Projected Grand Opening of Chick-fil-A on Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks is May 29th

The 2nd Thousand Oaks Chick-fil-A opened today, Thursday, May 29th.

New Chick-fil-A structure has taken shape in Thousand Oaks.

Posted 3/28/14: The Chick-fil-A being built at 449 N. Moorpark Road (corner of Moorpark Road and Brazil St at the old El Torito spot) is currently scheduled for a May 15 (changed to 29th), 2014 grand opening date, according to www.chick-fil-a.com/Locations/Openings. The grand opening of a Chick-fil-A is a big deal to many because they offer free weekly meals for a year to the first 100 customers at each new location. Details at www.chick-fil-a.com/Locations/First-100.

Photos of the demolition of the old El Torito

New Fully Accessible Challenger Field Premiered in Simi Valley on March 22nd

Challenger Field on Opening Day (Photo: Colleen Janssen, Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District)The Amanda McPherson Foundation, Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, City of Simi Valley, Simi Valley Unified School District and Simi Valley Little League all contributed towards the construction of Challenger Field, a fully accessible field to make it easier for special needs players to play baseball.

The grand opening of Challenger Field was Saturday, March 22, 2014. It is now the "home" field for Challenger Division players. The entire field is solid, yet looks like grass and dirt, allowing for easy mobility by

The whole field is solid (looks like grass and dirt, but is not), allowing easy mobility by players, even if in a wheelchair. Pretty neat! What a great addition to the community.

Challenger Field is located behind Apollo High School at 3150 School Street, Simi Valley. More information and photos at www.rsrpd.org/park/challengerfield/challengerfield.html.

Camboni Italian Restaurant & Bar Coming Soon to the Thousand Oaks Inn and Hotel

Update: Camboni Italian Restaurant opened on May 20th. Visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CamboniRestaurant. They indicate breakfast hours 7-10am, lunch hours 11am to 2pm and dinner hours 5-10pm.

According to the Thousand Oaks Inn & Hotel on its Facebook page last month and confirmed with a phone call, Camboni Italian Restaurant is coming soon at this highly visible location from the 101 freeway at 75 W. Thousand Oaks Boulevard. This was previously the home of TOI Tapas Bar, and before that was home to Du-Par's Restaurant for nearly 50 years until it closed July 31, 2009.

According to the Thousand Oaks Inn: "Camboni Italian Restaurant will use only naturally leavened breads, using naturally occuring microflora, which consumes little energy and multiplies quite slowly. Its growth duplicates the cycle of human breathing and that of wheat embryo germination, plus it naturally enriches the bread, due to an additional development of nutrients by the beneficial enzymes and ferments."

Visit the Thousand Oaks Inn Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TOInn for updates.

The "Shoppes at Westlake Village" Scheduled to Open in Summer of 2014

Updates: Additional eateries and tenants include Hook Burger, Jeannine's Bakery and Restaurant, Olio e Limone and others as well as Greens Up! and Los Agaves Restaurant.

Originally posted 1/15/14:

On May 9, 2012, the Westlake Village City Council approved development of a 240,000 square foot retail shopping center called "Shoppes at Westlake Village," that will be anchored by a Target store. It will be located on Russell Ranch Road off of Lindero Canyon Road.

According to its website at www.shoppesatwestlakevillage.com, "With architecture reminiscent of a European village, trellis covered pedestrian walkways, a dramatic water feature and patio dining and lounge areas, Shoppes at Westlake Village will be a place to meet and gather with family and friends as well as a place to shop."

Shoppes is scheduled to open this Summer 2014. Target's target (you like that?) grand opening date is July 25, 2014. In addition to the Target store on the southeast end of the development, the west side will have a uniquely designed In-N-Out Burger restaurant built with stonework, natural tile and other "Older European" treatments to blend in with the rest of the development.

The other known tenant at this point is Total Woman Gym and Spa, in a 13,000 sq ft space perhaps strategically placed on the In-N-Out Burger side of the development. Hey, what's better than a protein-laden Double Double, Animal Style, after a solid workout!

Shoppes is being developed by Selleck Development Group of Westlake Village, which is run by Tom Selleck's brothers, for those who I know were wondering by the sheer mention of that name.

Stay tuned for updates...

Zooza Cafe Recently Opened at Paseo Marketplace in Westlake Village

Zooza Cafe opened a few days ago in the Paseo Marketplace, directly adjacent to The Melting Pot restaurant at 3687 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Westlake Village.

On its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ZoozaCafe, Zooza Cafe calls itself a health food cafe that serves up smoothies, salads, coffee, sandwiches, baked goods and more. Open for breakfast, lunch and coffee. Call 805.496.9669 for more information.

Malibu Pier Restaurant & Bar Opened Today

Malibu Pier Restaurant & Bar opened today, May 15th, at the foot of the Malibu Pier (previously occupied by The Beachcomber), 23000 Pacific Coast Highway.  Executive Chef Jason Fullilove and his team will be serving up fresh seafood in a casual environment. Their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/malibupierrestaurantandbar displays a some of what's to come, including fresh oysters, California White Sea Bass Carpaccio, Tuna Crudo, Malibu Fennel Salad, California Striped Bass, Malibu Seafood Stew, black rice gumbo with octopus, pork sausage, peas, Thai basil, and prawns, Strawberry Pie and more, accompanied by a full bar. Visit malibupierrestaurant.com for more information.

City of Thousand Oaks Opens Household Hazardous Waste Facility This Month

Household Hazardous Waste Facility photo courtesy City of Thousand OaksThe City of Thousand Oaks announces the opening of its new permanent Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 2010 Conejo Center Drive in Newbury Park.  Beginning May 30, 2014, this state-of-the-art hazardous material collection facility will be open by appointment Friday and Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm for residents of Thousand Oaks and Unincorporated Ventura County areas to dispose of unwanted household hazardous waste products like paint, household cleaners, solvents, fertilizers, etc.

More information on local hazardous waste disposal options at THIS LINK or visit the City's GoGreen website at www.toaks.org/GoGreen.

Gandolfo's New York Deli to Open Second Ventura County Location Mid-May 2014

Gandolfo's New York Deli opened its first Ventura County based restaurant at The Collection at Riverpark in Oxnard last year.

A second Gandolfo's opened in mid-May 2014 in the Montalvo Square Shopping Center at 1708 Victoria Avenue in Ventura, (this space was previously home to a Daphne's Greek Cafe). That said...it has since closed.

According to its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GandolfosNewYorkDeli, Gandolfo's brings the taste and feel of New York's most famous sandwiches, with a meat selection that includes mouth-watering cuts of brisket pastrami, lean corned beef, roasted turkey, roast beef, apple-smoked ham, chicken breast and Italian specialties of salami and cappicola.

Road Closure Information for Amgen Tour of California in Thousand Oaks May 17-18

Motorists are urged to plan ahead this weekend as the vehicular traffic through the east end of Thousand Oaks will be heavier than normal. The city will be hosting Stage 8 (the final stage of the race) of the 2014 Amgen Tour of California Bike Race. The race will consist of three 21 mile circuits and three 4.5 mile circuits.

On Saturday, May 17th at 8:00 a.m., parts of Townsgate Road and Village Glen Road will be closed to set up the course. The race will begin and end on Townsgate Road between Westlake Blvd and Lakeview Canyon Road. This area will remain closed until Sunday, May 18th at 10:00 p.m.

The race is scheduled to start just before 8:45 a.m. on Sunday. There will be rolling closures along the race route. The race is expected to end around 12:00 p.m.

The following streets will be affected. See maps below or visit www.toaks.org/living/amgen_tour_of_california/homepage/default.asp

• Lakeview Canyon Road at Agoura Road
• Westlake Blvd from Townsgate Road to Carlisle Road
• Triunfo Canyon Rd. from Three Springs Drive to Westlake Blvd.
• HARD CLOSURES during race: Westlake Blvd. southbound at Potrero Rd., and Westlake Blvd. northbound at Agoura Rd./Hampshire Rd. - then expanding to Triunfo Canyon Rd. during the small circuit.

Start/finish line area and 3 lap final finish route around Westlake Lake!Stage 8 course map

During this time, the Thousand Oaks Police Department urges motorists to use extreme caution in an around the affected area. There will be a large number of cyclists and pedestrians in the area. Please plan ahead and use alternative routes if possible.

To promote the safety of the riders and spectators, we ask that any suspicious persons or items along the race route be reported immediately to the Thousand Oaks Police Department at (805) 654- 9511 or by calling 911. We would like to remind residents, “If you see something say something.”