Porta Via Calabasas Now Open at The Commons at Calabasas

UPDATE 9/15/20: NOW OPEN

Porta Via California Bistro Bar looks to be opening sometime in 2020 at The Commons at Calabasas, based on the prominent signage shown above. It will be located in the space formerly (and quite briefly) occupied by Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop and prior to that, Johnny Rockets.

Porta Via describes itself as a neighborhood restaurant with a world-class feel, offering hand-picked produce, wild caught seafood and all-natural meats delivered daily.

Porta Via operates other locations in Beverly Hills and Pacific Palisades for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here is a sampling of menu items at portaviarestaurants.com:

Breakfast: Omelettes, scrambles, juice bar and smoothies and more.

Lunch and Dinner: Pastas, grilled specialties, sandwiches and sides.

There’s also a weekend brunch from 9am to 11:30am on Saturday and 9am to 3pm on Sunday.

Stay tuned.

MidiCi The Neopolitan Pizza Company Opened in Downtown Ventura This Month

MidiCi The Neopolitan Pizza Company opened earlier this month at 512 East Main Street, Ventura (formerly occupied by Tipps Thai).

This new eatery features a variety of Neopolitan style pizzas, salads, small/shared plates , wood-fired calzone, pasta, desserts and more. mymidici.com

Thanks for the heads up, Keith R!

Denny's Opened New Location on Telegraph Road in Ventura a Few Months Ago

A rare moment indeed. A brand spanking new Denny’s recently opened in Ventura at 4095 Telegraph Road (cross street Ashwood) in what was previously a Coco’s that closed in Aprll 2015.

It’s not often that an older restaurant opens a new location like this. Kudos to Denny’s. www.dennys.com

About Denny’s (why not):

Harold Butler and Richard Jezak opened a donut stand in Lakewood, California in 1953 and called it Danny’s Donuts. Butler’s stated promise was “To serve the best cup of coffee, make the best donuts, give the best service, offer the best value and stay open 24 hours a day.”

After Jezak’s departure from the now 6-store chain, Butler created and changed the concept a year later from a donut shop to a coffee shop with store #8. Danny’s Donuts is renamed Danny’s Coffee Shops and changes its operation to 24 hours in 1956.

In 1956, Butler changed the name to Denny’s Coffee Shops to avoid confusion with Coffee Dan’s in Los Angeles. Denny’s Coffee Shops became Denny’s in 1961.

The “Grand Slam” was introduced in Atlanta in 1977 in homage to Hank Aaron.

Today there are over 1,700 locations worldwide.

Amores Tequila Looks to Open in Agoura Hills at Former Brendan's Irish Pub (Opened in Spring 2020)

UPDATE: Amores Tequila Grill and Bar opened in April 2020.

There’s a Public Notice of Application for Ownership Change up on the window of the former Brendan’s Irish Pub & Restaurant at 30315 Canwood Street, Agoura Hills that indicate Amores Tequila, LLC looks to be the new occupant.

No other information at this point, so stay tuned.

Brendan's Irish Pub and Restaurant in Agoura Hills Closed Earlier This Year

Brendan’s Irish Pub and Restaurant opened their 2nd location in Agoura Hills on March 5, 2012 (their first location in Camarillo opened in January 2011). This Agoura Hills location closed earlier this year.

However, the Camarillo location and the popular 3rd (now 2nd) location at the Palm Garden Inn in Newbury Park are still open.

www.brendans.com

Tifa Chocolate & Gelato is Opening Yet Another Location - Oakbrook Plaza in Thousand Oaks

Ani S. pointed out via the Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Page messaging that Tifa Chocolate & Gelato is building out a new location in the Oakbrook Plaza, 1730 Avenida de los Arboles, Thousand Oaks, next to the Lash Lounge.

Tifa is on quite a roll! With existing locations in Agoura Hills, Westlake Village and Camarillo, it now is in process of opening additional locations in Calabasas and Thousand Oaks. tifachocolateandgelato.com

The First and So Far Only Ventura County Dunkin' Location Opened in Camarillo in October

Blurry night view of Dunkin’ Camarillo sign.

The first and so far only Dunkin’ (yes, “Donuts” was removed from their name in late 2018) in Ventura County is co-located with CBC Federal Credit Union at 300 Arneill Road in Camarillo (cross street Barry Street).

Before we move on, I know some of you are saying, hey, wait, there’s a Dunkin’ in Westlake Village. Yes, there is, but it’s the City of Westlake Village that is located in Los Angeles County, not the Thousand Oaks portion of Westlake Village located in Ventura County. (Learn more about this City of Westlake Village boundary situation at THIS LINK).

So anyhow, if you have a hankering for a Dunkin’ donut (notice donut is not capitalized), you can bank on one, so to speak, in Camarillo, across the street from a Jiffy Lube.

It’s easy to get there from Thousand Oaks if you’re looking to drive a bit farther for a Dunkin’ donut than Westlake Village. Just take the 101 north to Lewis and turn left on Lewis and a right on Arneill.

Dunkin’ Camarillo is open daily from 5 am to 9 pm . More info at www.dunkindonuts.com/en/locations?location=camarillo,%20ca.

Long-Time Santa Barbara Zoo Resident Chadwick, the African Lion, Put to Rest Yesterday Morning

(Photo by David Orias)

Yesterday morning, December 5th, the Santa Barbara Zoo said goodbye to Chadwick, their African lion, due to complications related to his old age. Chadwick was 21 years old and had been dealing with geriatric issues for several years, having outlived the mean life expectancy by five years.

Chadwick was born in September 1998 at the Indianapolis Zoo and lived in sunny Santa Barbara for 17 years, siring two living offspring with female lion companion Gingerbread, who passed away two years ago.

After Gingerbread passed in 2017, the Zoo staff decided to let Chadwick lead the rest of his life peacefully, without the introduction of new cubs that could cause stress.

The Zoo indicates lions will return to the Zoo in the near future.