Los Agaves de Luna Restaurant Now Open at The Shoppes at Westlake

Los Agaves de Luna Restaurant is now open at The Shoppes at Westlake. It is a family-owned and operated Mexican restaurant that originated in Santa Barbara in 2008 that has locations in Santa Barbara (two of them), Goleta and now Westlake Village. Los Agaves serves traditional family recipes hand crafted from the finest ingredients, with specialties that include Chiles Nortenos, Los Agaves Enchiladas, Mole, Ceviche and Sea & Earth Molcajete. 

Visit www.los-agaves.com for more information or call 818.874.0779. Open every day from 11 am to 9 pm at 30750 Russell Ranch Road in Westlake Village on the 101 freeway side of The Shoppes.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit Westlake Village Opened Its Doors on Saturday, July 25th

Dickey's Barbecue Pit Westlake Village announced it opened its doors on Saturday, July 25th. Location is the North Ranch Mall, 3825 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Westlake Village, in between Haagen Dazs and Western Bagel.

Dickey's is Texas based barbecue eatery that serves up beef brisket, pulled pork, ham, polish sausage, turkey breast and chicken, with an extensive array of home-style sides from jalapeño beans to macaroni and cheese. Buttery rolls are served with every meal along with  free ice cream and dill pickles. They also have a Kids Eat Free deal on Sundays.

More at www.facebook.com/DickeysBBQPitWestlakeVillage.

Simply Fish Grill in Agoura Opened in April

Update: Simply Fish Grill closed in January 2019. Its new tenant will be the Cuckoo Rooster, serving up hot fried chicken and wings.

Simply Fish Grill at 5653 Kanan Road in Agoura Hills a few months ago. It is located next to the Italia Deli. Serves up fresh fish including salmon, mahi mahi, tilapia, mussels and more. No website or phone number handy but their Facebook page is www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Fish-Grill-Casual-Eatery/984214264936127.

Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches Opening Soon in Camarillo and Moorpark

Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches is opening two Ventura County locations this summer. I've never been to a Jimmy John's, but based on the initial reaction on the CVG Facebook page, it sounds like a great place:

• "This is AMAZING news!! My husband and I are both from WI and absolutely love Jimmy Johns!"
• "I lived in the Midwest for five years and Jimmy John's was my favorite!"
• "My son goes all the time in Az. Sooo happy there will be one here!!"
• "Oh thank goodness! Finally!"

According to its website, "What makes Jimmy John's different from the rest is that it's honest, it's damn good, it's damn fast, at a decent price! Jimmy John's definition of fresh is worlds apart from everyone else's. Bread is baked in-house everyday and served fresh. Meat and veggies are sliced fresh in-house everyday. The turkey is real turkey, the roast beef is real roast beef – no additives, no vegetable-based fillers, no fake stuff. Nothing is delivered pre-sliced. Real Hellmann's mayo, real Grey Poupon, real olive oil and red wine vinegar – it's the best of the best."

The Camarillo location will be at 5021 Verdugo Way across the parking lot from Roxy Stadium 11. The Moorpark location will be at the Moorpark Marketplace on New Los Angeles Avenue near Kohl's and Jamba Juice. Visit www.jimmyjohns.com for more information.

UPDATE: Jimmy John's Camarillo opened July 7th and Jimmy John's Camarillo opened later this summer.

Streets by Bistro Orient Vietnamese Restaurant Opened in Thousand Oaks in January 2015

Streets by Bistro Orient Vietnamese Street Food opened at 74 N. Skyline Drive in Thousand Oaks (formerly Ori Sushi) in January 2015. Streets offers up sushi as well as Vietnamese fusion "street food" such as pad thai, Sriracha Honey Hoisin Ribs, special rolls, egg rolls, papaya salad with shredded chicken and much more.  Visit www.eatatstreets.com or check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/StreetsbyBistroOrient for some mouthwatering photos.

The Melt Will Be Opening at The Promenade at Westlake in Spring 2015

And another update...The Melt Westlake Village closed its doors in December 2015.

Update: Official grand opening date is Monday, May 18th.

The Melt will be opening this spring at The Promenade at Westlake, in the former home of Pick Up Stix (which in turn is in process of opening a new location at the Shoppes at Westlake).

The Melt is a fast casual eatery that "combines chef-inspired, all-natural, wholesome food with innovative online ordering technology in an eco-friendly environment."

The company is headquartered in San Francisco and has expanded to 11 locations in California, including Burbank. The menu includes burger melts, chicken melts, grilled cheese melts, mac & cheese, soups, salads and more.

If you take a look at their menu at www.themelt.com, you'll see an interesting, customizable menu concept which gives you plenty of options. For example, the "Italian Job" grilled cheese melt comes with fontina and provolone and mushrooms on spicy garlic bread for $4.95. You can add charred jalapeno, fresh tomato and grilled onions for no charge. For an additional $1.50, you can add bacon or spinach. Add another $2.95 for Caesar salad on the side.

Four Seasons Westlake Village to Open Stir Coffee Bar and Gourmet Eatery

UPDATE 5/19/15: Stir will be opening to the public this afternoon.

Last week, the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village announced that Stir Coffee Bar and Gourmet Eatery will be opening in the Hotel's lobby sometime this month.

Stir will feature "grab and go" style dining options and will serve artesianal Stumptown Coffee. Executive Chef Jesse Hansen and Pastry Chef David Couch are creating a selection of housemade menu items for the eatery.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters is a Portland based coffee roaster, sourcing the highest quality coffee beans from throughout the world. Stumptown fosters a direct relationship with coffee farmers, ensuring quality and fair prices, and allowing Stumptown to provide input in the coffee bean growing and harvesting process. Stir will be the first Four Seasons partnership with Stumptown and will feature Stumptown’s signature and seasonal coffee blends, along with the brand’s acclaimed cold brew coffee.

Stir will transform the Hotel’s lobby with a bright and airy design, complete with coffee bar, bistro tables, indoor and outdoor seating, retail shop, and central self-serve “smart coffee” display. One of the first to implement this technology, Stir will serve a barista-less custom coffee experience where guests will order and pay for their drinks from their smartphones. Is that cool or what?

Menu items at Stir will include a selection of fresh baked pastries such as the Westlake citrus marmalade scone with orange glaze, gluten-free chocolate chip muffin, and zucchini walnut bread to compliment the variety of coffee drinks. The fast casual dining outlet will also serve a variety of gourmet bites on-the-go including panini sandwiches, seasonal fruit parfaits, and salads such as the EVOO salmon salad with baby kale, blueberries, spiced sunflower seeds and avocado vinaigrette, and the veggie protein salad with grilled marinated tofu, edamame, purple spinach, quinoa and green harissa vinaigrette. Pressed juice, housemade gelato, chocolate confections and energy bars round out the menu.

To learn more, visit www.fourseasons.com/westlakevillage/dining/lounges/stir.

EMC Seafood and Raw Bar to Open at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard

Update: No update other than EMC still indicates this location is "coming soon." Hmm.

EMC Seafood and Raw Bar opened in Koreatown in 2013, serving up fresh seafood, oysters, live uni and more. The Collection at RiverPark announced that EMC will be opening sometime this year. It will be located behind Maria's Italian Kitchen and across from H&M. EMC is also planning to open a Canoga Park location by this summer. www.emcseafood.com

Posted by EMC Seafood & Raw Bar on Thursday, March 21, 2013

Dickey's Barbecue Pit "Coming Soon" to North Ranch Mall in Westlake Village

Update 5/4/15: There's a Dickey's Westlake Facebook page to track progress at www.facebook.com/DickeysBBQPitWestlakeVillage.

Update 11/5/14: Progress...but no new news as of 12/31/14.

Originally posted 6/28/14:

Thanks to tip from Rebecca P of Agoura Hills, we enjoyed a free ice cream cone at the new Haagen Dazs Scoop Shop at North Ranch Plaza, 3825 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Westlake Village and we also learned that a new Dickey's Barbecue Pit will be "coming soon" to the 2,100 sq ft storefront (previously North Ranch Cleaner, which has relocated to a new location) adjacent to Haagen Dazs and Western Bagel. Specific timing not known at this time.

This will be the third Ventura County area location of Dickey's, which opened its first location in Ventura in February 2013 and second location in Simi Valley on January 1, 2014.

Travis Dickey opened the first Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Dallas, Texas in 1941. His sons Roland and T.O. took over in 1967 and they expanded in North Texas and started franchising in 1994.

According to its website, "Today, every location smokes all of their meats on-site at the restaurant the same way it was done in 1941. Dickey's serves up beef brisket, pulled pork, ham, polish sausage, turkey breast and chicken, with an extensive array of home-style sides from jalapeño beans to macaroni and cheese. Buttery rolls are served with every meal along with the complimentary ice cream and dill pickles. And just like always, kids eat free on Sunday."

Yes indeed. Kids Eat Free on Sundays and free soft serve ice cream when you eat there, next door to Haagen Dazs. Similarly, the Ventura Dickey's is located next to a Dippin' Dots retail location and the Simi Valley Dickey's is located near a Cold Stone Creamery.