Subway in the Conejo Valley Plaza Shopping Center Closed on June 29th

The Subway located at 1396 N. Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks in the Conejo Valley Plaza Shopping Center closed its doors permanently on Wednesday, June 29th.  This Subway joins two Newbury Park Subway locations that recently closed.

Other Thousand Oaks Subway locations at THIS LINK.

In separate but kinda sorta related news, the former Taco Bell at that Plaza is slated to become a Pet Food Express. More updates at www.petfoodexpress.com/stores/detail/thousand-oaks.

Thanks to Kira K of Thousand Oaks for the heads up!

The Dudes' Brewing Company Coming Soon to Janss Marketplace in Thousand Oaks

UPDATE: The Dudes' Brewing Company Tasting Room Thousand Oaks opened on Friday, July 15th.

The Janss Marketplace website indicates a new tenant is coming...The Dudes' Brewing Company. Furthermore, this new tenant will be situated next to Karma Indian Cuisine on the east side of the mall. No other specifics at this point in time.

The Dudes’ Brewing Company is a Torrance-based craft brewery founded in 2013. It hosts a tasting room at 1840 W. 208th Street in Torrance. Learn more at www.thedudesbrew.com and stay tuned for updates.

Mark it, dude. #thedudesbrew #craftbeer #bowling #goodbrews #biglebowskistyle #cheers @j_mathis

A photo posted by The Dudes' Brewing Co. (@thedudesbrew) on

Newbury Park Starbucks to Relocate to a New Drive Thru Location on July 14th

StarbucksNP_moving.jpg

The Starbucks at 587 N. Ventura Park Road in Newbury Park (in the Ralphs plaza) will be closing on July 10th but will be re-opening across the street at 540 N. Ventu Park Road in the Thousand Oaks Marketplace, where Walgreens and Walmart Neighborhood Market reside on July 14th.

The new Starbucks drive thru will be opening on July 14th. Start your engines.

The new Starbucks drive thru will be opening on July 14th. Start your engines.

For those that can't go a day without their Starbucks, the sign on the door tells customers to visit the nearby location at Newbury & Kelly (in the Kohl's Plaza).

It seems like just yesterday that the Starbucks near Home Depot in Newbury Park moved across the parking lot at The Village at Newbury Park to a drive thru location. That actually took place on January 18, 2013, nearly 3 1/2 years ago!

The other Newbury Park Starbucks locations are at Reino and Kimber and at Target. www.starbucks.com/store-locator/search/location/91320

What will take the place of the vacated Starbucks? No idea at this point.

Two Newbury Park Subway Restaurants Recently Closed

Two Newbury Park Subway eateries recently closed effective June 1st...the one next to Billy D'z BBQ on Wendy Drive and the one next to Ali Baba's Kitchen on Newbury Road. But there are still two Subways in Newbury Park...on Reino and Kimber and at The Village at Newbury Park on Broadbeck Drive...not to mention locations at nearby The Oaks and Janss Marketplace.

Subway claims to have more locations than any other restaurant chain in the world, including nearly 27,000 U.S. locations. www.subway.com/en-us/exploreourworld

Big Fish Poke Coming Soon to Westlake Plaza in Westlake Village

UPDATE: Big Fish Poke was officially opened in late June.

Big Fish Poke is coming soon to the Westlake Plaza in the former home of Ice Cream Lab at 2728 Townsgate Road, Thousand Oaks

They are currently hiring via craigslist at ventura.craigslist.org/fbh/5624867372.html where they indicate "POKE is the hottest food craze in Southern California."

Himalaya Restaurant Opening Soon in Thousand Oaks

Himalaya Restaurant opened its first location in Ventura County, at 35 W. Main Street in Ventura, in 2011. It has since garnered a solid 4 1/2 star Yelp rating with over 375 reviews, Himalaya serves cuisine from Nepal, India and Tibet.

And lo and behold, soon we will have our very own Himalaya at 720 Thousand Oaks Boulevard, Thousand Oaks (at Clay Ct.). (Does that location sound familiar? That's because it was the home of Gino's Trattoria, a Thousand Oaks fixture from August 1996 until it closed its doors in November 2015.)

Himalaya means "abode of snow." The Himalyan mountain range separates India from the Tibetan Plateau and includes over 100 mountains over 23,000 feet tall!

The menu at Himalaya sounds great and and is very affordable, with lunch specials, both vegetarian (like paneer tikka masala) and non-vegetarian (like chicken shahi karma), priced at $8.95, including soup of the day, a side dish, rice and mango chutney.

Owners indicate they are targeting an opening date this coming weekend. Follow their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/himalayacuisine for updates or visit www.himalayacuisine.com.

UPDATE: They indeed are now open.

Thanks to Jonathan Stewart for the heads up. Stewart, a local photographer, has traveled extensively to Nepal and you can see some of his outstanding work at www.jonathanstewartphotos.com/Featured-Albums/Nepal-Tibetans-of-Upper-Dolpo.

County of Ventura Food Facility Closures in May 2016

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 www.ventura.org/rma/envhealth/community-services/consumer-food/closures.html.

The following facility closures were noted in May 2016. Keep in mind when reviewing this that there are many possible reasons for the closures, most of which are very temporary issues.

Moorpark High School Snack Bar, 4500 Tierra Rejada Rd., Moorpark;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 05/26/16; No reopen date

Piru Community Center, 802 N. Orchard Street, Piru;

Not hot water available for utensil washing or hand washing; inoperable plumbing;

Date closed - 05/19/16; No reopen date

Arby's, 1140 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 05/19/16; Date reopened - 05/20/16

Tresierras (meat section only), 280 E. Harvard Blvd., Santa Paula;

Construction resulted in contamination of food product;

Date closed - 05/17/16; Date reopened - 05/17/16

Bindi Food Market (meat section and independently operated food area), 11025 Violetta Street, Saticoy;

Not hot water available for utensil washing or hand washing;

Date closed - 05/16/16; Date reopened - 05/16/16

Las Sirenas Bar & Grill, 2091 N. Oxnard Blvd., Oxnard:

No hot water available for utensil washing or hand washing;

Date closed - 05/09/16; Date reopened - 05/17/16

Green Valley Market, 763 B Street, Fillmore;

Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 05/05/16; Date reopened - 05/06/16

Ray's Donuts, 3734 Saviers Road, Oxnard;

Sewage overflowing inside and outside of the facility, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 05/04/16; Date reopened - 05/05/16

Panaderia La Michoacana, 960 E. Main Street, Santa Paula;

Serious and repeated violations, failure to adhere to a compliance agreement;

Date closed - 05/02/16; Date reopened - 05/05/16

Taqueria El Tapatio #7, 2420 Saviers Rd., Oxnard;

Sewage backing up inside the facility, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 05/03/16; No reopen date

Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit at Museum of Ventura County Celebrates Asian American History

Vietnam refugees (photo courtesy of U.S. Department of the Navy)

Vietnam refugees (photo courtesy of U.S. Department of the Navy)

Asian and Pacific Americans make up more than 5 percent of the U.S. population—more than 17 million people—and those numbers are growing. Their ancestral roots represent more than 50 percent of the world, extending from East Asia to Southeast Asia, and from South Asia to the Pacific Islands and Polynesia.

In commemoration of this important history, “I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story” will open at the Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main Street, Ventura, on Saturday, June 18th as part of a 21-city national tour. “I Want the Wide American Earth” was created by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). The exhibition is supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

In this first exhibition of its kind, the Smithsonian celebrates Asian Pacific American history across a multitude of diverse cultures and explores how Asian Pacific Americans have shaped and been shaped by the course of the nation’s history. “I Want the Wide American Earth” tells the rich and complex stories of the very first Asian immigrants, including their participation in key moments in American history: Asian immigrants panned in the Gold Rush, hammered ties in the Transcontinental Railroad, fought on both sides in the Civil War and helped build the nation’s agricultural system.

Through the decades, Asian immigrants struggled against legal exclusion, civil rights violations and unlawful detention, such as the 120,000 Japanese who were interred during World War II. Since the 1960s, vibrant new communities, pan-Asian, Pacific Islander and cross-cultural in make-up, have blossomed.

The Ventura County presentation will be enhanced by artifacts, photos and documentary materials drawn from its own collection and from local residents.  These items will tell the stories of and celebrate the rich heritage of the Asian-American populations in the Central Coast region.

The banner exhibition is complemented by an e-book, which is a 14-page illustrated adaption of the exhibition. Produced in collaboration with SI Universe Media, creators of the first-ever Asian Pacific American comics anthology, the e-book will tell the Asian Pacific American story in graphic narrative, featuring work by seven Asian Pacific American comic artists. The e-book is free to download and viewable on all tablet devices and e-readers.

The exhibit also features a free mobile tour app (available on the App Store under “Wide Earth”), which includes interviews with authors Maxine Hong Kingston and Monique Truong; U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta; Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center director Konrad Ng; activist Deepa Iyer; and U.S. retired major general Antonio Taguba.

Curated by Lawrence-Ming Bùi Davis, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Initiative coordinator, “I Want the Wide American Earth” is a moving, dramatic and evocative narrative of Asian Pacific American history and culture.

The Museum of Ventura county’s presentation of this national exhibition was made possible by the generous support of Susan Van Abel and Eric Oltmann, Tolman & Wiker, and the Downtown Ventura Organization.