The French Bulldog Bistro & Lounge in Camarillo Opening Thursday, March 15th

JJ Brewsky's in Old Town Camarillo is currently in renovation to re-open as The French Bulldog Bistro & Lounge next weekend! Specifically, the new owner indicates they will be opening on Thursday, March 15th and reservations are currently being taken via email. (See The French Bulldog Facebook page for details.) The French Bulldog is a gastro-tavern serving a new selection of martinis, specialty drinks, beers and food by Chef Gael Lecolley! Their website is www.thefrenchbulldogbistro.com and phone is (same as JJ's) 805.482.5249. Should be fun to check it out!

Anyone else noticing the clear trend in gastro pubs and taverns around town!? Brendan's Pub in Camarillo and more recently in Agoura Hills, The Tipsy Goat and The Mermaid Tavern in Thousand Oaks, Ladyface Alehouse and The Lab Brewing Company in Agoura, the new Cronies location in Newbury Park (also in Simi, Ventura and Camarillo), The Kitchen in Downtown Oxnard and more. Bottom line: Beer is recession-proof!

Cafe Provencal to Close Its Doors in Thousand Oaks on Sunday, March 4th

In an email to its customers today, the owner of Cafe Provencal announced he will be shutting the restaurant's doors this Sunday, March 4th. Cafe Provencal has served French cuisine in the Thousand Oaks area for 16 years. It is located in the Select Conejo Plaza next to The Lakes and Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. It is always sad to hear of a local business closing and we wish the best to owner Serge Bonnet in his future ventures. www.cafeprovencal.biz 805.496.7121

A snippet from the email:

Dear Friend and customers,

This is one of the most painful moments of my life, but as you know there is always sunshine after a storm and rain.....

This week is the last week!

The restaurant will be closing on Sunday March 4th for good.....

Despite all the faith and prayers, time has come to say bye bye...

***

 I invite you to come for lunch and dinner one last time.

I can always usea little bit more of your support to go through the final bills and also to make sure I get your email info if I don't already have it.

***

We will have a farewell "goodbye" nights on

Friday and Saturday after 9p.m.

Join us for drinks, laughter, music and desserts....

Johnny Rockets at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks is No More

It was only about a month ago I could have sworn I stopped by Johnny Rockets with the kids at The Oaks mall. I've rarely seen it crowded in there so I could always count on grabbing table there. But someone mentioned the location had been closed on the CVG Facebook wall today and, sure enough, it is as if it never existed. Phone number disconnected, not on the Johnny Rockets website, no mention on The Oaks website, nada. So we stopped by today and indeed...the place is boarded up.

The unspectacular view of where Johnny Rockets used to reside at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks.

Well, there's always the other local Johnny Rockets locations at the Camarillo Premium Outlets, Agoura Hills (near the movie theaters) and Calabasas Commons.

For those of you who react to this closure with a "Oh my! Yet ANOTHER restaurant closure in Thousand Oaks!!" - well keep in mind that there's plenty of new places that have opened or plan to open as you can see here in the Conejo Valley Guide "Local Buzz" blog. And there's been quite a pull towards the east end of The Oaks of late with all the new(er) restaurants...Lazy Dog Cafe, Red Robin, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, not to mention the Muvico Theater...which probably did not bode well for my JRs.

El Torito Thousand Oaks Served Its Last Burrito on Tuesday, January 24th

It is with sadness to report that the Thousand Oaks El Torito on Moorpark Road (adjacent to Janss Marketplace) closed its doors last night, Tuesday, January 24th. El Torito has been in town ever since I've lived in the Conejo Valley in 1993 and has been a margarita mainstay for many. We're sorry for the employees and wish you well in quickly finding new jobs. In fact, check out one of these many recent/upcoming new restaurant openings around town.

There are** two other El Toritos in Ventura County in Oxnard and Simi Valley. For more information, visit www.eltorito.com.

** Update: WERE. The Oxnard and Simi Valley locations subsequently closed in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

Thousand Oaks Acorn Reports Greenhouse Cafe Closed Its Doors on 12/31/11

This article in today's Thousand Oaks Acorn written by former editor Steve Holt notes that the Greenhouse Cafe in Thousand Oaks (near the corner of Moorpark and Janss Roads) closed its doors on December 31, 2011. Though I have not independently confirmed this, I can confirm that their phone has been disconnected. The Greenhouse Cafe has operated in Thousand Oaks for over 27 years. Never is good news to hear about a long-time restaurant closing. We wish the best to those who worked there.

Baja Fresh Newbury Park Location Closed as of Tuesday, January 10th

Several CVG Facebook followers indicated last night that Baja Fresh located at The Village at Newbury Park on Broadbeck Drive had an eviction notice on the door.  I'm sad to say that Baja Fresh Newbury Park is now Buh Bye Fresh effective yesterday, January 10th.

We hope and trust that the employees of this location quickly find jobs elsewhere. In fact, I noticed there was a "we're hiring" sign at Presto Pasta a few doors away.

There are 10 other Baja Fresh locations in and around the Ventura County, including Camarillo (2), Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Moorpark, Simi Valley (2), Oxnard, Ventura and Calabasas. Visit www.bajafresh.com for more information.

But what makes this particularly sad from a nostalgia perspective because the very first Baja Fresh location opened in Newbury Park in 1990, at the corner of Wendy and Kimber. Ultimately that location moved over to Broadbeck Drive. So this marks the first time in 22 years that Newbury Park is without a Baja Fresh.

It is not surprising to me that this location is closed, given it is across the parking lot from a newer Chipotle and a Rubios, El Pollo Loco and Taco Bell are all within a few blocks of this location, not to mention a Sharky's in Newbury Park. Lots of competition for Mexican food.

Nate 'n Al Deli in Thousand Oaks Closed Its Doors at Lunchtime Today

Sad news. Nate 'n Al Deli at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks closed its doors at lunchtime today. Nate 'n Al, a legendary deli that has run a successful location in Beverly Hills since 1945, opened this Thousand Oaks location in November 2009 in the space previously occupied by a sushi restaurant. Recently, under new management, Nate 'n Al ran a popular Sunday brunch.

Sorry to see you close your doors, Nate 'n Al Thousand Oaks. And to your staff, best wishes in finding new local jobs. In fact, click here for some recent new restaurant openings around the county.

Lamppost Pizza Newbury Park Closing Its Doors December 4th

Well this is sad news. One of the more popular venues for hanging out after kids' sports games will be closing its doors permanently on Sunday, December 4, 2011. Lamppost Pizza has been a Newbury Park mainstay for as long as I can recall (and I've been in the Conejo Valley for 18 years) but apparently the economy has taken its toll as they announced their closing on their Facebook page 2 days ago. I always enjoy(ed) Lamppost, even when I have to deal with kids nagging me for quarters for the little toy machines.

Lamppost Newbury Park will close its doors for good at 10PM that night, according to a worker there. Their address is 2160 Newbury Road. Phone is 805.499.0303.

But the owners said that the Oak Park location (corner of Lindero and Kanan) will remain open. I actually like that location better. Their number is 818.879.2195. 

There are now actually 28, well, soon to be 27, Lamppost locations in California and Reno, Nevada. Other Ventura County locations managed by other owners include Moorpark and Simi Valley.