PizzaRev "Craft Your Own" Pizza Coming Soon to Oxnard

Update: PizzaRev Oxnard closed its doors in December 2016 after a 3 1/2 year run. There are other local area PizzaRev locations in Thousand Oaks (Oaks Mall) and Camarillo (Premium Outlets).

Me and the kids stopped by for a Saturday night pizza pie. I loved the fact that you can put basically unlimited toppings on your made-to-order pizza. I tried a delicious combination of ingredients on my pizza without worrying about added cost. Pictured below are the more basic looking pizzas ordered by my kids.

Update 8/31/13: PizzaRev Oxnard opened for business two weeks ago! Check it out or forever hold your pizza. Or don't hold your pizza, I should say.

Posted 6/12/13: PizzaRev "Craft Your Own" pizza will soon be opening at 1831 N. Rose Avenue (at Gonzalez Road) in Oxnard, at the location most recently occupied by Cafe Rio.

With other locations in Woodland Hills, Northridge and Studio City, at PizzaRev you selected your favorite sauce, cheeses and fresh toppings, and PizzaRev builds your pizza right before your eyes. Your artisan quality pizza is ready extremely fast with their two-ton fire-deck oven to bake your pizza in under three minutes.

From the PizzaRev website at www.pizzarev.com:

"We place our expert pizza-crafters right on the front line, customizing your pizza with your choice of multiple sauces, cheeses, and toppings, all right before your eyes! There are literally millions of tasty combinations to choose from. Our revolutionary Fire-Deck oven heats to a perfectly even super-high temperature that cooks each pizza in under three minutes!

Fresh, artisanal-quality pizza has never been faster or more affordable.  For less than $8.00, enjoy unlimited toppings including all the traditional favorites plus many gourmet options including kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, capers, fennel, and many more. Savory sausage, carefully-cured pepperoni, crumbled meatball, ham, bacon, and garlic chicken highlight a menu that will evolve with the seasons to ensure that ingredients are always fresh and natural. At PizzaRev, you CRAFT YOUR OWN pizza!"

PizzaRev Oxnard website at www.pizzarev.com/locations/oxnard-ca-coming-soon.

Golden Dragon Chinese Cuisine in Thousand Oaks

The husband/wife team at Golden Dragon Thousand Oaks

Thousand Oaks resident Scott Leese and his kids recently visited the newly opened Golden Dragon Chinese Cuisine at 2416 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks. 

Husband and wife team Young and Ng decided to open this restaurant next to Harold's House of Omelettes and across the street from Toyota of Thousand Oaks in this clean, well lighted location.

Scott and family were excited with the large portions and notably fresh ingredients with their lunch orders of Cashew Chicken, Beef and Broccoli and Sweet and Sour Chicken. He also noted that the cheese wontons were "amazing" and a must order! Lunch specials were reasonably priced in the $6.95 to $7.95 range. Their phone number is 805.379.8858.

Dayne's Chicago Beef and Dawgs Looks to Open in Thousand Oaks This Spring

Final Update 9/5/13: Dayne's Chicago Beef & Dawgs opened on August 24th at 2951 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks! Visit www.dayneschicagobeef.com or call 805.906.0888 to learn more.

In other news, Garage Dogs, which opened down the street on Thousand Oaks Boulevard on April 23, 2012, recently closed, though a sign on their door indicates they will be seeking a new location. That's too bad as I know several friends frequented Garage Dogs quite often.

Update 7/14/13: Dayne's is still working on a grand opening date. Follow www.facebook.com/DaynesChicagoBeef for updates.

Updated 3/25 (original post 3/7): Dayne's Chicago Beef and Dawgs indicates its grand opening will take place on Memorial Day weekend on its Facebook page.

Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Page follower Lauren T pointed out this new eatery coming "soon Spring 2013" to Thousand Oaks. The soon-to-be Dayne's Chicago Beef and Dawgs will be located at 2951 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, adjacent to my wife's favorite Chocolatine, in the space previously occupied by Channel Islands Scuba (which for some time now has been located down the street at 3200 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard).

Dayne's website at www.dayneschicagobeef.com looks to be work in progress at this point but based on what's in there at this point it looks like they will be serving up "authentic Italian beef sandwiches." Stay tuned...

Boney Mountain Coffee at The Village at Dos Vientos in Newbury Park is Now BeanoVino

UPDATE: BeanoVino has announced it will be closing at the end of January 2020.

Last month, the Boney Mountain Coffee Co. at The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch in Newbury Park came under new ownership and was renamed BeanoVino. BeanoVino currently serves up Intelligentsia Coffee as well as a variety of reasonably priced breakfast and lunch items. They are open 6 a.m. to 6p.m Sunday through Thursday and until 8 p.m. on Saturday/Sunday. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating is available.

Visit the BeanoVino Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/BeanoVino/700069103352261 or call 805.375.2326 for more information. Menu at this link.

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.