The Gallery Restaurant at The Shoppes at Westlake is Now Open

Update 4/17/15: The Gallery Restaurant has announced that it is now open.

Over the last 12 months, The Shoppes at Westlake on Russell Ranch Road off of Lindero Canyon Road has been moving right along, with the opening of the Target store in July, followed by Total Woman Gym, Jeannine's Gourmet Food Hall, Hook Burger, Greens Up, In-N-Out Burger and others in 2014.

Among others opening at The Shoppes in 2015, The Gallery Seafood and Chophouse Restaurant is coming soon. The Gallery will feature fresh seafood, chops, oysters, innovative cocktails and more in 3,180 sq ft plus and additional 540 sq ft of outdoor seating areas.

The Gallery is located on the west side of The Shoppes, a few doors away from Hook Burger.

Other eateries anticipated to open soon at The Shoppes include Pick Up Stix (opened late March 2015), Olio e Limone Ristorante, Olio Pizzeria, Los Agaves Restaurant, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.’s Westlake Village taproom, Which Wich and TIFA Chocolate and Gelato (opened late January).

Other retail stores opening this year at The Shoppes include Tilly's, Guitar Center, Sports Clips and others.

Visit shoppesatwestlakevillage.com for more information.

Margaritas Mexican Grill Now Open at Lindero Canyon and Kanan in Oak Park

Margaritas Mexican Grill is now open at 702 Lindero Canyon Road (northeast corner at Kanan), Suite 704, Oak Park (former home of Cigale Cafe).

Margaritas is a family-owned eatery that opened its Santa Clarita location in 1998, where it offers breakfast, brunch, buffets, authentic Mexican food, seafood, vegan/vegetarian specialties and more. Visit www.margaritasmexgrill.com.

Thanks for the heads up, Pria P via the CVG Facebook page!

Most Ventura County Area Coco's and Carrows Locations Closed Last Week

UPDATE: Coco’s Simi Valley at 698 E. Los Angeles Ave closed in September 2022. No more Coco’s in Ventura County. The closest Coco’s is now in Mission Hills.

According to Nation's Restaurant News, the new owners of Coco's Bakery and Carrows has closed approximately half of the eateries' locations that were deemed to be underperforming. CVG Facebook readers noted this too and we have confirmed that the following Ventura County locations have been closed:

• Coco's: Camarillo and Ventura (as well as the neighboring location at 4895 Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas)

• Carrows: Oxnard and Ojai

That leaves us with a single Carrows in Ventura and a single Coco's in Simi Valley.

(Carrows in Ventura closed in mid-2019.)

The Counter Burger Westlake Village Closed Its Doors This Week

The Counter Burger had perhaps my favorite veggie burger in town.

The Counter Burger in Westlake Village unexpectedly closed its doors earlier this week. The eatery opened in April 2009. Sorry to see it go! One of my family's favorite local burger places. The closest Counter Burger locations to the Conejo Valley are now in Studio City and Santa Monica www.thecounterburger.com/locations.

Bangkok Avenue Thai Cuisine Opening Soon in Thousand Oaks

Update 5/5/15: Bangkok Avenue Thai Cuising has been open now for about a week. Check out their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bkkavenuethaicuisine.

Nestled between Donut Depot and Rhineland Deli, at the former home of Los Agaves Mexican Grill in the Select Plaza at 2350 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks, Bangkok Avenue Thai Cuisine is "Coming Soon." No other details at this time but check www.facebook.com/bkkavenuethaicuisine for updates.

Urbane Cafe to Open New Location in Thousand Oaks in Early 2015

Update April 2015: Urbane Cafe Thousand Oaks indicates a April 20th grand opening date at urbanecafe.com/locations 805.496.7666.

Thanks to a heads up from Sarah A of Thousand Oaks, we've learned that yet ANOTHER new Urbane Cafe is opening in Ventura County...this one at the old Denny's location off of Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks, joining another tenant previously announced, Dog Haus.

Urbane Cafe is on fire, having opened new locations in Simi Valley in June 2014 and Camarillo in August 2013, joining other local locations in Ventura, Oxnard and Agoura Hills. Its menu includes fire baked gourmet chicken, turkey, beef and vegetarian sandwiches and a variety of salads, including a protein salad, cobb, BBQ chicken, caprese and more. If you've eaten there, you'll know why they're so successful.  More at urbanecafe.com.

Ice Cream Lab Coming to the Westlake Plaza in Westlake Village in Early 2015

Yet another update...Ice Cream Lab closed its doors in May 2016.

Final Update: Ice Cream Lab is now open!

Update 12/2/14: The Ice Cream Lab indicates they are now targeting an opening date of March 1, 2015. Stay tuned...

In May 2014, Westlake Plaza and Center announced that Ice Cream Lab is anticipated to open at the Plaza in the November time frame.

Ice Cream Lab offers “a place where you can create a delicious experiment” by using liquid nitrogen to whip up ice cream in seconds! Find out more about their process and their yummy natural ingredients here: icecreamlab.com

The Ice Cream Lab was founded by Joseph Lifschutz and Tommy Ngan, with it first location opening March 2013 at 9461 South Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills.

It's a good day for some amazing ICE CREAM!!! :D When was the last time you visited Ice Cream Lab? pic.twitter.com/LUsoKFRNsT

— Ice Cream Lab (@LAIceCreamLab) April 29, 2014

Cal Lutheran to Dedicate Bronze Statue of Richard Pederson on April 18th

After five years in the making, a bronze statue of the farmer who donated his land for the California Lutheran University campus in Thousand Oaks will be dedicated at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 18.

The statue of Richard Pederson, a son of Norwegian immigrants, will be dedicated during the Scandinavian Festival, but the site will be accessible to people who are not attending the event. The statue stands next to Soiland Humanities Center near the flagpoles on Memorial Parkway. The ceremony is free and open to the public.

Cal Lutheran President Chris Kimball will preside over the event. Pederson’s niece, Janet Pederson Reeling of Bishop, plans to attend.

While serving as an artist-in-residence during Cal Lutheran’s 50th anniversary in 2009, Paul Lucchesi of West Virginia decided to sculpt a statue of Pederson based on a black-and-white photograph of him looking out over his ranch. With the statue now at the top of an incline near the center of campus, Pederson will forever look out over the university he made possible.

The original clay sculpture sat in storage until last spring, when the Cal Lutheran Community Leaders Association, Artists and Speakers Committee and University Advancement paid for Lucchesi to return to campus to create a wax mold and prepare it for casting in bronze.

Pederson had been ready to retire a bachelor when he donated his 130-acre ranch in 1957 so California Lutheran College could be built. The ranch’s chicken coops were converted into the first offices and classrooms. Classes began in 1961 with 330 students. Today, the university has 2,800 undergraduate and 1,350 graduate students who come from around the world and represent a diversity of faiths and cultures.

Pederson’s parents, Lars and Karn Pederson, had paid $3 an acre for the ranch land and $2 an acre for the hillside in 1890 when they became one of the founding families of the Norwegian Colony.

After Lars Pederson died, the family moved to Santa Barbara, but Richard and his brother Peder returned in 1913 and their mother later joined them. They lived in a Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog kit house, which today is the home of the Music Department. They grew alfalfa, hay, tomatoes and grapefruit and raised chickens, selling about 9,000 eggs a day. Pederson died in 1976 at the age of 81.