New Eatery Chill & Grill Opens in Camarillo, Serving Shaved Ice, Grilled Items and More

UPDATE 2/18/14: Grill & Chill closed its doors on February 15, 2014 but indicates a new eatery Sesame Inn, will be opening there soon. I contacted Sesame Inn in Newbury Park and they confirmed they are in process of opening this second location at a future date TBA.

A new eatery, Chill & Grill, opened in Camarillo last week, located at 1775 E. Daily Drive, Unit G, in the same plaza as Brendan's Pub, Presto Pasta, Cafe India and other businesses. The space was previously occupied by Off the Hook.

Hmm, this could be interesting. Not to be confused with the Dairy Queen Grill & Chill that opened in the Camarillo Outlets that opened two years ago.

Chill & Grill sounds promising in that they sell Hawaiian Shave Ice, including Build Your Own and Shave Ice Shakes. Their menu also includes rice plates, sandwiches, salads and some great sounding burgers and hot dogs. I also see specialty and flavored teas on their menu.

Visit www.thechillngrill.com to learn more or call 805.383.8013. They are open 11am to 8pm seven days a week.

PizzaSalad Closes and Mulberry Street Pizzeria Opens in Thousand Oaks

Update Nov 2015: Mulberry Street Pizzeria changed ownership in the Fall of 2015 and became Butler's Pizza.

Original Post Below

PizzaSalad closed early last month after doing business for five years at 1655 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. We will miss their organic ingredients and tasty food!

But where one slice of pizza is down to its crust, another one may be in the oven...which is the case here as Beverly Hills based Mulberry Street Pizzeria opened at this location last weekend. This is their 5th location.

According to a recent Mulberry Street Pizzeria press release:

One of the most well-known and highly rated pizzerias in the world, Mulberry Street was opened in 1991 by Richie Palmer, whose original and authentic New-York- style pizza proved a recipe for success.

With a cult following among local residents, tourists from around the world, and Hollywood's elite -- including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frankie Vallie, Mickey Rourke, Jon Lovitz, and others -- Richie quickly expanded his operation to include three additional locations -- one in Encino, one in Sherman Oaks, and a second store in Beverly Hills.

Richie has also spread his success by taking his famous sauces mainstream. Mulberry Street Pizza Marinara, Vinaigrette, Hot Oil, and BBQ Sauces have hit shelves around the area and are available online.

The Thousand Oaks pizzeria will be open Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm; Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm. For takeout or delivery, call (805) 379-1121, or experience Mulberry Street Pizza and order online at www.mulberrypizzeria.com.

We stopped by Mulberry Street Pizzeria Thousand Oaks and sampled different slices. Delish!

A CVG Facebook follower mentioned the Eggplant Parmesan pizza was a standout...she was absolutely correct. I tried it and yes indeed, it was good.

About Mulberry Street Pizza

Founded in 1991 when Richie Palmer opened the first Beverly Hills location, Mulberry Street Pizza is one of the most well-known and highly rated pizzerias across the globe. The New York style pizzeria is a cherished Beverly Hills' icon and has also operates famed locations in Encino, Sherman Oaks, and Thousand Oaks. Celebrated for the perfect pie with the perfect flavors, Richie Palmer is spreading his success as he takes their famous pizza sauces mainstream. Mulberry Street Pizza Marinara, Vinaigrette, Hot Oil and BBQ Sauces have hit shelves. To order online or experience Mulberry Street Pizza, visit www.mulberrypizzeria.com.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Ventura Opened on February 28th

Update May 2018: Dickey's Barbecue Pit Ventura has closed its doors after five years in business., joining the closure of Dickey's locations in Westlake Village and Simi Valley. 

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Burgers, BBQ and Beer are all the rage these days throughout Ventura County it seems. Today in a random stop by the Ventura Dippin Dots store with my kids, I discovered the newest BBQ place in town, Dickey's Barbecue Pit. Dickey's opened on February 28th in the Victoria Plaza.

Travis Dickey opened the first Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Dallas, Texas in 1941. His sons took over in 1967 and expanded throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The company began franchising in 1994 and now they are all over the country.

According to their website, Dickey's serves up beef brisket, pulled pork, ham, polish sausage, turkey breast and chicken, with an extensive array of home-style sides from jalapeno beans to macaroni and cheese. Buttery rolls are served with every meal along with complimentary ice cream and dill pickles. We are known for our mouth-watering BBQ smothered in smoky sauce. Dickey's offers juicy pulled pork, tender ribs and brisket.

STOP THERE! Did I read, FREE ICE CREAM (with dine-in purchase)? And pickles? Sounds like a great place to bring a pregnant woman! But there's more...KIDS EAT FREE every Sunday (kids 12 and under, 1 free kid's meal for each paid adult meal of equal or greater value, dine-in only).

Well I walked over at 4pm and the line was going out the door! They must be doing something right here! Dickey's Barbecue Pit is located at 6100 Telegraph Road, Suite F, Ventura (this was previously Pizza Mizza, which closed in mid-2011). The Dickey's Ventura website is www.dickeys.com/locator/store.php?id=599 and phone is 805.212.4240.

Fit 2b Thai Restaurant in Thousand Oaks Recently Closed Its Doors

Many years ago I used to enjoy Olga's Kitchen, located at 593 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks, between Baja Fresh and El Pollo Loco. To my disappointment, Olga's closed, and subsquently Fit 2b Thai restaurant opened in its place.

My wife and kids enjoyed Fit 2b Thai. The food was ok to me but I just could never get over the use of the number 2 and b in place of "To Be" in the name of the place. Something unsettling about it to someone as obsessive over words as me (not that I'm God's gift to spelling or anything).

To be honest though, I'm a fan of pretty much any Thai food. So Fit 2b Thai was all right in my book.

But I digress. All this is a moot point now, because Fit 2b Thai closed its doors sometime apparently in the last part of December 2012 or very early 2013 time frame. Yes, the space is for lease again.

Olga's, are you reading this? There are no Olga's outside of Michigan and Illinois at the moment. Come back out here!

Farewell to Newbury Park and Agoura Hills Golden Spoon Locations

Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt has operated stores in five locations in recent years, including two in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Newbury Park and Agoura Hills, giving it significant presence among the 80 or so frozen yogurt, ice cream, gelato and other frozen treat establishments in Ventura County. With disappointment however we note that the Agoura Hills location on Kanan Road closed on January 1st and the Newbury Park location on Wendy Drive closed today, January 15th. Visit www.goldenspoon.com/golden-spoon-stores for other Golden Spoon locations.

Speaking of frozen yogurt in Newbury Park, Swirl Frozen Yogurt Bar at The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch is anticipated to open sometime soon.

Farewell Newbury Park Golden Spoon

Johnny Rockets in Agoura Hills Closed Its Doors on December 3, 2012

The Johnny Rockets (formerly) located at 5015 Cornell Road in Agoura Hills closed its doors on December 3, 2012. This is the second Johnny Rockets in the Conejo Valley to shut down during 2012, following closure of The Oaks Mall location early in the year.

This leaves us with a total of zero Conejo Valley Johnny Rockets. However, there are still two other local Johnny Rockets locations: at The Promenade section of the Camarillo Premium Outlets and the other at The Commons at Calabasas.

One thing to note for Johnny Rockets and movie fans is that both of these locations currently offer a "Movie and a Meal" deal. Buy a regular entree and drink and you can purchase a discounted movie ticket at the Edwards Camarillo Palace Stadium 12 and Edwards Calabasas Stadium 6 near each location. For example, at the Camarillo Johnny Rockets, they will sell you a movie ticket for $7.50, saving $3 off of a regular adult movie ticket of $10.50. At the Calabasas location, they currently sell movie tickets for $7.75, saving you nearly $5 off tickets normally priced up to $12.50.

Fiamme Restaurant in Thousand Oaks Closed Its Doors on December 11, 2012

Fiamme Restaurant, which was located at 3731 E Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks for the last 4 years, closed its doors on December 11, 2012. Fiamme, known for its very good Italian food and entertainment such as "Dueling Pianos" and live comedy, indicated it could not come to agreement with lease terms and has no plans to relocate at this time...but you never know what lies ahead.