Malibu Canyon Road Nighttime Closures Begin in January 2015

Starting January 2nd and lasting approximately 8 months, the Malibu Canyon Road tunnel will be closed for construction from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. 5 nights a week, Sunday nights to Thursday nights (until 5 a.m. on Friday mornings). The tunnel will remain open weekdays between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m as well as all day on weekends (until 9 p.m. Sunday night).

During these closures, Malibu Canyon Road traffic will be detoured onto Kanan Dume Road and Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

Los Angeles County Public Works is undertaking this massive 7 month project in order to improve the tunnel’s interior lining by replacing steel plates inside of the tunnel. Other improvements will be made to the roadway in order to improve road safety and driver comfort. The project will also bring water quality benefits with the construction of a vegetated swale, which will filter pollutants from storm water and help replenish groundwater supplies.

For more information, visit the LA County Public Works website at dpw.lacounty.gov/pdd/proj/MalibuTunnel.

Chicago's Finest Restaurant Deep Dish Pizza Opened in Ventura in December

Chicago's Finest Restaurant "Home of the Original Deep Dish Pizza" opened at 1780 S Victoria Ave, Suite C, in Ventura (Ralphs Shopping Center) last month, serving up authentic Chicago style deep dish pizza, thin crust pizza, Chicago style hot dogs, sandwiches and more. CVG Facebook page follower Jennifer U. is a fan and said that one large, delicious deep dish pizza fed her entire family of five and three others! Visit www.chicagosfinestrestaurants.com for more information.

Petra Mediterranean Cuisine Opening Soon in Westlake Village (Opened 2015; Closed 2019)

UPDATE: Petra opened in the spring of 2015 and subsequently closed sometime in early 2019.

We were driving in the Melting Pot/Stonefire Grill strip mall and I looked up and saw something new - Petra Mediterranean Cuisine at 3731 E Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks in the large eatery previously vacated by Fiamme Restaurant two years ago.

According to their website at www.finediningwestlakevillageca.com, they are opening soon: "We've based our interior space on the famous temple of Petra, creating a variety of spaces suitable for large parties and private dining. A banquet hall is available for particularly sizable groups or business meetings. Whether dining in a group or with intimate partners, you'll enjoy our exemplary Mediterranean cuisine surrounded by splendid, authentic decor."

The Ranch in Westlake Village Closes Its Doors

A CVG Facebook page tip led us to this empty The Ranch eatery at 30843 E Thousand Oaks Blvd, Westlake Village. This seemed quite sudden in that there was a post to their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheRanchCateringCo on December 28th and the message came to us just 6 days later. The Ranch has (or had) a solid 4 star Yelp rating and was well known for tasty burgers made with homemade buns. I would agree with that assessment based on my own positive experience there.

Zzyzx Café in Camarillo Announces it Will Be Closing Its Doors on January 26th

Zzyzx Café announced yesterday that the Camarillo based eatery will be closing its doors after its lease ends on Monday, January 26th. If you haven't been to Zzyzx before, you still have time to enjoy breakfast and lunch from their unique menu a few more weeks.

The owner is looking to do some re-branding and open a new location at some point. Those potentially interested can contact him directly. Check the Zzyzx Facebook page at www.facebook.com/zzyzxcafe.