Qdoba Mexican Grill Locations in Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and Simi Valley to Close on Friday, June 28th at 3PM

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This morning in an email Qdoba Mexican Grill announced "We're sorry to announce that your Qdoba location at 265 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks will be closing permanently on Friday, June 28 at 3:00 p.m. It's been great serving you, and we hope we can share delicious meals with you again in the future."

Upon further review on the Qdoba Southern California Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/qdobasocal, I discovered that ALL Ventura County Qdoba locations, including the Simi Valley and Westlake Village locations, not to mention seven other So Cal locations including the Valencia location, will also be closing tomorrow. Wow!

They did note "We’re still serving your Qdoba favorites at our other Southern California locations including Hope St. downtown, Hawthorne, Upland, Duarte and Culver City."

So if you're a Ventura County Qdoba fan, you best be getting over to Qdoba tonight or for lunch tomorrow to get your final fill.

Sliders Bar & Grill at Simi Valley Town Center Announces It Has Closed Its Doors

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Sliders Bar & Grill at the Simi Valley Town Center announced via Facebook today that it has closed its doors. Sliders originally opened on Thursday, November 18, 2010 and thus it was open for a total of exactly 31 months.  The occupant of that space prior to Sliders was Spark Woodfire Grill. No word on what will be the next occupant of this space.

Best wishes to the Sliders staff. For those looking for new restaurants to work at (or try out for that matter), in and around Ventura County, check out this link.

White Rabbit Cafe Oxnard Closed June 9th; N'Awlinz Bistro Oxnard to Open Soon

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Musical eateries at the Centennial Plaza in Downtown Oxnard. The White Rabbit Cafe that opened its doors on June 23, 2012 closed those doors on June 9, 2013. However, they did announce that they will continue bringing their popular food truck to Ventura County. White Rabbit food truck updates are at whiterabbittruck.com.

A few weeks ago, N'Awlinz Bistro of Newbury Park announced on its Facebook page that it would be opening a second location this summer at the Centennial Plaza. Well, the White Rabbit Cafe is located at 221 W. 5th Street and the owners of N'Awlinz Bistro have an on-site beer and wine license pending at that location...so my suspicion is that this indeed is the future home of N'Awlinz Bistro in Oxnard.

Stay tuned...

New Eatery Chill & Grill Opens in Camarillo, Serving Shaved Ice, Grilled Items and More

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UPDATE 2/18/14: Grill & Chill closed its doors on February 15, 2014 but indicates a new eatery Sesame Inn, will be opening there soon. I contacted Sesame Inn in Newbury Park and they confirmed they are in process of opening this second location at a future date TBA.

A new eatery, Chill & Grill, opened in Camarillo last week, located at 1775 E. Daily Drive, Unit G, in the same plaza as Brendan's Pub, Presto Pasta, Cafe India and other businesses. The space was previously occupied by Off the Hook.

Hmm, this could be interesting. Not to be confused with the Dairy Queen Grill & Chill that opened in the Camarillo Outlets that opened two years ago.

Chill & Grill sounds promising in that they sell Hawaiian Shave Ice, including Build Your Own and Shave Ice Shakes. Their menu also includes rice plates, sandwiches, salads and some great sounding burgers and hot dogs. I also see specialty and flavored teas on their menu.

Visit www.thechillngrill.com to learn more or call 805.383.8013. They are open 11am to 8pm seven days a week.

PizzaSalad Closes and Mulberry Street Pizzeria Opens in Thousand Oaks

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Update Nov 2015: Mulberry Street Pizzeria changed ownership in the Fall of 2015 and became Butler's Pizza.

Original Post Below

PizzaSalad closed early last month after doing business for five years at 1655 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. We will miss their organic ingredients and tasty food!

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But where one slice of pizza is down to its crust, another one may be in the oven...which is the case here as Beverly Hills based Mulberry Street Pizzeria opened at this location last weekend. This is their 5th location.

According to a recent Mulberry Street Pizzeria press release:

One of the most well-known and highly rated pizzerias in the world, Mulberry Street was opened in 1991 by Richie Palmer, whose original and authentic New-York- style pizza proved a recipe for success.

With a cult following among local residents, tourists from around the world, and Hollywood's elite -- including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frankie Vallie, Mickey Rourke, Jon Lovitz, and others -- Richie quickly expanded his operation to include three additional locations -- one in Encino, one in Sherman Oaks, and a second store in Beverly Hills.

Richie has also spread his success by taking his famous sauces mainstream. Mulberry Street Pizza Marinara, Vinaigrette, Hot Oil, and BBQ Sauces have hit shelves around the area and are available online.

The Thousand Oaks pizzeria will be open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm; Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm. For takeout or delivery, call (805) 379-1121, or experience Mulberry Street Pizza and order online at www.mulberrypizzeria.com.

We stopped by Mulberry Street Pizzeria Thousand Oaks and sampled different slices. Delish!

We stopped by Mulberry Street Pizzeria Thousand Oaks and sampled different slices. Delish!

A CVG Facebook follower mentioned the Eggplant Parmesan pizza was a standout...she was absolutely correct. I tried it and yes indeed, it was good.

About Mulberry Street Pizza

Founded in 1991 when Richie Palmer opened the first Beverly Hills location, Mulberry Street Pizza is one of the most well-known and highly rated pizzerias across the globe. The New York style pizzeria is a cherished Beverly Hills' icon and has also operates famed locations in Encino, Sherman Oaks, and Thousand Oaks. Celebrated for the perfect pie with the perfect flavors, Richie Palmer is spreading his success as he takes their famous pizza sauces mainstream. Mulberry Street Pizza Marinara, Vinaigrette, Hot Oil and BBQ Sauces have hit shelves. To order online or experience Mulberry Street Pizza, visit www.mulberrypizzeria.com.

Sidecar Restaurant in Ventura to Close Its Doors After 10 Years on Tuesday, May 14th

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Acclaimed Ventura Restaurant is Going Out With A Roar During Its Final Months Of Business March-May 14, 2013

Sidecar Restaurant is honoring its departure with a new lunch and dinner menu, Easter and Mother’s Day brunch reservations

The 1910 Pullman railway car that houses Sidecar Restaurant is blowing its whistle to announce its closing due to the end of their ten-year lease.  “Although the circumstances are less than ideal; we did our best to renegotiate our lease,” says Executive Chef and Owner, Tim Kilcoyne. “However, we are not disheartened and instead, we are commemorating Sidecar’s decade of success with two new menus, as well as Easter and Mother’s Day Brunch.”   The Sidecar will close its doors after the popular, and final, Grilled Cheese & Jazz Night, on Tuesday, May 14th.

New Lunch Menu (Tuesday-Friday: 11:30a.m.-2p.m.)

True to Chef Tim’s simple, seasonal and fresh culinary style, while keeping local favorites in mind, midday menu offerings include: Fried Chicken Sandwich with Tabasco aioli, blue cheese slaw, and pickles; Sidecar Burger and Fries with California grass fed beef, lettuce, pepper marmalade, burger sauce, on a brioche bun; Fish Tacos with cabbage, avocado crema, cotija cheese and lime; or Olive Oil Poached Salmon Nicoise with anchovy, potato, red onion, beets, capers, olives, egg, and a red wine vinaigrette. 

New Dinner Menu (Wednesday-Sunday: 5p.m. - Close)

If you have a preference for gourmet pastoral fare, you will enjoy the market-driven and favorites-inspired dinner menu.  Featuring mouthwa

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Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Ventura Opened on February 28th

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Update May 2018: Dickey's Barbecue Pit Ventura has closed its doors after five years in business., joining the closure of Dickey's locations in Westlake Village and Simi Valley. 

Burgers, BBQ and Beer are all the rage these days throughout Ventura County it seems. Today in a random stop by the Ventura Dippin Dots store with my kids, I discovered the newest BBQ place in town, Dickey's Barbecue Pit. Dickey's opened on February 28th in the Victoria Plaza.

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Travis Dickey opened the first Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Dallas, Texas in 1941. His sons took over in 1967 and expanded throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The company began franchising in 1994 and now they are all over the country.

According to their website, Dickey's serves up beef brisket, pulled pork, ham, polish sausage, turkey breast and chicken, with an extensive array of home-style sides from jalapeno beans to macaroni and cheese. Buttery rolls are served with every meal along with complimentary ice cream and dill pickles. We are known for our mouth-watering BBQ smothered in smoky sauce. Dickey's offers juicy pulled pork, tender ribs and brisket.

STOP THERE! Did I read, FREE ICE CREAM (with dine-in purchase)? And pickles? Sounds like a great place to bring a pregnant woman! But there's more...KIDS EAT FREE every Sunday (kids 12 and under, 1 free kid's meal for each paid adult meal of equal or greater value, dine-in only).

Well I walked over at 4pm and the line was going out the door! They must be doing something right here! Dickey's Barbecue Pit is located at 6100 Telegraph Road, Suite F, Ventura (this was previously Pizza Mizza, which closed in mid-2011). The Dickey's Ventura website is www.dickeys.com/locator/store.php?id=599 and phone is 805.212.4240.

Fit 2b Thai Restaurant in Thousand Oaks Recently Closed Its Doors

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Many years ago I used to enjoy Olga's Kitchen, located at 593 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks, between Baja Fresh and El Pollo Loco. To my disappointment, Olga's closed, and subsquently Fit 2b Thai restaurant opened in its place.

My wife and kids enjoyed Fit 2b Thai. The food was ok to me but I just could never get over the use of the number 2 and b in place of "To Be" in the name of the place. Something unsettling about it to someone as obsessive over words as me (not that I'm God's gift to spelling or anything).

To be honest though, I'm a fan of pretty much any Thai food. So Fit 2b Thai was all right in my book.

But I digress. All this is a moot point now, because Fit 2b Thai closed its doors sometime apparently in the last part of December 2012 or very early 2013 time frame. Yes, the space is for lease again.

Olga's, are you reading this? There are no Olga's outside of Michigan and Illinois at the moment. Come back out here!

Farewell to Newbury Park and Agoura Hills Golden Spoon Locations

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Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt has operated stores in five locations in recent years, including two in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Newbury Park and Agoura Hills, giving it significant presence among the 80 or so frozen yogurt, ice cream, gelato and other frozen treat establishments in Ventura County. With disappointment however we note that the Agoura Hills location on Kanan Road closed on January 1st and the Newbury Park location on Wendy Drive closed today, January 15th. Visit www.goldenspoon.com/golden-spoon-stores for other Golden Spoon locations.

Speaking of frozen yogurt in Newbury Park, Swirl Frozen Yogurt Bar at The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch is anticipated to open sometime soon.

Farewell Newbury Park Golden Spoon