FOX Sports Grill in Westlake Village Becomes The Edge

FOX Sports Grill has become The Edge. I believe this change took place last Thursday, April 28th. More of a restaurant feel I've been told, along with some changes in the menu. Same management. If you have a FOX Sports Grill gift card, it is still good at The Edge. Located at 30970 Russell Ranch Road, Westlake Village. Click HERE for their Facebook page. Or call 818.338.7080.

Four Seasons Westlake Village Plants Pomegranate Trees in Honor of Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day, Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village has planted fruit trees along the perimeter of the Hotel gardens. The choice to plant fruit trees was made to symbolize the Hotel’s commitment, along with the on-site California Health & Longevity Institute, to promote improved nutrition for guests, the community and children in particular. Pomegranates are considered a super food, and are an excellent source of potassium and Vitamins C and B.

Another pomegranate tree was donated to Oak Hills Elementary School. Registered dietitians from California Health & Longevity Institute worked with Superintendent Dr. Anthony Knight to improve the nutritional quality of the menus provided to the children in the school cafeterias of several schools within the Oak Park Unified School District.

 Oak Park Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Anthony Knight, students from Oak Hills Elementary School and representatives from Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village and California Health & Longevity Institute plant a pomegranate tree donated by the Hotel on school grounds in honor of Earth Day.

The tree planting initiative complements the commitment of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts to plant 10 Million Trees around the world. This long-term global initiative will form the cornerstone of the company’s commitment to supporting sustainability – just part of its existing substantial corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts.

In addition to the new pomegranate tree, Four Seasons chefs use a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables grown on-site in the Hotel’s gardens and greenhouse. The garden-fresh selections include Swiss chard, cauliflower, tomatoes and a variety of herbs, such as pineapple sage.

For more information or reservations, please call (818) 575-3000 or visit www.fourseasons.com/westlakevillage.

Free Reception for Dr. William Hart, Author of Community Memorial Hospital Book, in Ventura on May 22nd

Author of Book on Community Memorial Hospital Honored

A free reception for Dr. William Hart, author of a recently published history of Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 22, at the Museum of Ventura County’s event pavilion. Signed copies of  “The Hospital of Choice: Community Memorial Hospital: A History,” will be available in the museum bookstore, in both hard and soft cover. Hart will donate all proceeds from sales of the book to the museum.

Hart was the first Board Certified cardiologist in Ventura County, the first procedural cardiologist in the Tri-Counties, and he founded the first Coronary Care Unit/Intensive Care Unit in Ventura County. His book chronicles Community Memorial Hospital’s 109 years of growth since opening in 1902 as the Elizabeth Bard Memorial Hospital, founded by brothers Cephas and Thomas Bard.

The present Museum of Ventura County shares some founding history with the hospital. Dr. Cephas Bard’s collection of artifacts, often given him in lieu of payment for medical services, formed the original exhibition with which the museum began in 1913.

The Museum of Ventura County is located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Ventura. Hours are 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children 6-17, members and children under 6 are free. For more museum information go to www.venturamuseum.org or call 805-653-0323.

Bard Hospital today at the corner of Fir and Poli Streets in Ventura

Top Ventura County Area Finishers at the 2011 Boston Marathon

The 115th Boston Marathon was last Monday, Tax Day 2011. Aided by a nice tailwind in nice conditions, 2 incredible Kenyans run under 4:42 per mile pace over the 26.2 miles to finish in the fastest 2 marathon times ever recorded (at least by a human).

While the Kenyans stole the spotlight, there are some very worthy Ventura County-ans who did quite well in this year's Boston Marathon! Here they are and congratulations goes out to them!

• John Fedoroff, 41, of Thousand Oaks finished in 2:34:45, clobbering his previous personal best time at age 16 of 2 hours, 48 minutes. He was 143rd overall and 13th in his age division, but top Ventura County resident! Congrats John!
• Scott Hambly, 34, of Thousand Oaks, finished in 2:42:01 (264th overall, 202nd in age group)
• Noah Izzard, 31, of Ventura finished in 2:58:38, breaking under the 3 hour mark
• Steve Gonzalez, 39, Oxnard: 3:01:28
• Andrew Thompson, 28, Thousand Oaks: 3:05:01
• Barry Wallman, 59, Camarillo 3:05:15 (placed Barry 18th in his age group!)
• Heather Hicks, 21, Moorpark was top placing Ventura County woman in 3:15:19
• Rebecca Getman, 22, Calabasas (well almost Ventura County!) 3:18:16
• Erin Wharton, 27, Thousand Oaks: 3:19:27
• Marcus Marcuson, 40, Newbury Park: 3:21:33
• Phillip Wright, 54, Newbury Park: 3:22:21
• Cristie Jones, 28, Simi Valley: 3:22:26
• Kristin Whiting, 29, Ojai: 3:23:13
• Kevin Colwell, 45, Westlake Village: 3:24:11
• Sharon Pick, 44, Thousand Oaks: 3:24:20 (104th in age)
• Richard Person, 47, Thousand Oaks: 3:24:20
• Caleb Guevara, 41, Ventura: 3:25:45
• Tim McLain, 44, Thousand Oaks: 3:25:47
• Leanne Mohr, 25, Camarillo: 3:25:48

Westlake Village orthodontist William Hang at age 64 blitzed the course in 3 hours, 48 minutes, good for 141st in his age group!

Red Robin and Buddha's Belly Coming to The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks this Summer

We stopped by The Oaks mall tonight for a frozen yogurt at Menchies (click here for over 80 FroYo joints throughout Ventura County). Noticed 2 new restaurants will be opening at the mall this summer!

A Red Robin is under construction next to Lazy Dog Cafe and across from the Muvico Theatres. Known for their gourmet burgers, this will be the 2nd Red Robin location in Ventura County; the other one is at the Simi Valley Town Center. There's another location in Calabasas across the street from The Commons at Calabasas.

Inside the mall across from The Cheesecake Factory, where Sisley used to be located, Buddha's Belly Restaurant is slated to open this summer. "Buddha’s Belly offers a full-service Asian-Fusion dining experience featuring the flavors of Japan, Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Korea. We cook with fresh, natural meats and poultry and source organic, locally-grown produce whenever possible." (Swiped from their Facebook page.)

Update September 2012: Buddha's Belly Thousand Oaks has closed its doors.

Additionally, The Oaks has announced that a Red Lobster and Olive Garden will be opening locations there too later this year! No sign of construction at this point. Stay tuned...

Janss Marketplace New Tenants Include Qdoba Mexican Grill, Karma Indian Cuisine and Conejo Valley Art Museum

Janss Marketplace Welcomes Three New Tenants: Center is 90% Leased

NewMark Merrill announces that Janss Marketplace, located at Moorpark Road and Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks, added three tenants to achieve 90% occupancy. The center’s three newest tenants are Qdoba Mexican Grill, the Conejo Valley Art Museum and Karma Indian Cuisine.

Qdoba Mexican Grill signed a 10-year lease for the approximately 2,238 square feet located near the beautiful interactive fountain and next to Burlington Coat Factory. To open at TBD date.

Karma Indian Cuisine, which opened in March, signed a 7-year lease for approximately 2,324 square foot space. The new restaurant, located near Toys R Us and Rite Aid, offers authentic Indian fare. The restaurant features a lunch buffet and dinner specials with a wide selection of Indian cuisine.

The Conejo Valley Art Museum will soon open in the former Wine Styles space, located in the food courtyard across form Gold’s Gym. The museum will feature changing exhibits, gift shop and a reference library. To be open sometime in May.

During the recent openings, Invitation Spot moved to a new location next to Cold Stone Creamery and across from Toys R Us. Invitation Spot offers a variety of boxed and personalized “to order” invitations for event, wedding, parties and much more.

Janss Marketplace is part of a portfolio of over 60 shopping centers that the company owns or manages. NewMark Merrill Companies has the unique ability to draw from over 25 years of experience to provide a higher level of property management, development and asset management services for its clients. NewMark Merrill Companies has ranked among the top 20 Largest Property Management Firms and Top 10 Largest Commercial Real Estate Developers from 2007-2011 by the LA Business Journal. In addition to Woodland Hills, regional offices are located in Orange County, Ventura County, San Francisco, San Diego County, Colorado and Illinois. The company currently owns and/or operates over 60 shopping centers in three different states representing over 8 million square feet and over $1 billion in value. The Company owns LandMark Retail Group, a preferred developer for CVS Pharmacy which is developing new stores throughout California.

Official Malibu City Song Contest Entries Due By June 15, 2011

The City of Malibu will begin accepting submissions for the Official Malibu City Song on Monday, March 28, 2011. Entries must be received by Wednesday, June 15, 2011. The song competition is open to musicians of all ages. Contestants younger than 18 must include a parent or guardian signature with their entry form. Songs should be approximately three minutes in length, suitable for groups as well as soloists, and be submitted on a lead sheet that includes lyrics. Musicians are able to submit more than one entry if interested. Subject material should be appropriate for posting on a public government website and not contain obscene, profane or inappropriate content. Musicians submitting songs for consideration do not have to be residents of Malibu.

For more information and an application visit the City of Malibu website at www.malibucity.org or CLICK HERE for a direct link to the contest web page.

Should be fun. Actual entries will be posted to the City of Malibu website HERE for public listening and voting.