Tag: food

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Food & Beverage Local Business Spotlight

Can It Date Night?

Downtown Ventura is a (not so) hidden gem for bars, restaurants, and shops; it is the perfect spot to shop and soak up the sun and a prime date night spot. But with so many options and grand openings, how do you choose between them?

I’ve compiled a list of places that I think pass the “Can It Date Night” test based on their menu options, pricing, and ambiance.

The Yard Bar & Grill

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The Yard Bar & Grill is Main Street’s newest restaurant addition. The forces behind Cronies are taking everything you love from their sports restaurants and giving you an elevated dining experience. And once you finish your meal, you can head to the back of the restaurant to their cozy speakeasy, The Hive.

Menu Options: The Yard has something for everyone; a variety of shareable starters, burgers, salads, tacos, and sandwiches. But the pièce de résistance: the pub fries.

Pricing: The Yard’s burgers and sandwiches run anywhere from $15.00 to $19.00, but they do come with a good portion of fries and your choice of sauce. Their appetizer menu ranges $7.00 up to $18.00 for their heartier options.

Ambiance: The seating at The Yard is very comfortable; they’ve somehow managed to take a more industrial setting (exposed brick and ceiling) and make it very cozy. I love the open air feeling, and the gorgeous wooden bar in the center of the room feels lux.

Overall: Yes, The Yard has a mid-priced menu with a huge variety of options, giving you plenty to choose from which makes this an easy choice for a date night!

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Jaguar Moon

Rating: 5 out of 5.

If you’re looking for a cocktail bar that specializes in tequila & mezcal with a maximalist neon aesthetic, this is the place for you. The faces behind this new bar are no stranger to Downtown Ventura- they’re also the forces behind Strange Beast and Bank of Italy.

Photos from @jaguarmoonbar on Instagram

Menu Options: This is elevated bar food, with options like fried chicken tacos and a tuna tostada that is filling and pairs perfectly with their cocktail menu.

Pricing: The menu options range from $8 (fried chicken taco) to their tartara de tuna ($23), with plenty of options at different price points in between. The star of their menu seem to be their taco selection, with something for everyone’s dietary needs. Jaguar Moon also has a great cocktail menu, with mixed drinks ranging from $11 to $15.

Ambiance: This is just the coolest place; it’s vibrant and Instagram-worthy. Weekends seem to be quite busy, but for good reason.

Overall: Yes! Jaguar Moon definitely passes the “Can It Date Night” test. It’s a unique and “vibey” spot in Downtown Ventura, and is worth checking out. With so much to offer, Jaguar Moon should be on your list of places to go for a date night.

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Model Citizen

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

From the hospitality team that brought you Prospect Coffee Roasters, meet Model Citizen. You can find elevated interpretations of classic cocktails, and an array of menu items that feature locally sourced ingredients.

Menu Options: The Model Citizen menu “emphasizes local and regional ingredients, with a focus on preservation, to create fun, seasonal, and unique coastal dishes with flavors from California and the Mediterranean” (from the MC website). Their dishes are highly unique, with a lot of options that seem exclusive to their restaurant.

Pricing: Model Citizen’s pricing is on the higher end of this list, with options ranging from $9 (fries to share) to $66 (13 oz NY strip steak w/ frites). There are plenty of offerings in between, but they tend to run in the $16 – $20+ range. The cocktail menu also runs on the higher side, with mixed drinks from $14 – $21. That being said, the happy hour menu (which runs all night on Mondays!) has select mixed drinks for $10 and menu items from $5 – $15.

Ambiance: There’s a great balance between trendy and the laid-back charm that is Ventura. You can sit in one of their cozy booths, or relax at the gorgeous mid-century mod bar. Model Citizen has nailed the vintage-y, effortlessly cool atmosphere.

Overall: While it’s a bit on the pricier side, you can tell the food and drinks are locally-sourced and carefully crafted to be unique to their restaurant. While it’s a great atmosphere and has plenty to choose from, I’d recommend Model Citizen as a happy hour date.

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Food & Beverage Student Life at VC

Ugly Sushi

Do you love sushi, but maybe not the price of a night out for a sushi dinner? Make ugly sushi with me in the comfort of your own kitchen. Yes, it may look ugly, but the taste is grade A! It’s not easy to make sushi the first time, so I will help prepare you for your sushi journey with my own experience.

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We, Ventura Locals, has access to county’s best sushi grade fish. I found mine at Ocean Pride of Ventura. This fish market has been open since 1999, only carry’s fresh fish, and was even named in The Ventura Reporter’s “Best of Ventura”. It’s a little hidden among the industrial buildings next to the Ventura Car Mall. Just let owner, Tom Moore, know you’re making sushi tonight, and he’ll help you with what you need. Check out their website for peek at their menu.

To be honest, knowing that I had access to fresh fish cut at a sushi grade, I wanted to take on the fun task of making sushi at home. I called up my sister and drafted her for sushi fun.

Step One: Prepare yourself

I watched a couple of YouTube videos that took me step-by-step through making sushi rolls with various ingredients. This step is important; you don’t want to explore the art of making sushi blind. Plus, it ensures you have all the items you need, and it gives you ideas you may not have had.

Step Two: Equipment

Feel like the professionals with a bamboo mat to roll your sushi. I didn’t find this at Ocean Pride, so I took myself to Seafood City Supermarket for any other equipment I needed. There, I found a cute sushi set that had a bamboo mat, a wooden bowl, and a wooden rice scoop. 

Step Three: Ingredients

Have fun here! Find the ingredients you’d normally like when going out for sushi, even the sauces. Here’s a list of the core ingredients:

  • Sushi rice.
  • Rice Wine Powder or Vinegar.
  • Bamboo mat.
  • Plastic wrap.
  • nori (seaweed sheets)
  • soy sauce.
  • Toasted sesame seeds.

Don’t forget your fish! I bought a pound of King Salmon and a pound of Ahi Tuna from Ocean Pride. This did cost me a pretty penny, just shy of $90. But I bought enough for four people, and I think $90 was cheaper than taking four people to a sushi restaurant.

Step Four: Get cooking! 

Preparing your sushi rice should be the first thing you do once you start putting together your rolls. You want some time for it to cool off, and this is the most challenging part. I didn’t believe this until I started making sushi rice for the first time; it’s more important than the fish itself! It’s best to refer to the instructions on the sushi rice package or YouTube. I used Nishiki rice.

*Warning: Be careful with the amount of rice vinegar you put in the rice. The vinegar’s flavor can overpower the flavor of your fish. I sadly failed to notice the instructions on the back of my rice package and did just that. 

Once your rice is finished, you can start rollin’!

Final Step: Enjoy!

Dinner time! Now you can enjoy your creation. Even though my first time making sushi didn’t come out as I would have liked, my rolls may looked ugly, but they tasted almost restaurant status. My company and I had fun, and I cannot wait to do it again.

Would you make sushi at home? Comment below telling us if you will or any past experiences.

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Food & Beverage Local Business Spotlight

Tatiana’s Coffee & Tea

This beloved Coffee shop located on 2470 E Main St has been open for the past ten years serving the people of Ventura. This local business has been run by the owner Tatiana Curuso and her husband Diego Mazo. Curuso and Mazo both put their all into providing the most satisfying experience to all customers the minute they step through the doors.

Beverages

Tatiana’s Coffee and Tea offers Hot Coffee; fresh drip and Espresso, Decaf, Blended drinks; the Tatalisious being the most loved, Iced drinks; Vanilla latte being the most common, and Teas; Chai is most popular. My absolute favorite beverage would have to be an Iced Chai Tea Latte with oat and whipped cream.

Food

Tatiana’s is best known for their amazing Empanadas that were voted Best Empanadas in The State of Californina in 2022. The Empanadas come in a variety of flavors including: Chicken, Beef, Potato Beef, Potato Cheese, Spinach Feta and Ratatouille. Along with savory they provide sweet, Cheese and Guava Cheese pastelitos and Coffee Cakes. All handmade by a local Chef. Other delicious food items they offer are petite croissant sandwiches, Bagels: Everything and Parmesan with cream cheese or made into a breakfast sandwich, Scones, Ham, Turkey, Italian and Artichoke sandwiches. My personal favorites are all the Empanadas and the blueberry Coffee Cake.

My experience at Tatiana’s has always been amazing, from the customer service to the delicious food and drinks. The hours are from 7:00am-3:00pm Monday-Saturday.

Make sure to stop by Tatiana’s Coffee & Tea if you are in the area at 2470 E Main St or call in to go pick up (805) 901-7620.

Tatiana’s Coffee & Tea Socials

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Food & Beverage Local Business Spotlight

Slice House

Pizza review on their newest location!

I’m sure majority of you guys have heard of the Slice House location in Thousand Oaks, however, were you aware of their newest location that opened up in Simi Valley? Yes, that’s right! Slice House located at 2916 Tapo Canyon Rd, CA 93063 had a kick off with a grand opening on April 6th at 11am. I’m here to tell you all about it.

First off you may have heard of all the hype surrounding this place and may be asking yourself what’s so great about it. Well, have you ever had massive pizza served by a whole or a slice bigger than your head with great amount of flavor? How about a large variety of off the menu items that aren’t pizza like meatballs, subs, salads, and pastas. This place has it all. Let me take you through the journey of Slice House with a few of their menu items I ordered and gave a try.

As mentioned above, Slice House has a great menu to explore that has a little bit of everything for everyone. On my particular visit to this location and my first time ever trying Slice House, I ordered four slices, the meatballs, and a beer. The slices happened to be Pepperoni, Hawaiian Hit Man, Sweet Gino, and Veggie. After tasting each of these slices, I fell in love with all of them. Not one disappointment or area of critique. The amount of flavor each slice had was amazing something for sure is in that sauce that brings it all to life. If I had to choose I would say Sweet Gino was the best one and will probably be a slice I order every time I return.

Onto the items that are not pizza, the meatballs. I had overheard that these meatballs are a must try when going to Slice House, so that’s exactly what I did. I had the order of three. In less than 3 minutes they were already being served to my table fresh, steaming, and a strong smell of aroma just waiting to be eaten. Once again, something is in that sauce bringing it all to life. These are the best meatballs I have ever had and strongly recommend them to everyone planning to visit this location.

Speaking of visiting, are these existing areas too far out from your hometown location? Well, not to worry! They are currently working on expanding their restaurant over to Burbank, Santa Clarita, Ventura, Oxnard, Pasadena, Glendale, and Woodland Hills.

Well everyone, there you have it. My own personal Slice House review with what I got off their menu. Let me know below which slice of pizza you would give a try. Link to their Instagram is listed below, check them out as they are always keeping up with their audience.

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Food & Beverage Local Business Spotlight

Rolling Pin Donuts

Best late-night Snack?

Do you ever find yourself craving sweets late at night or just a good donut at any time of the day? Rolling Pin, located on Los Posas Rd in Camarillo, has been providing fresh donuts 24/7 since 1992. This family-owned business has become a beloved gem to its community and has greatly impacted the city. Rolling Pin is open every day of the week, offering sweet treats to satisfy your cravings.

Rolling Pin has a strong loyal fan base for donut enthusiasts, if you enjoy donuts, you’ve probably heard of Rolling Pin. They carry a wide variety of fresh donuts but the ones that stand out the most and are fan favorites are their Tigers Tails, Apple Fritters, and the well-known cronut which is a croissant donut with sugar. These fan favorites are what make Rolling Pin the most desired local donut stop.

Open 24/7 from Monday – Rolling Pin stands out from other local donut shops due to its extended hours, setting it apart from the competition. Driving past Rolling Pin during the day it may seem like any normal donut shop, but at night, and people are getting off work, ending a night out, or even craving something sweet, Rolling Pin’s lines can get pretty outrageous and crowds would flood into the parking lot no matter how late.

Not only is this gem winning over devoted Camarillo locals, but has also made its way into Ventura with a second location on Telephone Road. Soon we will be seeing a new wave of Ventura locals flooding their very own Rolling Pin which is aimed to open at the end of April or the beginning of May of 2024.

This wraps up Ventura County’s favorite local donut shop, which is open around the clock and the best place to please your sweet tooth late at night. Follow Rolling Pin’s Facebook to stay updated with your favorite donut shop.

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Food & Beverage Local Business Spotlight

Rabalais’ Bistro

Rabalais’ is a New Orleans style rasurant in the heart of the historic downtown Santa Paula. It is a family owned resurant that has been opened since 2011. I go to Rabalais’ at a few times a month and every time, the food has been amazing. What I have always known Rabalais’ for their amazing beignets.They have so many amazing desserts and pastries. They also have amazing food, my favorite things to get there are their gumbo, their French toast, and their Louisiana Po’ Boys. Every time I go they have nice staff and a beautiful restaurant.

When sitting down at the restaurant, you can be sat either inside where you can seeing many unique things like pictures of Santa Paula’s history, theirs a couch area where you can go and lounge and maybe get some work done, but one thing that I find cool is that they have a piano by the entrance where anyone can go and play any song they know. When you are stilling outside, it a nice area where you can enjoy the nice air and see people walk by, maybe take a look at the local shops that are near there. It is also a great place to sit because it is located on Main Street, which is where Santa Paula host most of their fun events.