Iconic Ed Lawrence Photo on Display at the New Mendocino Farms Westlake Village

Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market opened on Monday, February 2nd in The Westlake Plaza at 966 S. Westlake Boulevard.

This is the 9th location of Mendocino Farms and its first in Ventura County. They have certainly made a special effort to capture the heart of the Conejo Valley crowd in several ways.

Photographer Ed Lawrence with his iconic 1965 photo of Moorpark Road at Thousand Oaks Blvd

A iconic photo taken by well known Conejo Valley photographer Ed Lawrence is prominently displayed on the back wall of the restaurant. Look up as you walk in the door and you can't miss this 1965 shot of a flock of sheep crossing Moorpark Road near Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

Mendocino Farms is located in the former home of Jack's Deli, which opened in 1977 and operated for over 30 years before closing its doors on November 20, 2011. 

An oak tree that fell ill was used as a prominent table in the eatery, adding another nice localized touch.

The restaurant is open and airy, uniquely appointed and fun. There's a kids area that has a Foosball table (I lost the game to a 9 year old) and coloring table.  The kids menu had $3.95 pricing on it, which looked pretty good to me too. And, oh yes, the food that I sampled was outstanding. There's also a nice outdoor seating area.

Mid-July to December 2014 Restaurants New and Restaurants Adieu in Ventura County

Here's the latest compilation of restaurants in the Conejo Valley and throughout Greater Ventura County that opened, announced plans to open or closed during the period mid-July through December 2014.

(Click here for previous 2014 activity.) Let us know of any we missed!

Consistent with previous reports, the number of new eateries in the area continues to outnumber closed eateries by quite a large margin.

Restaurants That Have Opened Since Mid-July 2014

• Lovi's Delicatessen, Bakery/Restaurant/Bar opened in mid-December in Calabasas
• Larsen's Grill opened at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard in December
• Sprinkles Cupcakes Westlake Village briefly closed its doors re-opened a few doors away as Sprinkles Cupcakes, Ice Cream and Cookies!
• Smashburger opened at the Camarillo Premium Outlets in November
• Additionally, Chipotle, PizzaRev, Yogurtland and Pick Up Stix also opened at the Camarillo Premium Outlets in the November/December time frame. Fast food heaven!
• The acclaimed Westlake Village In-N-Out Burger opened to much fanfare and traffic jams on November 5th
• Veggiemore Restaurant opened in Agoura Hills in the latter summer time frame
• Greens Up! opened at The Shoppes at Westlake in October
• Bowl of Heaven Acai Bowls, Smoothies & Juice Bar opened in Westlake Village in Oct
• Jeannine's Gourmet Food Hall opened at The Shoppes at Westlake in October
• Hook Burger also opened at The Shoppes at Westlake in October
• A new McDonald's opened near The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard
• Jax Pizza opened in Moorpark in July at the former home of Lamppost Pizza
• The Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery opened at the former home of The Mermaid Tavern (and previously Roxy's Deli) in Thousand Oaks last October
• MOD Pizza opened "superfast" pizza eatery in Newbury Park in October
• Cronies opened its new Agoura Hills location on September 11th
• The Joi Cafe opened its organic, plant-based food eatery in Westlake Village in Sept
• Nekter Juice Bar opened in Westlake Village in late August
• The spacious new Starbucks opened on the Thousand Oaks CLU campus last summer
• Lal Mirch Indian Cuisine opened in the former Agoura Hills Pizza Hut location in August
• 9021Pho opened at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks on August 18th
• Aroha New Zealand Cuisine opened in Westlake Village in September
• Rita's Roman Recipes Take-Out Kitchen and Coffee Shop opened in Agoura Hills in July
• Hummus Brothers Greek Grill opened at The Oaks Mall last summer

Restaurants That Announced They Are Opening Soon

• Dickey's BBQ Pit is still "opening soon" at the North Ranch Plaza in Westlake Village
• Margarita's Mexican Grill announced they are opening in Oak Park in early 2015
• Barone's The Pizzeria Express to open in Westlake Village in early 2015
• Ice Cream Lab indicates Westlake Village location will open in the March time frame
• Luna's Mexican Tradition is opening 2nd location at Centennial Plaza in Oxnard
• Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market is targeting a January opening in Westlake Village
• Pieology is opening a 2nd Conejo Valley pizzeria at former ZPizza in Westlake Village
• No less than eight Ventura County Dunkin' Donuts locations will be opening in 2016!
• The Beach Bowl will offer acai bowls, smoothies and juices at The Collection in Oxnard
• Tifa Chocolate and Gelato anticipated to open at The Shoppes at Westlake in mid-Jan
• Urban Pizza in Westlake Village appears to be on the verge of opening soon
• Still slated to open at The Shoppes at Westlake Village over the coming months are Los Agaves Restaurant, Olio e Limone Ristorante, Olio Pizzeria,Which Wich® Superior Sandwiches,  The Gallery Seafood and Figueroa Mountain Brewing.
• Sabra Fish Grill is opening sometime this year at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard, as well as Maria's Italian Kitchen Pronto and a Ben & Jerry's.
• Rokabab Mediterranean Grill is coming soon to Thousand Oaks
• Dog Haus is coming soon to Thousand Oaks in the former Denny's spot next to also forthcoming Urbane Cafe Thousand Oaks, which says it is opening in early 2015
• Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill hopefully is still "coming soon" to Janss Marketplace

Sharky's Thousand Oaks...we waited patiently for you in 2014 but we're still here in 2015!

Restaurants That Have Closed Since July

• Cigale Cafe in Oak Park closed in October
• Kora Bistro and Sushi Bar in Westlake Village closed after a short stint
• N'Awlinz 805 Grill opened and subsequently closed in Oxnard
• Wolf Creek Restaurant & Brewing Company in Calabasas closed its doors last fall
• Mandarin Buffet Closed its doors sometime last summer
• The Moorpark Lamppost Pizza closed sometime last year
• Burger Werkz in Westlake Village shut its doors last August
• On the frozen yogurt front, Tizzy Yogurt Cafes in Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks and Menchies Frozen Yogurt at The Promenade at Westlake closed last year

Restaurants New and Restaurants Adieu in Ventura County January to Mid-July 2014

New restaurants that have opened or are planning to open in and around the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County during the first half of 2014 continues. The Local Buzz section of CVG highlights new eateries along with restaurants that close their doors.

Here's a summary of this activity from January through mid-July 2014.  (Click here for previous 2013 activity.) The list is fairly comprehensive but we know it's not 100% complete, so let us know of any we missed!

Consistent with previous reports, the number of new eateries in the area continues to outnumber closed eateries by a large margin.

Restaurants* That Have Opened Since January 2014

• Chocolate Savvy opened at the Simi Valley Town Center on July 7th.

• California Kebab Kitchen opened recently in Moorpark.

• Mediterranean Pita Grill opened June 30th in Westlake Village.

• See's Candies opened a 2nd Conejo Valley location last month at The Promenade at Westlake

• Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar opened a 2nd Ventura County location, at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard, on June 12th.

• Urbane Cafe Simi Valley opened on June 5th.

• A new Haagen-Dazs Scoop Shop opened in early June in Westlake Village.

• Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill opened May 31st at The Collection in Oxnard.

• The second Thousand Oaks Chick-fil-A opened on Thursday, May 29th.

• Sesame Garden Chinese Cuisine opened in Camarillo in May.

• Camboni Italian Restaurant & Bar opened at the Thousand Oaks Inn on May 20th.

• Zooza Cafe opened in Westlake Village this past May.

• Malibu Pier Restaurant & Bar opened on May 15th.

• Gandolfo's New York Deli opened a second location in Ventura this past May.

• The French Bulldog Bistro became the Old Town Tavern Camarillo in early May.

• Blue Wasabi Sushi & Asian Bistro opened earlier this year in Thousand Oaks.

• Sabores Peruvian Cafe opened in Old Town Camarillo in the April time frame.

• Garbanzo Healthy Kitchen in Ventura opened in Q1 2014.

• Mama's Hummus opened February 20th in Newbury Park.

• The Local Table opened in Newbury Park on February 4th.

• Akash Cuisine of India opened in Thousand Oaks in January.

• Steve's un-Original Pizza opened at MB2 Raceway Newbury Park in January.

• Dickey's BBQ Pit opened January 1st in Simi Valley

* OK maybe not just restaurants...places that offer up edible items of any type e.g. sweets

Restaurants That Announced They Are Opening Soon

• MOD (Made on Demand) Pizza is coming this September to Newbury Park in the former Baja Fresh location.

• Urbane Cafe is opening yet another location soon, this time in Thousand Oaks.

• Rokabab Mediterranean Grill is coming to Thousand Oaks at some point.

• Dog Haus is coming soon to Thousand Oaks.

• JOi Cafe is coming soon to Westlake Village.

• Lal Mirch Indian Restaurant is opening soon on Kanan Road in Agoura Hills.

• A third Ventura County Dickey's BBQ Pit location is opening in the coming months at the North Ranch Mall in Westlake Village.

• Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill to open this Fall at Janss Marketplace.

• Kora Bistro and Sushi Bar "coming soon" to Westlake Village.

• Aroha New Zealand Cuisine will be opening in Westlake Village in a couple months

• Lovi's Delicatessen, Bakery, Restaurant and Bar will be opening at the former location of the Calabasas Red Robin sometime in the near future.

• 9021Pho is in process of relocating from its old Westlake Village location to The Lakes at Thousand Oaks sometime soon.

• PizzaRev "Craft Your Own" Pizza is opening a new location this Fall at the Camarillo Premium Outlets, as are Chipotle and Yogurtland.

• The Westlake Plaza is being renovated and new eateries coming include Pitfire Pizza, Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market, Pressed Juicery and Le Pain Quotidien and Ice Cream Lab.

• Sabra Fish Grill is opening sometime this year at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard. Also in the works at The Collection is Maria's Italian Kitchen Pronto, Larsen's Grill and a Ben & Jerry's.

• There's been a sign up at the old Greenhouse Cafe in Thousand Oaks indicating Stir Krazy Mongolian Grill is "coming soon" since April, but no updates since then.

• Slated to open at The Shoppes at Westlake Village over the coming months are Greens Up!, Los Agaves Restaurant, In N Out Burger, Olio e Limone Ristorante, Olio Pizzeria, Hook Burger, Jeannine's Bakery & Restaurant, Which Wich® Superior Sandwiches, Bowl of Heaven Acai Bowls, The Gallery Seafood and Figueroa Mountain Brewing.

• Cronies Sports Grill announced they will be opening a fifth location in Agoura Hills later this year (in the former home of Angel Cafe).

Restaurants That Have Closed Since January

• Angel Cafe Pizza & Pasta in Agoura Hills closed its doors in January.

• Camarillo International Supermarket & Restaurant closed for business early this year.

• Brats Brothers in Newbury Park closed for business on Friday, February 7th.

• Los Agaves Mexican Grill closed its doors for the second time earlier this year in Thousand Oaks

• Claim Jumper closed forever on Sunday, February 23rd after nine years in Thousand Oaks. We subsequently learned that Lassen's Natural Foods will be moving into that spot later this year.

• California Crisp Cafe closed its doors in Westlake Village earlier this year.

• The Moorpark Viva La Pasta location closed its doors earlier this year too.

• The Grill Restaurant & Bar (previously called California Grill) closed in April

• As mentioned above, The French Bulldog (previously JJ Brewsky's) closed on April 14th but was renovated and became The Old Town Tavern soon thereafter.

• On June 8th, N'Awlinz Bistro closed its Downtown Oxnard location to focus solely on catering.

• The Elephant Bar in Simi Valley closed its doors on June 12th.

• The WineYard in Thousand Oaks closed its doors on June 19th.

• Bellavino Wine Bar in Thousand Oaks closed its doors recently

Eggs "N" Things is Landslide Winner in Recent Breakfast Eatery Poll

We frequently run drawings on the Conejo Valley Guide Facebook page where folks are asked to comment to enter. In one such recent drawing, we asked the question, what is your favorite local breakfast eatery. Within the 9 hour comment deadline prior to the drawing, 140 people responded to the open ended question.

Eggs "N" Things is located in Camarillo (pictured here), Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and VenturaTo me it wasn't a surprise that Eggs "N" Things was the top vote getter. My family has enjoyed Eggs "N" Things for years.  With locations in Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Ventura and Simi Valley this local eatery  that has served our community since 1974 received an amazing 25% of all votes! A landslide! Learn more about Eggs "N' Things at www.eggsnthings.net.

The next three top vote-getters were Side Street Cafe in Newbury Park (www.sidestreetcafenp.com), Jinky's Cafe in Agoura Hills and Thousand Oaks (www.jinkys.com) and Stella's Restaurant in Newbury Park (www.stellasgourmetrestaurant.net). These eateries each received 5 to 8% of the vote.

Closely following, with 4% of the vote, were Country Harvest in Newbury Park (www.countryharvestrestaurant.net) and Breakfast Cafe, with locations in Oak Park and Camarillo (www.facebook.com/pages/The-Breakfast-Cafe/294939383897705).

Honorable mentions go out to the following eateries that were mentioned at least several times: Denny's, Pickles Deli, Brent's Deli, Marmalade Cafe, P&L Burger, Cronies, Harold's House of Omelettes, Mimi's Cafe and Waypoint Cafe.

CLICK HERE FOR THE SCOOP ON NEW RESTAURANTS IN AND AROUND VENTURA COUNTY

AND HERE FOR RESTAURANTS THAT HAVE CLOSED THEIR DOORS IN RECENT YEARS

Denny's

Pickles

Harold's

Mimi's

Cronies

Waypoint

P&L

Brent's

Marmalade

Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Followers Highlight Their Favorite Date Night Eateries

Recently we ran a drawing on the Conejo Valley Guide Facebook page where we asked folks to indicate their favorite "date night" restaurant in the Conejo Valley or anywhere in Ventura County. There were nearly 150 entries in the one day drawing and the following restaurants were the top 10 mentions.

Top vote getters in a recent survey for "date night" eatery were Mastro's and The Melting Pot!1st Place: Mastro's Steakhouse and The Melting Pot (tied with 11 votes each)

3rd Place: Holdren's Steakhouse (10 votes)

4th Place: Paul Martin's (9 votes)

5th Place: Wood Ranch BBQ (8 votes)

6th Place: Blue Stove at Nordstrom (7 votes)

7th Place: Lure Fish House (6 votes)

8th Place: Bandits BBQ, Cho Cho San and Café Firenze (5 votes apiece)

Honorable mentions with 2 or more votes include Cheesecake Factory, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, Ladyface Alehouse, The Grill on the Alley, Buca di Beppo, Outback Steakhouse and PF Changs.

Mastro's was no surprise to me. The Melting Pot had a surprisingly solid showing, with some very strong supporters. Paul Martin's, which opened in Westlake Village in December 2012, also has a very healthy showing of fans. Lure Fish House originated in Camarillo in December 2010 and has expanded into Westlake Village and Ventura. Cafe Firenze in Moorpark made a solid showing too.

Previously we ran a separate drawing asking followers their favorite family restaurants. Check it out at this link.

Conejo Valley Guide Facebook Followers Highlight Their Favorite Family Eateries

The other night, we ran a drawing on the Conejo Valley Guide Facebook page. To enter the drawing, we asked folks to indicate their favorite family-friendly restaurant in the Conejo Valley or anywhere in Ventura County. There were over 170 entries and some clear winners.

Toppers Pizza Place was the clear overall winner, garnering 15 mentions, or nearly 9% of all entries. A perennial favorite, home grown here in Ventura County, with popular pizzas, salad bar and more. Toppers has locations in Lazy Dog Cafe coming soon to The Collection at RiverPark in OxnardThousand Oaks, Camarillo, Simi Valley, Ventura, Oxnard and Channel Islands Harbor. www.topperspizzaplace.com

In the chase pack were Lazy Dog Cafe, Red Robin and Islands Restaurant, each gathering 10 to 11 votes. Lazy Dog is located at The Oaks shopping mall in Thousand Oaks as is coming soon to The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard. Red Robin has locations at The Oaks, Pacific View Mall in Ventura and Simi Valley Town Center (the Calabasas location recently closed). Islands has locations in Newbury Park, Agoura Hills and in Simi Valley.

Garnering eight votes each were The Cheesecake Factory and Stacked, located side by side at The Oaks. Cheesecake Factory seems to always be bustling with people. With its corporate headquarters in nearby Calabasas, Cheesecake Factory is a publicly traded company with stock symbol CAKE and a current market valuation of $2.3 billion...that's a lot of cheesecake. With its customized iPad ordering system and tasty food, Stacked has grown quite a following since opening in March 2013.

California Pizza Kitchen, with locations at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley Town Center and Pacific View Mall, received six votes, landing in 7th place on the list.

The following restaurants received a healthy 3 or 4 votes: BJ's Restaurant, Country Harvest in Newbury Park, Wood Ranch BBQ, Cho Cho San, Cronies, Souplantation, Stonefire Grill, Joe's Crab Shack and Pieology. A combination of home grown Ventura County favorites and larger chains.

Making the honorable mention list with two votes apiece were Pickles Deli, Dickey's BBQ Pit, Gandolfo's Deli, Bandits BBQ, Mulberry Street Pizzeria, Chilis, Panera Bread, Yolanda's, Junkyard Cafe, Sea Fresh at Channel Islands Harbor, Jinky's Cafe, Buca di Beppo, Sharky's, Lure Fish House and newly opened Mama's Hummus in Newbury Park.

PLACES WITH KIDS EAT FREE DEALS AROUND VENTURA COUNTY

RESTAURANT REWARDS PROGRAMS AND BIRTHDAY CLUBS AROUND VENTURA COUNTY