Grand Opening of Dog Haus Thousand Oaks Set for Saturday, February 21st

Dog Haus, the celebrated Los Angeles-based concept known for its gourmet hot dogs, sausages, burgers, and one-of-a-kind creations, will be opening its fifth franchise location in Thousand Oaks on Saturday, February 21st.

As part of Dog Haus' introduction to the community, guests will be able to swing by from 11 am to 10 pm on Saturday, February 21st to enjoy a free Haus Dog from a selection of Dog Haus classic all-beef skinless dog offerings, all served up on grilled King's Hawaiian Rolls. Options will include fan favorites like the Sooo Cali with arugula, tomato, crispy onions, spicy basil aioli and avocado; the Downtown featuring a smoked bacon wrapped dog topped with caramelized onions, roasted bell peppers, mayo, mustard, and ketchup; or The Cowboy with white American cheese, smoked bacon, bbq sauce, and crispy onions.

To pair with their dogs, diners can order fare from Dog Haus' full menu, which is rounded out with gourmet sausages, burgers, corn dogs, sides, and the debut of the Mötley Bleu 2.0 burger complete with soy-racha onions, bleu sriracha sauce, white American cheese, bacon, lettuce, and tomato.  Other Haus items include The Fonz that partners a spicy Italian sausage with pastrami and melted mozzarella; while the Das Brat features a bratwurst with caramelized onions, sauerkraut, white American cheese, and whole grain mustard aioli. Haus Burgers run the gamut from the trademarked The Freiburger® with white American cheese, a fried egg, haus slaw, fries and mayo; to the Holy Aioli with white American cheese, caramelized onions, smoked bacon, and garlic aioli.  

Dog Haus Downtown Dog

Lighter eaters and kids can indulge in smaller-sized portions – the Dog slider is made with an all-beef mini dog, haus-made cheese sauce, shredded cheddar and bacon; the Burger slider has just the right amount of caramelized onions, white American cheese, and mayo; while the Corn Dog slider features an all-beef mini dog dipped in haus-made root beer batter. Equal attention is paid to the quality-driven sides, like Chili Cheese Tots or fresh-cut, twice-fried Fries with haus-made cheese sauce, cheddar, haus chili, and diced onions; beer-battered Onion Rings; and Sweet Potato Fries. Our premium desserts including shakes & malts, cookies are a must have to end on a sweet note.

To complement the main offerings, diners will be able to select from wine and a thoughtful list of beers available on tap as well as canned, upon opening.  The restaurant will boast craft drafts with a heavy emphasis on local breweries, such as Ladyface Ale Companie going by the pint. Those who opt for a canned beer can enjoy options like Moose Drool Brown Ale, Pabst Blue Ribbon and The Dudes Kolshtal Eddy all served up in Dog Haus koozies – a

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Maria's Italian Kitchen Opened at The Collection at RiverPark Last Weekend (Closed April 2020)

UPDATE APRIL 2020: This Maria’s location closed its doors in April 2020.

Well finally it has happened...Maria's Italian Kitchen at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard opened last weekend. We have been waiting for this since The Collection made the original announcement in August 2013. It is located on Seaglass Way, directly across the street from REI and next to GEN Korean BBQ House. "Real Italian Food by Real Italian Women" - a family run Napolitano style Italian fare. Learn more at www.mariasitaliankitchen.com or call 805.988.3300.

 

 

Pieology Opening 2nd Conejo Valley Pizzeria in Westlake Village

Update 2/4/15: According to folks at the Thousand Oaks location, the new Westlake Village location is anticipated to open on Monday, February 16th.

Posted 9/26/14: Pieology is opening a second pizzeria in the Conejo Valley, at the former ZPizza location, 5776 Lindero Canyon Road, Westlake Village. The indicate it will open in December. The first Conejo Valley Pieology opened in Thousand Oaks in August 2013. Learn more about Pieology at www.pieology.com.

On a recent visit to Pieology Thousand Oaks I customized my pie with sausage, meatballs and olives.

"Make your own" pizza is all the rage these days and is the fastest growing food concept since frozen yogurt it seems:

NOM Tequila Grill Opened Last Fall at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach

NOM Tequila Grill opened last November at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach in the former home of C Street Restaurant. NOM features authentic Mexican fare from various regions south of the border, including favorite dishes from Guadalajara, Puebla, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Yucatan and central Mexico. Ingredients are farm fresh and locally sourced.

NOM is short for Norma Oficial Mexicana and is a stamp of authenticity for 100% Mexican agave tequila. The restaurant incorporates tequila into many of its dishes. It offers mixed cocktails and 17 different kinds of tequila from the bar. The ambiance is friendly yet casually upscale.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach, 450 East Harbor Blvd., Ventura. Learn more at nomtequilagrill.com or by calling 805-652-5151.

Tifa Chocolate & Gelato Opened Today at The Shoppes at Westlake Village

Update January 26, 2015: Tifa Westlake at 30760 Russell Ranch Road, Suite A, Westlake Village is now open to the public!

Originally posted July 30, 2014:

Tifa Chocolate & Gelato will be opening a location at The Shoppes at Westlake Village. Tifa serves up gelato, handmade chocolates, artisan chocolate bars, European drinking chocolate and espresso drinks at its current location at Whizin Market Square, 28888 Roadside Drive in Agoura Hills. That would make these locations about four miles apart, which is fine by me when chocolate is involved!

Watch for updates here or at shoppesatwestlakevillage.com.

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

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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.

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.