Pearl District Restaurant Opened in Westlake Village on Sunday, December 28th

Pearl District Restaurant opened in the Westlake Plaza at 983 S. Westlake Boulevard, #8, Westlake Village, adjacent to Sprouts, in late December. This was the former home of Fin's Seafood Grill, which closed last year.

The restaurant is named after an urban area of Portland, Oregon, formerly occupied by warehouses, light industry and railroad yards that has been redeveloped and is now noted for art galleries, upscale businesses and residences.

Pearl District's menu, available on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pearldistrictrestaurant, includes entrees like grilled Scottish salmon with okinawa sweet potato puree, edaname, Asian mushroom vinaigrette, scallions and daikon sprouts, grilled prime filet mignon with truffle-chive yukon gold potato puree, grilled asparagus and crispy maui onions and southern fried chicken breast with garlic mashers, brussels sprouts, collard greens, double smoked bacon and green tomato jam. Sounds pretty good to me!

Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market Opening in Westlake Village on February 2nd

Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market is opening on Monday, February 2nd in The Westlake Plaza at 966 S. Westlake Boulevard. Hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Mendocino Farms is a gourmet sandwich shop that incorporates local produce in their sandwiches, salads and soups. The name of the eatery pays tribute to the county in Northern California known for its support of the Slow Food Movement and Sustainable Farming.

Their menu includes items like the Chicken MBT (shaved, roasted free range chicken breast, local Gioia fresh mozzarella, house marinated red peppers, basil pesto, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, Scarborough Farm’s greens on ciabatta), Modern Tuna Melt (all white albacore tuna with fresh herbs, farmhouse cheddar, vegenaise, housemade pickles, red onions, tomatoes, Scarborough Farm’s greens on panini grilled buckwheat) and Prosciutto & Free Range Chicken (Creminelli prosciutto & shaved, roasted free range chicken breast with local Gioia fresh mozzarella, crushed honey roasted almonds, basil pesto, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes on panini grilled ciabatta).

Additionally, you can "build your own" sandwiches and salads using a number of fresh ingredients.

About half the items on the menu can be ordered gluten-free on request.

Founded in 2005 by Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen, Mendocino Farms aims to reconstruct fine dining entrees to the sandwich level and take classic regional sandwiches and give them a modern interpretation. The menu created by Chef Partner Judy Han features adventurous takes on traditional sandwiches like the Pork Belly Banh Mi with caramelized Kurabuta pork belly and the "Not So Fried" Chicken with fresh roasted free range chicken, fried crispies and finished with a house pickle-mustard slaw.

This is the 9th location of Mendocino Farms, which has seven Los Angeles County locations and one in Orange County. To learn more, visit www.mendocinofarms.com.

Incidentally, this is the former home of Jack's Deli, which closed its doors in November 2011. That said, this newly remodeled eatery looks nothing like the Jack's Deli that brings memories of yesteryear!

A trip down memory lane...Jack's Deli in 2011.

The Lab in Agoura Hills to Be Re-Opened as Twisted Oak Tavern in Late January

Update 1/26/15: Twisted Oak Tavern has been open this week with a "sneak peak" menu until its full menu is introduced sometime next month!

The Lab Brewing Company in Agoura Hills announced on December 20th that it was temporarily closing its doors for a remodel, new design and concept. Recently the owners announced that the name of their new gastropub and in-house brewery is the Twisted Oak Tavern.

They are anticipating a late January grand re-opening date and have posted photos on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TwistedOakTavern. They have relocated their beer tanks to a more visible location, installed 100 year barn wood on the walls and are replacing the booths.

Owners are calling the Twisted Oak Tavern a "fresh twist on a classic tavern. 30 beers on tap featuring our in-house brewery: LAB Brewing Co, cold brew coffee on-nitro and craft cocktails served with elevated pub cuisine."

The grand opening is indeed coming soon...they announced that blues singer and guitarist Preston Smith will lead off the live music schedule on Friday, February 6th at 10pm.

Located at 30105 Agoura Rd, Agoura Hills in the Agoura Hills Town Center, across the street from the Sheraton. Visit www.twistedoaktavern.pub or follow their Facebook page for updates.

The Lab originally opened on 11/1/11 after owners decided to change the previous concept...MOZ Buddha Lounge, which was closed on 5/14/11. Neat to see owners willing to change it up every few years to keep its customers on their toes!

Plata Taqueria & Cantina Opened This Week at Whizin's Center in Agoura Hills

Just by chance tonight I discovered that the new Plata Taqueria & Cantina at the Whizin's Mall Shopping Center in Agoura is open. This is the former location of The Latigo Kid, which moved last spring to the Agoura Meadows Shopping Center on Kanan.

The hostess told me the doors opened on Tuesday night. There was a decent sized crowd in there enjoying home-style Mexican food and margaritas. Had I known they were open, I would have tried it out! No Facebook page or website that I could find as of yet, but they do have a phone number 818.735.9982. Whizin's Square is located at 28914 Roadside Drive.

Luna's Mexican Tradition Opened a 2nd Oxnard Location on January 7th

Luna's Mexican Tradition has opened up a 2nd Oxnard location at Centennial Plaza, 221 W. 5th Street. Visit their Facebook Page for more information.

This particular location has a tradition of change. Last Fall it was briefly N'Awlinz 805 Grill, after operating from September 2013 to early June 2014 as N'Awlinz Bistro. Prior to that, White Rabbit Fusion Cafe had operated there from June 2012 to June 2013 and before that it was the Iron Horse Bar & Grill in 2011 and Tortuga Cafe in 2010. And prior to that it was Capriccio.

Chicago's Finest Restaurant Deep Dish Pizza Opened in Ventura in December

Chicago's Finest Restaurant "Home of the Original Deep Dish Pizza" opened at 1780 S Victoria Ave, Suite C, in Ventura (Ralphs Shopping Center) last month, serving up authentic Chicago style deep dish pizza, thin crust pizza, Chicago style hot dogs, sandwiches and more. CVG Facebook page follower Jennifer U. is a fan and said that one large, delicious deep dish pizza fed her entire family of five and three others! Visit www.chicagosfinestrestaurants.com for more information.

Petra Mediterranean Cuisine Opening Soon in Westlake Village (Opened 2015; Closed 2019)

UPDATE: Petra opened in the spring of 2015 and subsequently closed sometime in early 2019.

We were driving in the Melting Pot/Stonefire Grill strip mall and I looked up and saw something new - Petra Mediterranean Cuisine at 3731 E Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks in the large eatery previously vacated by Fiamme Restaurant two years ago.

According to their website at www.finediningwestlakevillageca.com, they are opening soon: "We've based our interior space on the famous temple of Petra, creating a variety of spaces suitable for large parties and private dining. A banquet hall is available for particularly sizable groups or business meetings. Whether dining in a group or with intimate partners, you'll enjoy our exemplary Mediterranean cuisine surrounded by splendid, authentic decor."

Karma Baker Opened in Westlake Village in October

On a recent visit with the kids to the only remaining Lamppost Pizza in the Conejo Valley, I noticed the Karma Baker sign at 1145 Lindero Canyon Road in Westlake Village, in the Pavilions Plaza at the southwest corner of Lindero and Kanan.

Karma Baker offers organic, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free and gluten-free baked goods, including carrot cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes, cookies, muffins, tarts, seasonal pies and more.

Owner Celine Ikeler has a passion for baking vegan, gluten-free with her own flour blend that, unlike most store brands, does not include beans, nuts or soy. She has partnered with vegan ultra-endurance athlete, best-seller and motivational speaker Rich Roll and his wife Julie in establishing this bakery.

Bakery hours are 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday. Although their website at www.karmabaker.com indicates "by appointment" on weekends, their Facebook page indicates 9am to 2pm on Saturdays.

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Cigale Cafe in Oak Park Closed in October; Margarita's Mexican Grill Coming in 2015

The owner of Cigale Cafe at 704 Lindero Canyon Road (at Kanan) announced in October that this French eatery would be closing its doors after a successful five year run. This was sad to hear as its 4 1/2 star Yelp ratings indicate it was enjoyed by many.

Coming soon to this location will be Margarita's Mexican Grill, which recently posted mock-ups of restaurant signage on its Facebook page. Margarita's is targeting a January/February launch at its new Oak Park location. There's a sign on the front door indicating they are looking to hire experience staff on Mondays through Wednesdays from 1-5pm.

Margarita's is a family-owned eatery that opened its Santa Clarita location in 1998, where it offers breakfast, brunch, buffets, authentic Mexican food, seafood, vegan/vegetarian specialties and more. Visit www.margaritasmexgrill.com.