805 Living Dining Blog: Angie Eats
Welcome to the 805 Living Dining Blog where our Dining Editor, Angela Pettera, keeps you up to date on restaurant happenings in the 805. To send her your tips and comments, email angela@805living.com. Happy eating!
Events listed on the blog are subject to change. Please contact the restaurants to confirm availability and details.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Freezee
Tastee Freeze (with a location in Atascadero, just east of San Luis Obispo) has introduced a new freezee flavor for the summer. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Freezee is made by blending vanilla soft-serve and bits of cookie dough together. It’s also available at Wienerschnitzel locations across California including Oxnard, Santa Maria, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Ventura.
Summer Menu at Kabuki
Kabuki Japanese Restaurant (various locations including Woodland Hills) has introduced some lighter, cooler menu items for the summer. There are cold soba noodles with edamame (soybeans) for $5; a salad of tuna with avocado cubes and marinated seaweed for $8; and sea bass entree with tomato salsa, corn, asparagus and Japanese mint for $15. Summer cocktails include a Yuzu Ginger Sparkling Buddha’s Tea made with soju for $7 and a variety of Matsu Mojitos for $8.50 each.
Dancing After Dark
Friday and Saturday nights throughout the summer
Cafe Provencal in Thousand Oaks is celebrating the summer by having music and dancing every Friday and Saturday night at the restaurant. There’s no charge for getting on your feet and sashaying around. The music begins at 8 p.m.
Mrs. Obama’s Call for Chefs
The USDA announced recently that Mrs. Obama, as part of her Let’s Move campaign, has called on chefs around the nation to get involved in helping to feed our children better food. Chefs are being asked to partner with local schools to help school cafeterias create more healthful meals while adhering to strict budgets (a la Jamie Oliver in his reality television mini-series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution). Interested chefs can fill out the online sign-up form here. Chefs in our area who have already signed up include Deborah Scarborough of The Black Cat bistro in Cambria.
First Lady Michelle Obama addresses hundreds of chefs from around the country during a “Let’s Move!” event on the South Lawn of the White House, June 4, 2010. The First Lady called on chefs to get involved by adopting a school and working with teachers, parents, school nutritionists and administrators to help educate kids about food and nutrition. June 4, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
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Romios Pizza & Pasta Closing
Paul Lesser, owner of Romio’s Pizza & Pasta in Thousand Oaks sent an email to customers detailing the sale of his restaurant. The space at 3316 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. is being turned in to Vitello’s Trattoria by another owner. Romio’s will stay open until the deal is finalized which should happen sometime in June. Go in now for a last taste of Romio’s unusual salads and pizzas.
Headliners Comedy Club Opens at Fiamme
This weekend (April 30th and May 1st) marks the opening dates of “Headliners Comedy Club @ Fiamme.” Comedians will perform every Friday and Saturday night on the stage of Fiamme Restaurant & Bar in Thousand Oaks. General admission tickets are $15. Tickets for dinner and a show are only $40. This weekend’s comedian is John DiCrosta.
Dinner reservations can be made between 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The shows begin at 9 p.m.
New Irish Pub in Agoura Hills
Wednesday, March 17th
St. Patrick’s Day marks the official opening of Pikeys Pub in Agoura Hills. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. to begin serving Guinness-battered onion rings ($6), mini shepherd’s pies ($8), fish & chips ($12), bangers & mash ($14), and corned beef and cabbage ($15). A full bar offers 16 beers on tap. The lounge area has dartboards, TVs, and an XBox gaming system. At 8 p.m. tonight there will be a traditional bagpipe performance. A DJ starts spinning at 9 p.m. Doors close at 2 a.m.
Pikeys Pub, 30315 Canwood St., Agoura Hills, 818-991-2170
Happy Anniversary Cafe Provencal!
March 16th, 2010
Today Cafe Provencal celebrates 14 years in business in the Conejo Valley. That’s no mean feat in the restaurant world and it’s especially hard to achieve in today’s economic climate.
Congratulations Serge Bonnet!
Cafe Provencal, 2310 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 805-496-7121
New Dining Options at Hampton’s
Hampton’s in the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village has some new dining options available. For a real dining deal, there’s the Taste of Hampton’s: a three-course meal (app, entree, dessert) prepared by the Chef de Cuisine Richard Hoffman (pictured above on the right) for only $45 plus tax and tip.
Spa dishes have been added to Hampton’s menu for those looking to reign in calories and saturated fats. You’ll also see new spa dishes on the Lobby Lounge and Onyx menus.
Hampton’s, 2 Dole Drive, Westlake Village, 818-575-3000
www.fourseasons.com/westlakevillage/dining.html
Townhouse Kitchen + Bar Opens
Townhouse Kitchen + Bar has recently opened in the Sherman Oaks Galleria space which once house the Macaroni Grill. Townhouse’s decor is much trendier, more at an upscale Sports Bar. The dominant feature of the restaurant is a huge granite-topped bar with pub tables all around. In the back are slightly quieter booths for full dining but you can still view some of the 14 flat-screen TVs showing different sporting events. The menu is eclectic American with small plates like roasted red-pepper hummus and pork-belly sliders; sandwiches like the Cubano or grilled Portobello with Brie; and entrees like lemon-pesto shrimp pasta and grilled skirt steak. Plates cost between $5.99 (for deviled eggs dotted with sriracha sauce) and $18.99 (for mac & cheese with lobster).
On Valentine’s Day, Townhouse is serving a 4-course meal with a bubble-gum martini for $70 per couple. The main course is the diner’s choice of four-cheese ravioli with a seafood sauce or roasted chicken with a mushroom duxelles (a spread with shallots, herbs, butter and ’shrooms).
Townhouse is open daily for lunch and dinner.
Townhouse Kitchen + Bar, in the Sherman Oaks Galleria, 15301 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 818-453-9900
Retro Cocktails at Saddle Peak Lodge
The February issue of 805 Living Magazine has a story called “Classic Contemporary Drinks: Vintage Cocktails Go Retro.” As if to coincide with that story, Saddle Peak Lodge mixologist Chris Barragan has come out with a Prohibition-Era drink menu. Actually, we received a press release about the vintage drink menu just before our issue came out, so I guess it’s just in the zeitgeist right now. Barragan was quoted in the release as saying,
“Prohibition, with the speakeasies and fedoras, was an intriguing time in American history. Many drinks were made with gin because gin was cheap and easy to produce. Our classic cocktail menu is an interpretation of some of the more popular drinks enjoyed behind closed doors and, of course, we use only the finest of gins, bourbons and whiskeys.”
On the vintage cocktail menu you’ll find the Mint Julep, Negroni, Papa Hemingway Daiquiri, Sazerac, Mojito, and the Manhattan.
Saddle Peak Lodge, 419 Cold Canyon Road, Calabasas, 818-222-3888
Farmers Market Deliveries
A company called Local Harvest Delivery has been launched in Santa Barbara. Julie Beaumont and Sarah Coffman have teamed up to bring their subscribers produce from the Santa Barbara Farmers Market. A Little Harvest Box is only $30 per week and has enough fresh produce for 1-2 people. Subscribers can opt out of non-favorite veggies like radishes or bok choy and opt in for extras like ciabatta from Our Daily Bread, Santa Barbara Roasting Co. coffee, Joelle olive oil, Marcie’s pies, honey from San Marcos Farms, cheese, nuts, dried fruits and/or eggs. Boxes are dropped off every Saturday at subcribers’ homes in Santa Barbara, Goleta, Montecito and Summerland.
http://www.localharvestdelivery.com/
New Chef at Sagebrush Cantina
The Sagebrush Cantina in Old Town Calabasas announced in a press release the hiring of new chef Salvador Morales. Morales hails from El Santo Cayote in the Melrose area and El Toro Cantina in mid-Wilshire. He specializes in marinated grilled meats, fresh salsas, and endless taco variations. Morales will create dinner specials using seasonal ingredients like cactus paddles. He will also add more vegetarian dishes to the menu along with whole baked fish and ceviche.
The Sagebrush Cantina, 23527 Calabasas Road, Calabasas, 818-222-6062
Main Course California Serves Dinner
Main Course California in Ventura has begun serving dinner from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
The catering, take-out, and small lunch spot set in an industrial center has been slowly gaining a large following. Now fans can drop by for happy hour from 4-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and for dinner specials like Carpenter Ranch squab with wild rice risotto ($18), smoked beef filet with sour-cherry sauce ($22), and butternut squash gnocci ($14).
Main Course California, 1363 Donlon St. #11, Ventura, 805-658-8900
Monday Night Suppers at Artisan
Artisan restaurant in Paso Robles will be showcasing farmers, ranchers, and fishmongers in a series of Mondy-night dinners this month. The three-course meals will also include artisan cheeses, olive oils, and honey from local producers. Meals can be paired with wines from a Paso vintner for an additional charge.
Monday-night suppers are served family-style with the featured farmer or purveyor on hand to talk about their products. Meals cost $38 per person. Here’s the lineup of featured purveyors for the month of January:
January 11 - Jacob Toft and Charter Oak Meats
January 18 - Halter Ranch and Windrose Farm
January 25 - Jack Creek Cellars and Cayucos Abalone Farm
Monday-night suppers will run through March.
Artisan Restaurant, 1401 Park Street, Paso Robles, 805-237-8084
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