Gelson's Thousand Oaks Oakbrook Plaza Under Steady Construction

The former Albertson's / Haggen - soon to be Gelson's - in the Oakbrook Plaza at 1736 E. Avenida De Los Arboles in Thousand Oaks is under steady construction as the entire plaza receives a facelift. There's even a "Now Hiring" sign up (although there are no jobs posted just quite yet at jobs.gelsons.com.

The bankruptcy sale of the Haggen store to Gelson's took place nearly two years ago.

No specifics on the timing of the grand opening but follow the store's page at gelsons.com/store-locations/thousand-oaks---coming-soon for update.

The Gelson's Pharmacy continues to operate during construction. gelsons.com/pharmacy/gelsons-thousand-oaks-pharmacy.

County of Ventura Food Facility Closures in June 2017

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 (exclusive of mobile facilities) were noted in June 2017. Keep in mind when reviewing this that there are many possible reasons for the closures, most of which are very temporary issues.

Panaderia Yanira's Bakery, 636 W. Harvard Blvd, #B, Santa Paula;

Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 06/26/17; Date reopened - 06/27/17

Yokozuna, 250 W. Harvard Boulevard, Santa Paula;

Cockroach infestation, unsanitary conditions, no permit to operate;

Date closed - 06/23/17; Date reopened - 06/26/17

Thousand Oaks Oil, 3505 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 06/22/17; Date reopened - 06/23/17

Dickey's Barbecue Pit, 6100 Telegraph Road. Ste. F, Ventura;
Rodent infestation, unsanitary equipment, unsanitary conditions, no permit to operate; 
Date closed - 06/19/17; Date reopened - 06/21/17

Yokozuna Sushi Bar, 2075 N. Oxnard Blvd., Oxnard;

Cockroach infestation andunsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 06/14/17; Date reopened - 06/15/17

McDonalds, 1711 N. Oxnard Blvd., Oxnard;

Sewage backing up inside the facility, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 06/13/17; Date reopened - 06/13/17

Santino's Pizza, 4231 Telegraph Road, Ventura;

Rodent infestation, unsanitary conditions;

Date closed - 06/05/17; Date reopened - 06/06/17

2017 Summer Meal Service Sites in Ventura County

If you know of folks with school aged children in need of a meal during the summer months, there are some useful tools available to help them. 

An example of what you receive when you text "food" to 877877. 

No Kid Hungry has made this simple. Just text “food” to 877-877 (or “comida” for a reply in Spanish). You will receive a prompt reply asking for your address or zip code. After submitting that, you will be given local meal site options. No Kid Hungry developed this system with the USDA.

Or you can visit www.fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks to find a meal site via on online map.

Lastly, you can also visit the California Department of Education website at www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sh/sn/summersites17.asp to find local meal sites throughout California. Or drill down specifically to Ventura County sites at www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sh/sn/ap/summersites.asp?year=2017&countyname=Ventura.

Generally the sites are open from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm but contact the specific site to verify. The Conejo Valley USD sites are open until 1 pm. There are no income parameters associated with this program. You just need to be between the ages of 2 and 18.

(Special thanks to Katrina R, who tipped us off to the handy No Kid Hungry text system.)

Prawn & Basil Coming Soon to Thousand Oaks (Closed Fall 2021)

UPDATE: Prawn & Basil will be reopening as Roast & Rice Kitchen at 30990 Russell Ranch Road, Westlake Village in 2022.

Prawn & Basil closed in the fall of 2021 and a new place is coming soon “Phil’s.”

Update: They opened in early August 2017.

I've driven by the sign numerous times while driving down Thousand Oaks Boulevard recently but today finally stopped to document the excitement. The former home of Geppino's Sicilian Kitchen (which closed earlier this year) and Vitello's before that will soon be home to Prawn & Basil. 

The liquor license sign in the window at 3316 E. Thousand Oaks Boulevard (just northwest of Duesenberg Drive) says "Prawn & Basil by Exotic Thai" so there appears to be a connection with another Thai place around town. We shall see. No timing at this point but the sign sure looks good. Stay tuned.

Hatch Café & Market Now Open in Agoura Hills

Hatch Café & Market is now open at 30651 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Agoura Hills. While I have not had the opportunity to see their menu as of yet, their Instagram page gives a little peek, including a Chorizo & Potato Flatbread Benedict, delicious looking cookies and more.  

Chorizo ➕ Potato Flatbread Benedict.🍴🍴🙌🏻🙌🏻 #hatcheatery

A post shared by Hatch Café & Market (@hatcheatery) on Jun 19, 2017 at 6:09pm PDT

White Elephant Thai Cuisine in Thousand Oaks Closed After Ten Years in Business

In a visit yesterday to the soon-to-be-owned-by-Amazon.com Whole Foods Market on Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks, we noticed a sign on the door of White Elephant Thai Cuisine. The sign said "Thank you for being with us for 10 years. We will be looking for opportunities to re-open."

And the nearby J&J Doughnuts (previously Stan's Doughnuts) was also vacant. Smashburger is still there though!

Sushi Haru at The Village at Dos Vientos in Newbury Park Has Closed Its Doors

Update 6/23/17: Sushi Haru has closed its doors. 

Posted 5/19/16:

Red Coral Sushi at The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch in Newbury Park closed its doors on April 30th, after seven years in business. 

But the good news is that Sushi Haru, Japanese Fusion Restaurant opened June 4, 2016 (according to Brian).

The Park Restaurant and Bar in Oak Park Now Open (Closed in Spring 2021)

Annnnndd another update 5/29/21: The Park is now closed and the space is available for lease.

Update 6/22/17: The Park Restaurant and Bar is now open. www.facebook.com/theparkrestaurantandbar  Specializing in "California's finest foods, wines."

Original Post: 5/5/17

There is a new eatery coming to the former home of On The Thirty (closed last December) and Leila's (closed April 2015) at 706 Lindero Canyon Road, Suite 752 in Oak Park. 

The notice on the door indicates The Oak Park Restaurant and Bar has filed for a transfer of the license to sell alcoholic beverages at this site.

No further details at this time, so stay tuned.

Go Fish Sushi Bar Opening Again Soon at Simi Valley Town Center

Update 6/20/17: Go Fish Sushi's grand opening was this past Saturday, June 17th.

Originally publish date: 2/25/17

We stopped by the Simi Valley Town Center the other day to grab a bite to eat and explore a bit. As we meandered over to the west side of the mall near the Studio Movie Grill and koi pond, we noticed that Go Fish Sushi Bar was under construction adjacent to the theater.

This koi pond is located next to Go Fish Sushi Bar. Koi, don't worry, you're safe.

Go Fish Sushi Bar was shut down for construction on Friday, August 8, 2014. The specific grand re-opening date has not been announced as of yet but according to a post on its Facebook page, it appears to be in the next month or two.