Grill in Downtown Los Angeles and Public School 310 in Culver City. I'm looking at the dinner menu at Public School 310 as I type this and see interesting things like Jidori Brick Chicken & White Bean Ragout, Sliced New York Strip with Chimichurri and Mustard Glazed Scottish Salmon. I'm also seeing dozens of unique draught and bottled craft beers and a large variety of other beers and wines. This should be a worthy addition to the Conejo Valley.

Grill Concepts, the owner of Public School, also owns and manages The Grill on the Alley and Daily Grill. The Grill on the Allley originally opened in 1984 in Beverly Hills and now has seven restaurants in four states. The Daily Grill began operations in 1988 and today has 21 locations in eight states.

You can actually own a stake in these restaurants. Grill Concepts is based in Woodland Hills and trades on the Over the Counter "Pink Sheets" market under symbol GLLC. While I love their food, at 33 cents a share and with sparse publicly available financial information, I'd steer clear of the stock.

Public School 805 is being built directly adjacent to The Grill on The Alley