AJ Chinese Cuisine to Open in Ojai on Thursday, September 12th

HEALTHY AND EXOTIC CHINESE FOOD COME TO OJAI
AJ Chinese Cuisine’s Grand Opening September 12^th

A new Ojai restaurant officially opens Thursday, September 12^th at 11:30 AM, offering a wide variety of classic and regional Chinese dishes. AJ Chinese Cuisine located at 842 East Ojai Avenue, will have free wine for all diners on opening day to go with their meals. Restaurant owners Jessica Oestreich and Alice Ramsey are from mainland China, were married in America and now reside in Ojai. They believe Ojai needs a good Chinese restaurant that offers a wide selection of dishes from different regions of China.

The restaurant has two chefs from China One is from a 5 star hotel, where he specialized in seafood dishes. The other chef, from the famous Lui Ding Restaurant in Hong Kong, will focus on hotter, spicier dishes. Dishes will be made with fresh, locally grown vegetables with no preservatives. The chefs select choice pieces of meat and chicken breast, which are then thinly sliced for quick cooking.

New dishes will continue to be added to the extensive 7-page menu. Monthly specials created from seasonal crops will be featured along with luncheon specials. The restaurant went through a total renovation prior to test opening in late August. A full bar includes wines from all three Ojai wineries, serves appetizers and several TV screens. Skylights have been added throughout the restaurant to lighten the interior and conserve energy. A private dining room is available for meetings up to 70 people.

For more information call 805.640.0201. Their website will be launching in mid-September at www.AJChineseCuisine.com.

Panera Bread Opening Soon in Westlake Village

Final Update 8/23/13: Panera Bread officially joins the Westlake Village community on August 26 and is teaming up with FOOD Share to help raise funds to fight local hunger. Westlake Village Panera Bread will donate customer Community Breadbox™ donations at the new bakery-cafe to FOOD Share, which distributes over 9 million pounds of food every year and feeds over 73,000 people struggling with hunger in Ventura County every month.

The new Westlake Village bakery-cafe at 5784 Lindero Canyon Rd, Westlake Village will feature menu favorites such as the Strawberry Poppyseed and Chicken Salad, Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich, Cuban Chicken Panini, and new offerings like the Roasted Turkey Harvest Wheatberry Salad and Vegetarian Autumn Squash Soup, all in a welcoming environment with free WiFi.

Regular store hours: Monday – Saturday (6 a.m. – 9 p.m.) and Sunday (7 a.m. – 8 p.m.) Call (818) 991-3100 for more information.

Update 8/6/13: Melissa W had reported that the new Panera Bread will be opening on August 26th. Apparently there are a lot of Panera fans around town!

Posted 7/29/13: Not one, not two, but three Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Page friendly followers (thanks Jessica J, Lauren R and Kelly H) have duly noted that Panera Bread is opening soon at 5784 Lindero Canyon Road, Suite A, next to Michaels Craft Store and in what used to be the Ig Boarding Shop.

There are other local Panera locations at Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Ventura, Oxnard and Camarillo. Learn more about Panera at www.panerabread.com.

Panera was established in 1981 and currently operates nearly 1,700 bakery-cafes in 44 states and Ontario, Canada. Panera is a publicly-traded company under stock symbol PNRA, with a current market cap of $5.5 BILLION! Now that's a lot of dough!

Panera Bread bakery-cafes showcase the art and craft of bread making, helping customers truly appreciate and enjoy a great loaf of bread by studying its crust, crumb and craft. Panera Bread understands that great bread makes great meals, from made-to-order sandwiches to tossed-to-order salads and soup served in bread bowls.

Los Agaves Mexican Grill Recently Closed and Reopened as Portofino Italian Bistro

UPDATE 2/10/14: Los Agaves subsequently opened again at this location but in February 2014 closed their doors again.

As posted to the Portofino Italian Bistro Facebook Page (page subsequently removed) on June 29th, the owner of Los Agaves Restaurant and Grill decided to transform the restaurant into the Portofino Italian Bistro.

"Using the freshest ingredients, the best qualified professional staff under supervision of Chef Ricardo, it is a new destination for all the Italian Food Lovers....Seasonal menus, catering, private parties, etc. The restaurant offers a full license bar, extensive wine list, a calendar of events with coming up, Dinner and Guitar, 5 Course Wine Pairing Dinners, and more....We invite you to join us for Lunch or Dinner or just for a drink and appetizers."

Sounds interesting! The new Portofino Italian Bistro is located at 2350 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks, smack dab in between Donut Depot and Rhineland Deli (good sandwiches there!), right across the street from The Lakes at Thousand Oaks. Their phone number is 805.777.7532.

From Frozen Yogurt to Burgers to the "Best Chinese Food" in Thousand Oaks (Golden Dragon)

Originally posted 7/23/13. Update 8/13/13: The Best Chinese Food's actual name is Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant. I like that because I was born in the Year of the Dragon. Thanks for the heads up again, Melissa W.

"Best Chinese Food" is what the sign says at 2416 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks. Thanks to the eagle eyes of CVG Facebook follower Lauren T. of Thousand Oaks, we've learned that Village Burgers, which opened its doors last fall in the former home of Yozen Frogurt Express) is closed and that some time next month, "Best Chinese Food" is coming to our little town of Thousand Oaks.

What is not clear to me just yet is, will the new restaurant literally be called Best Chinese Food or is that just a teaser for the possibly to be announced new Chinese food restaurant that will be opening here. Well the smaller sign on the door shown below gives no clues (though I do like the small letter o's).

But wait, maybe it does. It does not say "Best Chinese Food" - just "Chinese Food." So maybe it will be called something else. Who knows. Well someone knows. But it ain't me. Yet. But one thing I do know is that I love Chinese food. And since this place will be situated across the street from the Toyota dealership, I might have to bring my car in for servicing, once the Best Chinese Food, Good Chinese Food or simply, Chinese Food, is open for business.

And Village Burgers, we are sorry to see you go. Although I never did get around to trying you out, I had intended to. At some point. But I'll have to cross that thought off the bucket list. That is all.

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!