Local Buzz covers new businesses, restaurants, closures, local politics, goings on around town and other buzzworthy items in the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County. Have a lead? Contact us. Click here for an archive of Local Buzz postings.
Local Buzz covers new restaurants, closures, local politics, goings on around town and other buzzworthy items in the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County. Have a lead? Contact us. Click here for an archive of Local Buzz postings.
Post other items directly to the Community Announcements section of the site.
Presto Pasta, a family favorite for years in Newbury Park, Camarillo and Ventura, has opened a Simi Valley location at 1860-A Erringer Road (just south of E. Los Angeles Avenue). Decent food for reasonable prices is what you will find at Presto Pasta. prestopasta.com
Nonna Ristorante Italiano & Craft Cocktail Bar opened on March 26, 2018 at the former home of Bellini Osteria at 951 S. Westlake Boulevard, Suite 102, Westlake Village (between Townsgate and Agoura Road). Nonna offers, well, you know, a selection of Italian foods such as pastas, antipasti, pizza, main courses such as sea bass, salmon, filet mignon, bone in ribeye and more.
Check them out at nonna.restaurant.
So long to Bellini Osteria, which originally opened in the fall of 2009. Prior to that it was Mandevilla Restaurant
Three Ventura County elementary schools are being honored as 2018 California Distinguished Schools by the California Department of Education. Schools that applied were eligible based on their performance and progress on the state indicators as described on the California School Dashboard. Indicators include test scores, suspension rates and English learner progress.
The local schools being honored are:
Additionally, Oak Park Unified School District is one of just 22 in the state to be named an Exemplary District for making positive impacts on student outcomes. The district and the Distinguished Schools will be honored in May during a ceremony at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. The complete list of the honorees is available here.
About the Ventura County Office of Education
The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org.
Update: Location to open 4/11/18.
Posted 9/29/17: Blair Breger of Thousand Oaks drove by and witnessed it...a Jersey Mike's Subs sign was being placed in the former Round Table Pizza location next to P & L Burger at the Oakbrook Plaza in Thousand Oaks (2000 E. Avenida de Los Arboles). No word yet on specific timing, though the Jersey Mike's website says "Scheduled to Open Soon."
Jersey Mike's appears to be doing well in the Conejo Valley, opening another Thousand Oaks location on the hills of opening a 2nd Newbury Park location in late July of this year.
Jeanette's Edelweiss at 2160A Newbury Road in Newbury Park is under new ownership and has been renamed Julie's Alps - A Bavarian Fun Fest!
Menu items include a wide range of Bavarian specialties as well as vegan and vegetarian options.
Menu items include Goulaschuppe (beef goulash soup), bratwurst, giant pretzels, schnitzel, sauerbraten, leberkaese, pork roast, currywurst, weißwurst, käsekrainer (bratwurst infused with cheese), käsespätzle, sandwiches, strudel and much more.
Habanero Mexican Grill, a popular eatery that opened its doors in Newbury Park in February 2017, has opened a new location in the former, albeit brief, home of Cinqo in the Oakbrook Center in Thousand Oaks (Avenida de los Arboles at Erbes).
Update: Smashburger Simi Valley did not last very long…it closed sometime in 2019. There is now just one Smashburger in Camarillo, at the Premium Outlets.
Smashburger fans in the Conejo Valley have another Smashburger option in Ventura County. The new Simi Valley location opened at the corner of First Street and Los Angeles Avenue on March 5, 2018. More on Smashburger at smashburger.com.
The Thousand Oaks Smashburger location closed mid-summer 2017 after operating for five years. The Camarillo Smashburger opened at The Promenade section of the Camarillo Premium Outlets on November 26, 2014.
If you're looking for a Smashburger bargain, look no further than the Costco website at www.costco.com/Smashburger-Four-%2425-Gift-Cards.product.100143270.html to purchase four $25 Smashburger gift cards for $74.99. Free shipping. Not a bad way to save 25%.
UPDATE 1/11/20: “Opening February 3rd” sign is up.
UPDATE Aug 18: City of Camarillo indicated 8/23/18 that this new Cracker Barrel is coming in the spring of 2019 in the Promenade section of the Camarillo Premium Outlets (near Las Posas, across the street from a planned new hotel and conference center). Ground breaking was anticipated for Sept/Oct time frame with an anticipated opening date of March/April 2019.
The City of Camarillo Planning Commission recently approved construction of a 10,486 sq ft Cracker Barrel restaurant and retail store in the Promenade section of the Camarillo Premium Outlets, Ventura Boulevard and Promenade Drive.
The business will consist of 9,170 sq ft of restaurant and retail space and a 1,316 sq ft covered porch.
No other details at this point re: timing.
The first Cracker Barrel Old Country Store opened on September 19, 1969 in Lebanon, Tennessee. It has grown over the years to 650 restaurants in 45 states. The eatery brought its homestyle Southern cooking to California for the first time this year in Victorville. The Camarillo location will continue this trend.
Cracker Barrel is a publicly traded company, stock symbol CBRL. Its current market valuation is nearly $4 billion, with revenue in its most recent several years totaling just under $3 billion. That's a lot of chicken fried chicken, meatloaf and biscuits and gravy!
UPDATE 11/6/18: Dave & Buster’s Corporate office has indicated the grand opening time frame has been pushed to the early March 2019 time frame. (Specifically, as of 12/26/18, March 4th…subject to change.)
As we heard in May 2017 (has it already been that long!?, Dave & Buster's will be opening a Thousand Oaks location in the former Sports Authority at 145 West Hillcrest Drive #130. When?
Dave & Buster's has five managerial jobs for this new location listed on its site. The listings indicated they are "OPENING November 2018! Interviews start in October - apply today!"
For those of you unfamiliar with Dave & Buster's, it is a restaurant chain headquartered in Dallas with over 100 locations, offering a full-service restaurant and bar with a large arcade area for kids and parents alike. Many locations also provide pool tables.
Learn more at www.daveandbusters.com/careers.
Conejo Valley Guide covers events, activities and things to do throughout Ventura County and surrounding areas.
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