Lemonade Restaurant in Westlake Village

Today was the Federal Veterans Day holiday as well as the grand opening of Lemonade at The Promenade at Westlake (at the former home of CPK ASAP). I just happened to be in the neighborhood so I was one of the lucky ones to try this brand new restaurant out!

This is the 10th Lemonade location, so they must be doing something right! I stepped inside the completely redesigned restaurant and was impressed by the visually appealing new stainless steel, white, gold and yellow toned theme. I arrived during the noon lunch hour and it quickly was buzzing and bustling. Kind of noisy in fact, but it was kind of fun. They retained the outdoor patio area and many took advantage of it.

I'm a pretty lean guy (and in fact I ran a full marathon yesterday) and I noticed the chairs seemed somewhat narrow, even for my skinny rear. Curious to hear others' observations about that.

Lemonade bills itself as fast-casual cafeteria style cafe serving up a diverse range of fresh, high-quality and innovative foods. Now that I've eaten there and seen what they have to offer, I agree with this description. The food was very fresh tasting and quite interesting. I tried the caprese sandwich and several of their "Marketplace" items, including diced sweet potato with pistachios and a "Char siu" chicken dish with pineapple, cashews and other interesting, healthy ingredients.

Your first visit to Lemonade may be somewhat confusing as they have such a diverse array of choices. It truly is cafeteria style, where you can choose from at least a dozen Marketplace items, all of which looked really good, "Land & Sea" items like salmon, chicken and seared ahi tuna, tossed salads, sandwiches, fresh soups served with grilled rustic grain bread and really tempting array of desserts, including cupcakes (only $1 for a mini cupcake!), brownies/bars, cookies and macaroons.

Basically you order, pay, take a number and they bring your food to you. For some reason that didn't happen with me...I sat there at a table with my iced tea and a number and they called it out for me to retrieve. But 30 minutes later my friend received his chicken sandwich order at his table. That was the only "glitch" of my first experience.

I get a good feeling about this place. I like it. I think you will too. The pricing is not "cheap" but for the quality I think it is fair. To me this is a great place for a group of 4 to share a variety of items, particularly the Marketplace choices.

Visit lemonadela.com for more information or call 805.778.9100 for more information. I noticed the sign on the door indicates their hours are 11 a.m. to 9:05 p.m. The Promenade at Westlake is located at the southeast corner of Thousand Oaks and Westlake Boulevards.

CPK ASAP at The Promenade at Westlake is Closed; "Lemonade" Coming Soon

Update 11/12/12: Lemonade opened TODAY! Pretty neat place that lives up to the description below. More will be posted soon.

Original Post: 6/1/12: A surprised CVG Facebook follower filled me in today that the CPK ASAP at The Promenade at Westlake was closed! I was equally surprised and disappointed because this was a frequent quick-stop place for me and my kids. Sure enough, according to a voice message, CPK closed its doors last Sunday, May 27th.  BUMMER!

Then I found out that another new restaurant is coming to The Promenade sometime soon: Lemonade.

Lemonade offers seasonal, Southern California comfort foods. According to the Lemonade website:

The concept is best described as Seasonal Southern California Comfort Food in a fast-casual cafeteria setting. A comfortable place where locals and visitors enjoy a rotating daily spread of deliciousness: from ruggedly roasted Brussels sprouts to grain salads from around the world to stewed short ribs falling off the bone. Our dishes stress simple preparations with global taste, and are a perfect fit for today’s on-the-go lifestyle and perceptive palate.

Lemonade caters to people looking for a quick lunch or a healthy “grab and go” dinner for the family. The cafés have an emphasis on convenience and affordability, while serving the same fresh, high-quality, and innovative modern cuisine that the brand has become known for.

The food at Lemonade is as creative and diverse as the city’s inhabitants. Our marketplace salads, unique sandwiches, and slow-simmered stews taste as though every culture stirred a bit into the pot. For example, the skirt steak with grilled onions and piquillo peppers with its smoky depth, ping-pongs perfectly with our snappy salad of Chinese long beans, pluot plums, and scallion vinaigrette.

Currently there are Lemonade locations in 6 Los Angeles locations (Downtown, MOCA, Beverly, Venice, Brentwood and USC) and Pasadena, with 3 additional planned openings in Manhattan Beach, Thousand Oaks (Westlake Village) and LAX (Terminal 5).

I checked out one of their menus and it looks pretty reasonably priced, healthful and quite interesting, such as these $5.50 to $6 "Land and Sea" options at the Pasadena Lemonade.

Citrus poached salmon filet

Char Siu chicken lettuce cups

Avocado salmon louie

Seared ahi tuna, crushed orange-ginger ponzu

Curry chicken salad

Buttermilk chicken breast

Tomato, mozzarella and basil stack

Stay tuned...

New "Raw Bar" at Lobby Lounge at Four Seasons Westlake Village on Friday Nights

Lobby Lounge Gets Crackin’ with a New Raw Bar on Friday Nights at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village. Chefs shuck and serve fresh oysters, shrimp, king crab legs and more on a Pacific-to-platter style menu.

Chefs serve fresh seafood from the center of the Lobby Lounge, where heaping presentations of west and east coast oysters, jumbo white prawns, ceviche and king crab claws chill atop shaved ice. Guests can take a front row seat at the Raw Bar itself to oversee the chefs’ shucking abilities. The Raw Bar menu is also available from any seat in the restaurant.

The Raw Bar menu lets guests pick and choose from a la carte options, such as their choice of a half dozen or dozen oysters such as Kumamoto, Fanny Bay, or Malpeques. A ceviche duo teams a spicy Peruvian pink snapper variation with a halibut and rock shrimp ceviche verde. Jumbo white prawns and Alaskan king crab legs are available by the pound or half-pound. Can’t decide? Choose a combination platter from the “I Want it All” section of the restaurant menu.

The Raw Bar is offered exclusively on Friday nights from 5:30 to 9:30 pm in Westlake Village. The Lobby Lounge dinner menu is available in addition to the Raw Bar selections. Reservations are recommended by calling 818.575.3000.

Updated Ventura County / Conejo Valley Election Results as of November 9th

The Ventura County Clerk & Recorder updated results from the November 6th general election at recorder.countyofventura.org/elections as of 12:12 pm today.

The number of votes cast and counted increased by 13,924, from 256,927 to 270,851. Voter turnout as a result grew from the initially reported 60.18% to 63.44%. The County Clerk's office indicates this as "Semi Official Update #1" which infers we may be seeing another update.

No changes were noted in the placement of candidates based on this update.

Here are some updated and still "unofficial" Ventura County only results:

President (268,873 votes - previously 255,107)

• Barack Obama (Dem) 51.37% (138,119 votes)
• Mitt Romney (Rep) 46.09% (123,919 votes)
• Gary Johnson (Lib) 1.1% (2,946 votes)

U.S Senator (259,189 votes)

• Dianne Feinstein (Dem) 53.77% (139,363 votes)
• Elizabeth Emken (Rep) 46.23% (119,826 votes)

Overall preliminary vote in California Feinstein 61.5%,  Emken 38.5%.

26th Congressional District

• Julia Brownley (Dem) 52% (110,715 votes)
• Tony Strickland (Rep) 48% (102,219 votes)

State Senator District 27 (Ventura County only)

• Todd Zink (Rep) 56.4% (66,552 votes)
• Fran Pavley (Dem) 43.6% (51,456 votes)

Districtwide (Ventura/LA counties, Pavley 52.5%, Zink's 47.5%).

Member of the Assembly 44th District

• Jeff Gorrell (Rep) 53.34% (70,191 votes)
• Eileen Macenery (Dem) 46.66% (61,405 votes)

Conejo Valley USD Board Member (Vote for 2)

• Betsy Connolly 37.86% (25,417 votes)
• Peggy Buckles 32.88% (22,074 votes)
• Tony Dolz 29.05% (19,506 votes)

Thousand Oaks City Council (Vote for 2)

• Jacqui Irwin 24.21% (18,964 votes)
• Al Adam 15.77% (12,351 votes)
• Ed Jones 14.39% (11,271 votes)
• Jim Bruno 13.70% (10,727 votes)
• Mic Farris 12.32% (9,652 votes)
• Deborah Birenbaum 9.01% (7,053 votes)
• Others 7,903 votes

Conejo Recreation and Park District (Vote for 2)

• George Lange 44.33% (28,300 votes)
• Charles B. Huffer 25.00% (15,959 votes)
• Dennis Anderson 18.06% (11,526 votes)
• Clint R. Matkovich 12.36% (7,888 vote)

For results of other local races, visit recorder.countyofventura.org/elections.

There's a "Sign" That A Baskin-Robbins Will Be Opening in Thousand Oaks

Update 11/9/12: This newest Conejo Valley Baskins Robbins opened about a week and a half ago! 1769 E. Avenida de los Arboles, Thousand Oaks (805.409.7431)

Posted 8/17/12: There are Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors in Westlake Village, Newbury Park, Agoura, Simi Valley, Moorpark and other Ventura County locations but at this moment in time there is no Baskin-Robbins within Thousand Oaks. By the looks of the sign at the Oakbrook Plaza on Avenida De Los Arboles in Thousand Oaks, it appears another ice cream shop will be gracing our presence. It is perhaps strategically located next door to Cardio Barre to provide additional incentive for a good workout.

No details or word on open date currently available. Check baskinrobbins.com and let us know so we can add yet another ice creamery to this list of over 80 such places around Ventura County.

Will the City of Camarillo be Seeing Its First Vietnamese Restaurant? (Actually 2nd!)

Update 11/8/12: Grand opening of Basil & Mint Vietnamese Pho Restaurant is Saturday, November 10th. Free soft drinks that day! Call 805.482.9993 for more information. Hours are 10:30 am to 9pm.

Update 10/9/12: Looks like we will soon be seeing the Basil & Mint Vietnamese Cafe at 350 North Lantana Street in Camarillo. This sign was seen there today.

Originally posted 7/18/12:

Quick Update: Reader Jason has pointed out that this would not be the "first" Vietnamese restaurant in Camarillo as there is Love Phò N' Mor in the Smart and Final Plaza in Camarillo at 341 Arneil Road. Their phone is 805.484.1881. Good stuff! (NOTE: I've subsequently been to Love Pho N' Mor numerous times and love it!)

Hmm, we shall see. But from the looks of this Public Notice of Application to Sell Alcoholic Beverages at 350 North Lantana Street in Camarillo (same plaza as Cronies, Peking Inn, Bobbies, Jersey Mikes) there appears to be a distinct possibility. I am not aware of any other Vietnamese restaurants in Camarillo proper.

The name on the notice is Basil & Mint Vietnamese Cafe. Already sounds pretty good to me.  Their license to sell on-site beer and wine is pending. Let's hope they are successful and open a new restaurant in this space previously occupied for many, many years by The Crab House, which closed its doors in 2009, followed for a short stint by Chevere.

Home Invasion Robbery in Thousand Oaks the Morning of Tuesday, October 30th (2nd Burglary on November 2nd)

Update 11/7/12 from Thousand Oaks PD City Watch Update:

Thousand Oaks Police Detectives are working hard at solving these cases. We are trying to identify and stop the suspects from further burglaries. We are asking for the public's help in reporting any suspicious vehicles or persons in your neighborhood.

Things to look for:

• Vehicles driving slow on your street
• Parked vehicles which are occupied
• Unknown vehicles parked in front of neighbors homes
• Suspicious subjects or unknown people walking through your neighborhood.
• Suspicious subjects walking toward or away from your neighbor’s homes that you cannot identify as your neighbors.

If you are on a walk or run I encourage you to carry your cell phone so you can call in suspicious persons or vehicles while you are out. If you have a camera feature on your phone take photographs of vehicles or suspicious persons if possible and without detection. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO APPREHEND OR INTERFERE WITH THE SUSPECTS.

If you see anyone who appears suspicious or suspicious vehicles in your neighborhood you are asked to call sheriff’s dispatch immediately at (805) 654 9511 or 911.

Update 11/5/12 from TOPD: At about 2:50 p.m. on November 2, 2012, the Thousand Oaks Police Department received a call of a burglary in progress in the 3900 block of Cloverleaf Street in Thousand Oaks.  Upon arrival, officers discovered that several suspects entered the victim’s residence while they were away and stole property.  Police officers, assisted by a Ventura County Sheriff’s helicopter and two canine units, thoroughly searched the area and determined the suspects had fled prior to officers’ arrival. 

Witnesses described three of the suspects as black males in their 20’s to 30’s.  The suspects were also believed to be associated with two vehicles.  They were described as a dark sedan and a light colored sport utility vehicle.  At this point, investigators are considering the possibility that this crime may be associated with the recent home invasion robbery that occurred on Skelton Canyon Circle on October 30, 2012 (discussed below).

The Thousand Oaks Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance in solving these crimes.  We request that anyone with information contact investigators at (805) 494-8201.  We also request that you keep a watchful eye on your neighborhood and report any suspicious activity by calling (805) 654-9511.  Or if you believe it may be an emergency, call 911.

Posted 10/31/12: The Thousand Oaks Police Department reports that three unidentified men confronted a woman at gunpoint inside her residence Tuesday morning, October 30th, during a home invasion robbery in the 3900 block of Skelton Canyon Circle, Thousand Oaks (just a mile north of the intersection of Thousand Oaks and Westlake Boulevards).

The victim’s husband had left for work just minutes before the suspects entered the home and confronted the woman, who was home alone.

The suspects wore ski masks and hooded sweatshirts. At least one of the men displayed a handgun during the robbery. The men left with jewelry and cash after tying up the victim. The woman was able to free herself after several minutes and call 9-1-1.

The victim was not injured during the robbery, and there is little known about the suspects at this time. They were described as black males, with no further details given, other than they drove away in a sedan in an unknown direction.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact investigators at (805) 494-8201.

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime.  The caller may remain anonymous.  The call is not recorded.  Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).