Prime Steakhouse to Open Agoura Hills Location in Mid-July

Another update: Prime Steakhouse Agoura Hills closed its doors on May 31, 2018.

UPDATE: Prime Steakhouse opened its doors on July 21, 2013!

Posted 7/4/13: Prime Steakhouse has indicated in a recent Craigslist job ad that they are opening up their second location on July 18th in Agoura Hills, at 29020 Agoura Road. Previous occupants of this space most recently included Sunset Room (closed in December 2012) and Chapter 8 Steakhouse and Lounge (closed in 2010). Learn more on their Facebook page.

Prime Steakhouse Ventura is located at 2009 E. Thompson Boulevard, offering up prime rib, filet mignon, New York steak, rib eye, top sirloin and more. Learn more at primesteakvc.com.

Urbane Cafe to Open a Camarillo Location Soon on Daily Drive

Update 7/31/13: Urbane Cafe Camarillo opens to the public on Thurday, August 1st. This is Urbane's 7th location.

Posted 7/11/13: Urbane Cafe specializes in gourmet sandwiches and salads with our fresh baked bread, lean meats and homemade sauces & dressings. It currently has six locations, including local spots in Agoura Hills, Ventura and Oxnard. The fourth local area location will be located at 1855 East Daily Drive in Camarillo in the space previously occupied by Subway. There are some major renovations going on here as you can see they are making the building taller. In that same building is located a Baja Fresh, Habit Burger and Sushi Hamayu.

On its Facebook page Urbane Cafe indicates "...details of a soft opening coming soon. Head on over to www.urbanecafe.com and sign up for our mailing list to receive a special invitation to the soft opening at the end of the month."

Sossy's BBQ Sandwiches Opening in Newbury Park This Spring

Final Update 7/24/13: Sossy's will be opening for business at 11 am this coming Friday, July 26th. The place has been completely re-done and is really nice, with an adjacent outdoor dining area. Sossy's menus includes BBQ sandwiches with meats including tri-tip, brisket, pulled pork and a "Sossy Joe" made with ground beef and chopped brisket. They have a couple chopped salads, three kids' meal choices (sandwich, hot dog or Mac & Cheese), and a variety of sides. People I spoke with who ate at a pre-opening event tonight enjoyed everything they tried, including the cole slaw and potato salad. Sossy's also has about six draft beers available. Follow their Facebook page for updates.

Update 5/23/13: Sossy's will begin the hiring process in the next few weeks. Visit www.sossys.com/Contact to apply. Sossy's says they will be doing "soft" openings in late June and official opening to the public soon thereafter.

Originally Posted 1/31/13: Sossy's BBQ is slated to open at the location previously occupied by Burger Express at 2140 Newbury Road in Newbury Park.

Sossy's is pronounced like "Saucys." On its Facebook page, the owners indicate Sossy's name was inspired by a restaurant in Mexico that had was delicious and covered by a great sauce...and they blame the misspelling of the word "sauce" on the margaritas. Sounds like these guys have a great sense of humor.

On its LinkedIn profile "our Sossy's original bbq sandwiches are mouth-watering delicious. And yes we use only the finest quality ingredients. And yes we use USDA Choice meats and locally grown farm fresh vegetables."

Shave It Camarillo Opened to the Public on Saturday, July 13th

As previously indicated in April, the new Camarillo Shave It location opened this past Saturday, July 13th. This location is at 455 Carmen Drive, in the Carmen Plaza, conveniently and perhaps appropriately located next door to the 24 Hour Fitness! Their phone number is 805.445.4423 (4ICE).

Owner Arla tipped us off that this coming Saturday, July 20th, they will be hosting a grand opening event featuring the Chainsaw Chicks, as featured on America's Got Talent. Everyone is invited and the Ice Queen and her court will be performing 4 afternoon shows - at 1, 3, 5 and 7. The Chicks expertly carve giant blocks of ice with their chainsaws. Now this looks quite interesting!

Sprinkles Cupcakes Coming to The Promenade at Westlake in the Fall of 2013

Sprinkles Cupcakes Opens in Westlake Village This Fall

The Promenade at Westlake welcomes the world’s first cupcake bakery

Sprinkles Cupcakes at The Promenade at Westlake is scheduled to open its newest location at Caruso Affiliated’s The Promenade at Westlake in fall 2013.

Known for its mouth-watering treats and long lines of devoted fans, Sprinkles Cupcakes at The Promenade at Westlake will offer a sugar rush to shoppers and tourists looking to indulge in these gourmet treats.

Sprinkles will be located between Barnes & Noble and Brighton Collectibles, next to the popular outdoor fountain area.

For updates, visit www.sprinkles.com and www.shoppromenade.com.

About Sprinkles: Candace Nelson is the founder and pastry chef of Sprinkles Cupcakes, the world's first cupcake bakery. Started in Beverly Hills in 2005, Candace's sophisticated take on the classic American cupcake made Sprinkles an overnight bakery sensation. Today, Sprinkles has twelve locations nationwide, a traveling Sprinklesmobile – the world's first cupcake truck, and sells its cupcake mixes at over 250 Williams-Sonoma stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. In 2012, Sprinkles debuted the world's first Cupcake ATM and continued its foray into classic American desserts with the launch of Sprinkles Ice Cream. Future expansion plans include a franchise agreement that will bring 34 Sprinkles Cupcakes bakeries to the Middle East beginning in 2013.

The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard Announces Openings of Gen Korean BBQ and Yard House Restaurant

The Collection at RiverPark recently announced its latest restaurant openings. Gen Korean BBQ opened on Friday, June 21st, and Yard House will open on Thursday, July 11th.

Owned by veteran restaurateur Jae Chang, Gen Korean BBQ has a devoted following for its high-quality, all-you-can-eat cuisine, moderate prices and large selection of meats. Whether you like marinated or not marinated, chicken or pork, bulgogi or kalbi/galbi, vegetables or not, there's enough of a selection to get your fair share and to keep everyone in your party happy. Learn more at www.facebook.com/genkoreanbbq.

Yard House offers an award-winning and extensive menu of American fusion cuisine featuring appetizers, salads, pastas, sandwiches, street tacos, grilled burgers, individual-sized pizzas, seafood, steaks and ribs.  And it’s not just for adults -- the Kids Klub menu includes fresh-to-order favorites and a selection of healthy items.

Yard House is also known for its wide selection of imported, craft and specialty ales and lagers -- more than 100 different types on tap. The lively environment is created by colorful abstract artwork, classic rock music and flat screens in every direction showcasing the day's news and sporting events.

Learn more about Yard House at www.yardhouse.com or more specifically the Oxnard location page at www.yardhouse.com/CA/oxnard-restaurant.

Learn more about The Collection at RiverPark at www.thecollectionrp.com. Directions at www.thecollectionrp.com/directions.

Agoura Hills Diner Opened in Early December 2012 and Closed in Summer 2013

UPDATE 7/5/13: Hmm, the picture below says it all. The space previously occupied by Johnny Rockets and briefly occupied by the Agoura Hills Diner from December 2012 to I believe sometime in the last month is now vacant. Hmm, this is located next door to Agoura Hills Dance Center. Dancers eat healthy.  Maybe this is a good spot for a health food place!

ORIGINALLY POSTED 1/5/13: Johnny Rockets in Agoura closed on December 3rd but within a week the same crew opened up a new restaurant in its place called Agoura Hills Diner at 5015 Cornell Street. Taking a look at their website at agourahillsdiner.com, they serve up hamburgers, sandwiches and hot dogs, salads, brunch, kids meals, hand-made milk shakes, floats and freezes and more. Their 1/3 pound hamburgers are made with "100% Fresh Natural Beef," fresh, never frozen. Fries are cooked with 100% trans fat free fryer oil. Open 7 days a week at 11 a.m. Call 818.735.0513 for more information.

Vivoli Cafe & Trattoria in Westlake Village is Closed; Looks Like Veggie Grill is Coming

Vivoli Cafe & Trattoria at 3825 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Westllake Village, is closed. The owner of the chain indicated on the Vivoli website that due to a partnership dissolution he had to close the restaurant and others. But he does indicate he is looking to re-open at some time and place in the future.

Look carefully at the photo and you'll see a notice on the window. The notice is from North Ranch Properties, landlord of the property, indicating 1) improvements/alterations are being made to the property that they are not responsible for and 2) The Veggie Grill, Inc. is leasing the property.

So it appears we will be getting a Veggie Grill here! This should make some people happy! According to a recent press release, "Veggie Grill’s menu features a satisfying and energizing variety of hot sandwiches and burgers, entrée salads, homestyle plates, daily soups and housemade desserts made from hearty “veggie-proteins” and wholesome ingredients. With 16* locations in California, Oregon and Washington, Veggie Grill renders the impossible possible: 100-percent plant-based food that is convenient, affordable and craveable."

* Now 19 locations, with the closest one in Encino.

Visit www.veggiegrill.com to learn more about Veggie Grill.

SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa Coming Soon to The Commons at Calabasas

SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa at The Commons at Calabasas is now open. Visit sugarfishsushi.com/calabasas or call 818.223.9966 for more information.

ORIGINAL POST November 30, 2012:

SUGARFISH embodies the philosophy of celebrated sushi chef Kazunori Nozawa, concentrating on the purity of his basic ingredients— nurturing relationships with the finest fish purveyors across the globe, cutting his fish with an artisan’s painstaking care, and even making his own fresh soy sauce and ponzu.

So what, you say? Well, soon there will be a SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa at The Commons at Calabasas just a dozen miles east of Thousand Oaks! No specific date at this point in time.

According to the SUGARFISH website: "Nozawa shuns “American-style” extravagant rolls and fusion dishes. Our menu, while always featuring the highest quality items, is greatly simplified. Diners choose from three core menus called Trust Me’s, a takeoff of the traditional Japanese omakase that Nozawa pioneered. The biggest change is there are no visible sushi chefs behind the sushi bar. By moving our sushi making to the kitchen, we are set up for maximum efficiency (and not for show). All of this allows us to deliver great sushi at a fair price."

Sounds pretty good to me! Visit the SUGARFISH website at sugarfishsushi.com to learn more or try it at locations in Brentwood, Downtown L.A., Marina del Rey, Santa Monica, Studio City and the Santa Monica Farmers' Market.