Easy Come, Easy Go, FroYo - Hello Luna Blu, Goodbye Blizz

And now for a FroYo breaking news update. As some of you may know, my kids and I are voracious consumers of Frozen Yogurt (and click here for a list of 80 or so FroYo joints around Ventura County).

I've discovered that the long-awaited Luna Blu frozen yogurt cafe opened its doors at the Simi Valley Town Center last week. I walked by the storefront late last year as it was under construction and it looks like a cool place. Good luck, Luna Blu!

But on a not so happy note, I recently was informed by a fellow Twitterer via this Tweet that Blizz Frozen Yogurt at The Lakes is no longer there. I have independently confirmed this fact. :>

So consider yourself up to speed and let us know, Yo, of any other additions, changes or deletions to the master list of FroYo on the down low in Ventura County, you know.

Say Good-bye to Chili, Cheese, Hot Dogs, Sausage and Logo With Worried Look

Wienerschnitzel in Thousand Oaks will be demolished if a proposed planning and development project goes forward and gains approval. Then it will be replaced with the construction of a Chick-fil-A restaurant built on the same spot, 3771 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd, next to the Do-it Center.

If the project proposal goes through there will be no more double chili cheeseburgers or kraut dogs served at that location. Forget about a 79 cent corn dog on a stick.

Get ready for whole-breast chicken,  fresh fruits, vegetables and lemonade made from squeezing lemons. Chick-fil-A employees will be chopping cabbage each day for the cole slaw and making carrot and raisin salad. The breaded chicken that goes on buns and the waffle fries are cooked in peanut oil.

At dinnertime, 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, there were no cars in the drive-thru at Wienerschnitzel Thousand Oaks. There were seven cars lined up at the McDonald's drive-thru a few yards away on the other side of the Do-it Center parking lot. Well, if residents want delicious hot dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers or fries with or without chili they better get over there before the Thousand Oaks landmark is rubble.

Two Ventura County Pick Up Stix Locations Recently Closed

Don't have the specifics, but recently Pick Up Stix locations in Newbury Park (Albertson's Plaza on Reino Road) and Simi Valley (1366 Madera Road) closed.

Not to worry...there are still other locations in Simi Valley, Westlake Village (The Promenade), Oxnard and Calabasas (The Commons).

The former location of Pick Up Stix in Newbury Park, adjacent to Subway.

Mama Rita's in Dos Vientos Ranch (Newbury Park) is Closing Its Doors in 2011

Update 1/13/14: The third restaurant to open in this space, The Local Table, opened its doors on February 4, 2014.

Update 9/8/13: La Cucina di Venti closed its doors.

Update August 2011: A new restaurant, La Cucina di Venti, is slated to open in the vacated Mama Rita's spot in Fall 2011.

The owner of Mama Rita's Authentic Mexican Cantina in the Dos Vientos Ranch section of Newbury Park announced today that Mama Rita's is closing its doors next year but will remain open through 2010. This is sad news all around for Laura, the local community and Paraiso Town Center (now called The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch) but on a positive note, Laura indicates she will continue her catering business out of another local location TBA.

Mama Rita's opened 2 1/2 years ago. Prior to that, Mama Rita's had what was primarily a catering location in Westlake Village near Costco. My wife has been a big fan of Mama Rita's chile rellenos since those earlier days and we fought over them as soon as they reached our kitchen counter.

In 2011, Mama Rita's was featured in Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Season 3. Video footage from that episode is shown below. Actually kind of fun to see Newbury Park on prime time!

Grand Opening of Sliders Bar & Grill at Simi Valley Town Center on Thursday, November 18th

Sliders Bar & Grill, located on the west end of Simi Valley Town Center, is opening on Thursday, November 18th. Phone is 805.823.4756. Sliders is located where Spark Woodfire Grill used to be. They feature 20 beers on tap, 18 large TVs and over 70 menu items. Opens at 11 a.m.

Looking for autographs!? Come and get em:

Saturday, November 20th: Jim Harrick, Jamaal Wilkes and Rollie Fingers (if you guys don't know these names, you're either way too young or not sports fans :>)

Sunday, November 21st: Willie Gault, Willie McGinnest and Eddie Murray

According to Sliders, these sports celebs will be there sometime between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

www.slidersbargrill.com

Cholada Thai in Newbury Park Recently Closed

My family enjoyed that place though every time we went it was like 10% occupied. Apparently it closed in the last month or two (we were last there in the summer). The good thing is that there is a newer location in Thousand Oaks as well as the original location in Malibu. Visit www.choladathaicuisine.com for more information and phone numbers.