Currying Flavors Now Open at The Shops at Oak Creek in Agoura Hills

UPDATE: Currying Flavors now open as of August 26, 2019.

CurryingFlavors 5.31.19.JPG

Currying Flavors is coming soon to The Shops at Oak Creek at 29125 Canwood Street, Agoura Hills (former home of Fire Island Grill and Freebirds World Burrito). Currying Flavors indicates it will be introducing a fresh new concept in fast casual Indian cuisine - combining authentic flavors with modern style, and customizability with simplicity.

No functional website at this time but perhaps follow their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/curryingflavors1/ .

NOTE: Previously, we had noted that Currying Flavors appeared to be opening a location at The Summit at Calabasas. This no longer appears to be the case.

OR Authentic Thai Cuisine (formerly White Elephant Thai Cuisine) Now Open at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks

UPDATE: O-R Authentic Thai Cuisine opened in November. Learn more at www.orauthenticthaicuisine.com.

OR Thai.jpg
White Elephant 5.30.19.jpg

OR Authentic Thai Cuisine (formerly White Elephant Thai Cuisine) is under construction in The Oaks mall, across from Forever 21 and near the Starbucks in the space formerly occupied by Deliteful Low Carb Restaurant and prior to that, Johnny Rockets.

UPDATE: On June 25th, The Oaks indicated a Q3 opening date.

The Original Pizza Cookery Announced Today That June 3rd Will Be Its Debut in Thousand Oaks

The new The Original Pizza Cookery Italian Restaurant & Bar sign, adorned by fresh bags of brown mulch delivered by Lowe’s.

The new The Original Pizza Cookery Italian Restaurant & Bar sign, adorned by fresh bags of brown mulch delivered by Lowe’s.

The Original Pizza Cookery, which on March 21st announced it would be leaving its home of 45 years in Woodland Hills for Thousand Oaks, noted on its Facebook page this afternoon that June 3rd is its official grand opening date. Doors will open at 11 am.

They also indicated there will be a delay in its liquor license to July, so no beer for you with that pizza, garlic rolls and Italian favorites until then. And breakfast will be available starting sometime in July also.

Location: 75 W. Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks, at the Best Western Plus Thousand Oaks Inn.

Sapientia Coffee Roasters Opening Soon in Oak Park

UPDATE: Opened on Monday, June 24th.

Sapienta.jpg

The former Green & Bean in the Oak Park Plaza (northeast corner of Lindero Canyon and Kanan Roads) will soon be reopening as Sapientia Coffee Roasters. Although the sign on the window indicates April 2019, I’m told that the latest target date is mid to late June.

Sapientia will serve up fresh-roasted coffee, single origin expresso-based coffee drinks, teas, fresh juices, pastries and more.

Stay tuned!

Thanks to Amelia S. once again for the heads up.

County of Ventura Food Facility Closures in April 2019

The County of Ventura Environmental Health Division (EHD) protects public health and the environment by ensuring conformance with State laws and County ordinances pertaining to food protection, hazardous materials, hazardous waste, individual sewage disposal systems, land use, medical waste, ocean water quality monitoring, recreational health, solid waste, underground fuel tanks and vector control.

The EHD publishes food facility closures at vcrma.org/food-facilities-closure-report-inspector-initiated.

The following facility closures (exclusive of mobile facilities) were noted in April 2019. Keep in mind when reviewing this that there are many possible reasons for the closures, most of which are very temporary issues.

Cagami Ramen, 1855 Daily Drive #B, Camarillo;
Permit suspension as a result of failing to comply with the Notice of Decision and Order issued on 04/29/2019 to address ongoing facility/equipment maintenance and sanitation violations and to protect the public from potential adverse health impacts;
Date closed - 04/30/19; Date reopened - 05/01/19

Red Hot Foods, 820 Railroad Avenue, Santa Paula;
Rodent infestation and unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 04/29/19; Date reopened - 05/01/19

Panera Bread, 205 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks;
No utensil washing facilities available;
Date closed - 04/25/19; Date reopened - 04/30/19

El Tapatio, 663 S. Oxnard Blvd., Oxnard;
Unable to perform necessary inspections/unable to determine compliance with the Health and Safety Code due to no access to the food facility provided;
Inspection conducted on 4/26/2019 and observed inoperable plumbing (no hot water available for utensil washing/cleaning, or warm water for hand washing) and unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 04/23/19; No reopen date

New China Wok Express, 610 W. Ventura Street, Fillmore;
Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 04/22/19; Date reopened - 04/23/19

Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt, 2306 Las Posas Road, Camarillo;
No warm water available for adequate hand washing and no hot water available for utensil washing;
Date closed - 04/16/19; Date reopened - 04/17/19

Little Caesar's #5953, 67 W. Main Street, Ventura;
Sewage overflowing inside the facility, unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 04/16/19; Date reopened - 04/17/19

Baskin Robbins, 1413 S. Victoria Avenue, Ventura;
Sewage overflowing inside the facility, unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 04/16/19; Date reopened - 04/16/19

Cajun Kitchen Cafe, 301 E. Main Street, Ventura;
Inoperable hand washing sink in the food preparation area;
Date closed - 04/16/19; Date reopened - 04/16/19

Kreasian Kitchen, 3068 Cochran Street, Simi Valley;
No hot water available for utensil washing/cleaning, or warm water for hand washing;
Date closed - 04/05/19; Date reopened - 04/06/19

Arco Iris #1, 610 S. Oxnard Blvd., Oxnard;
Unsanitary conditions, repeated violations and poor food handling to the level of posing an immediate health risk;
Date closed - 04/04/19; Date reopened - 04/05/19

Cold Stone Creamery, 215 N. Moorpark Road, #A, Thousand Oaks;
Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;
Date closed - 04/04/19; Date reopened - 04/05/19

North Ranch Country Club Tennis Club Bar, 4761 Valley Spring Drive, Thousand Oaks;
No valid Permit to Operate, no plans submitted;
Date closed - 04/03/19; No reopen date

Ventura Crab and Spice, 4732 Telephone Road, Unit 5B, Ventura;
Inoperable hand washing sink;
Date closed - 04/02/19; Date reopened - 04/02/19

Pedals & Pints Brewing Company Coming to The Oaks Mall in Early 2020 (Opening March 17th)

UPDATE: Pedals & Pints announced it will be opening on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th at 11am.

PedalsPints1.JPG

Amelia S once again gave us a heads up that something new is coming to The Oaks mall this Fall in the former home of Red Lobster in the east parking lot between The Olive Garden and Bank of America.

Pedals & Pints Brewing Company is a bicycle themed 10bbl brew pub, according to its Instagram page.

Stay tuned! Sign up for email updates at www.pedalsandpintsbrewing.com.

PedalsPints2.JPG

Grocery Outlet Bargain Market to Open New Simi Valley Store on Thursday, May 30th

GROCERY OUTLET BARGAIN MARKET TO OPEN NEWEST STORE IN SIMI VALLEY

Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, extreme-value grocery retailer, is opening a new store in Simi Valley on Thursday, May 30th, creating 29 new jobs in the community.

Following the grand opening ceremony at 8:55 a.m., a donation will be presented on behalf of Grocery Outlet to The Samaritan Center of Simi Valley at 11 a.m. The amount that shoppers saved on their grocery purchases during the store’s first hour of operation will determine the donation amount.

The first 200 customers of the day will also receive Grocery Outlet BlissBucks ranging from $5 to $200. All shoppers will receive a free reusable bag, while supplies last.

Extreme-value grocery retailer Grocery Outlet, based in Emeryville, CA, offers big savings on brand name products every day, at more than 300 locations in California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington. Grocery Outlet carries a full range of products from fresh produce, meat, deli and dairy to a wide assortment of natural and organic choices. They also offer a large selection of beer and wine, health and beauty care, as well as seasonal items.

Heather and David Rodriguez, the Simi Valley store’s independent owner-operators, invite the community to attend the grand opening celebration on Thursday, May 30, beginning at 8:55 a.m.

Enter for a chance to win FREE Groceries for 1 year!

From May 30 through June 27, customers may enter for a chance to win a grand prize of Free Groceries for 1 Year! ($100 per month for one year, a $1,200 value). The grand prize drawing will take place at the end of the day on Thursday, June 27, at the Simi Valley Grocery Outlet. (Must be 18 years of age or older. One entry per person, per day. No purchase necessary. Winner need not be present to win but must claim the prize within three days of notification or another winner will be chosen. No cash value and no substitutions.)

Simi Valley Grocery Outlet is located at 2974 Cochran Street, Units K and L.

Black Bear Diner Simi Valley Anticipates Grand Opening in Late May 2019 (May 28th)

UPDATE: There’s a sign on the front door indicating they are opening on May 28th.

A clear indication of things to come at the future home of Black Bear Diner Simi Valley.

A clear indication of things to come at the future home of Black Bear Diner Simi Valley.

I’m not going to hold my breath on this date as we’ve been reporting on the anticipated Black Bear Diner Simi Valley since May of last year, but Black Bear Diner corporate offices indicates an anticipated grand opening date of May 27th for the new location at 2022 First Street, next to Smashburger, at Los Angeles Avenue.

While it may or may not be the exact date, construction is definitely moving along. And there are multiple bear sightings at the site. And lastly, Simi Valley is listed in the Locations section of the Black Bear Diner section of the site at blackbeardiner.com/locations.

BBCafeSimi2_edited.jpg

Founded in 1995, Black Bear Diner is a fast-growing family restaurant serving home-style comfort food classics at over 110 locations. Breakfast is served all day, including omelettes and scrambles, classic 2-egg combos like chicken fried steak and thick-cut smoked bacon, pancakes, waffles and French toast and other items. Lunch includes burgers, sandwiches, salads and other specialties. Dinner items include a number of down home favorites like Housemade Meatloaf and Slow-Cooked Pot Roast, steaks, chicken and waffle, etc. Learn more at blackbeardiner.com.

Moorpark College Offers PACE - A Degree Program for Busy Adults

Pace Program Moorpark College.jpg

Moorpark College recently started offering degree programs for busy adults that includes a mix of fully online and Saturday classes.

PACE enables students to complete an Associate degree in Business Administration or Early Childhood Education in about two years.

PACE students take two courses every eight weeks. Most courses are offered either 100 percent online or in a hybrid format (part of the course is online but will also include some face-to-face meetings on Saturday mornings).

Once you complete your Associate degree, you have the option to pursue your Bachelor’s degree at one of our transfer partner Universities that also have programs built for busy adults, including CSU Channel Islands, Cal Lutheran University and more.

Learn more at www.moorparkcollege.edu/departments/student-services/pace.