Ventura CA Blog featuring unsolicited opinions and random observations
Well it’s been a good year for new restaurants! We got a Freebirds, a Panera, and now we’re FINALLY getting a ToGo’s Sandwich Shop. I saw the sign today between Robek’s Juice Bar and the Baja Fresh over off Telephone, where the old Quizno’s used to be. Of course I’d rather see more locally-owned restaurants open but I love all this new variety. Cheers!
Freebirds World Burrito at Telephone and Victoria is doing a soft launch today (the official opening isn’t until Wednesday) and the first 250 people to show up between 11-1 and 5-7 today will get to test out the food in exchange for a $5 donation to Food Share. They’re doing it again tomorrow (Tuesday) for Schools on Wheels. Don’t miss out!
Source: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jun/11/the-joys-of-being-a-food-competition-judge/#ixzz1PB7UQEix
It appears that the Jersey Mike’s in downtown Ventura has shut its doors for good. Gone way too soon… it barely seemed to be up and running and then it’s gone. I’m starting to wonder if the parking meters may have had something to do with it, but I’m conflicted. I can see both sides:
“Parking meters are evil” side
“Parking meters had nothing to do with it” side
Which side do you lean towards? Does anyone know the real reason why Jersey Mike’s closed? In all likelihood it had nothing to do with the meters, but it isn’t nearly as fun to blame poor management or raised rents. =)
When I moved to Ventura in 2006 one of the things I liked most was how the downtown district had a good mix of old and new. Sure you could buy a $25 candle or modern table at Fusion Home, but then you walk outside and see the “Retarded Children’s Thrift Shop” across the street. Yin and Yang – It’s a great mix that’s hard to find in other cities. Well in 5 short years the thrift shop has been renamed, an Urban Outfitters has opened and the times they are a changin’ fast.
Except at Taqueria Vallarta. Step in here and you are transported to what I imagine Ventura must’ve been like 40 years ago. In fact I don’t think the sign out front has been painted since then, which is awesome. The food tastes great and there is no facade that what you’re eating is even remotely healthy. Not like at Chili’s where they put a whole wheat bun on a 2,000 calorie burger and try to convince you you’re eating well. There’s even some gloriously unhealthy choices here for vegetarians – I love their chile relleno burrito and it goes great with chips, salsa and a bottle of Mexican Coke with real sugar. So simple and so good.
The people at Taqueria Vallarta unapologetically cook great tasting food that’s probably not good for you, but if
you can’t exercise moderation well that’s your own fault. The staff here is too busy cranking out food to worry about tricking you into thinking it’s good for you. And it’s enjoyed by day laborers and businesspeople sitting side by side sharing the same big bottle of Tapatio. Perfection.
I love the food. I’ve been twice now and the pizzas are among the best in town, and a pretty good deal too at around $12. My favorite is the one with all the mushrooms and cheese… a masterpiece! I also liked the fruit-infused water. At first I was put off by the price ($3) but after the first drink I stopped complaining. There’s so much fruit in there that it’s practically an appetizer.
So here’s what I don’t like: Eating this great food in the small, white and very sterile restaurant. It’s rather like being in a doctor’s waiting room. The first time I drove to this restaurant was for dinner one night, and the garish light and whiteness spilling out of the front door was so uninviting that my friend and I kept driving. Thankfully I went back that weekend for lunch.
Hopefully they just haven’t decided how to decorate it yet so it’s a work in progress. Their wonderful food deserves to be served in a much more warm and inviting atmosphere! Until then I’ll grab my pizza to go.
Update: It’s finally open, and man is it good! I know we have a lot of burrito places around Ventura, but don’t miss out on this one. I think it’s the best by far.
I don’t want to get too excited about this yet, but it appears that Freebirds World Burrito is coming to 
Ventura. They have joined the chamber of commerce and even list an address as 5682 Telephone (the corner of Victoria and Telephone). Once you have one of these burritos you’ll forget all about Chipotle, Baja Fresh, Sharky’s and the like. There’s just nothing like it.
The original is in Goleta, and then around 1990 it appears they licensed the idea to someone in Texas. They in turn opened the first restaurant outside of Goleta in College Station, Texas, of all places. I happened to be a sophomore at Texas A&M at the time and I was in love at first bite. After college I moved to Dallas, as most Aggies do, and spent years jonesing for a Freebirds before they finally opened a store there around 2002. Then I moved to Ventura in 2006, and even though I went to the Goleta store a couple times it’s just not the same. Now comes word that Freebirds has opened near USC in LA and are now coming to Ventura. Thank you Texas Freebirds! How I’ve missed you. BTW, I’m hoping to retire in Park City, Utah, so go ahead and start scouting locations, OK?
It’s funny when something comes a long that you didn’t realize you needed so badly. When Beach House Tacos opened where the old burger and bait shack used to be on the Ventura Pier I didn’t think much of it. Then last week I was biking down the boardwalk with a friend and we stopped at the pier and realized we were really hungry. I had never noticed that there really isn’t a quick cheap restaurant nearby. At least not one where I would be willing to eat – the aforementioned burger and bait shack was never an option.
So we checked out the menu at Beach House. What a great find! The fish tacos are around $3 and you can choose grilled or fried in a few different variations. I loved the Specialty taco with fried fish… the fish is lightly battered and not greasy at all. The lettuce and fresh salsa really round it out nicely. The Shrimp tacos had huge cubes of avocado, fresh lettuce and cherry
tomatoes. Not what you usually find in fish tacos but it works – they really get it right. The only thing I had that I didn’t care for are their chips… but that’s a personal preference. They use the thick tortillas that are almost like pitas for their chips and I prefer the lighter type. And if you see “spicy garlic shrimp” tacos on the menu be warned – they are REALLY spicy. They’re covered in seeds from the peppers. I also don’t recommend the “traditional” tacos. All you get is three tortillas and a spoonful of meat. Not very interesting considering how great the other tacos are.
Can’t wait to go back! I may even start riding my bike more just to stop here for a $3 taco. =)
Rice is now one of my TOP 10 Ventura restaurants. It’s light years ahead of what Cholada was, not just in the decor but in the flavor and freshness of the food. The menu is simple but creative and after three visits I have yet to eat anything that wasn’t delicious.
The prices are reasonable for the quality of the food. I get lunch here a couple times a week and it’s almost always under $10. The curry is very authentic and spicy… they ask you how spicy you want it on a scale of 1-4. I like spicy food so I order level 3 and it’s about as much as I can handle.
The only negative thing I can say is that they seem to be a victim of their own success… sometimes the very friendly wait staff is overwhelmed and it can take a while to get your check or a refill. Maybe time to hire an additional person?
This is what we need more of in downtown. Clean, modern restaurants with simple, reliable food and reasonable prices. Sometimes less is indeed more.
When I moved here from Dallas four years ago, one of the things I missed was the Panera Bread just down the street from my house. I enjoyed going early in the morning for coffee and danish, and I would stop there for lunch often because of the free WiFi. Even though it’s a big chain it actually fit in well in our neighborhood.
It’s been years since I thought about that place, so imagine my surprise when I saw the Panera logo while sitting in Camarillo traffic on the 101. At last! I could get that great Caprese panini close to home, and hopefully recapture that feeling I missed from Dallas. The sandwich was good, but no such luck on that latter part. This Panera is a completely different vibe from my old neighborhood gathering spot: Noisy and packed to the rim with tank-top wearing outlet mall patrons. It wasn’t pretty… kind of like being on a flight into or out of Orlando in the summer.
Just as I was losing hope I noticed this on the back of the menu: ”Coming soon to Ventura!” How great would that be? I know that there are a lot of people here who are very anti-chain restaurant and I understand that. But a consistently well-managed Panera would be awesome. It fits that huge gap we have between Jim & Rob’s Fresh Grill and Brooks for an everyday, no-brainer meal when you don’t feel like cooking. Hopefully they’ll put it behind the mall next to the new Trader Joe’s that’s going in… If you have any info about where it’s going please comment and let us know!
In May 2010 I stopped eating land animals for humanitarian reasons. I don’t know if it will stick… it’s been 5 months now and so far so good. I know that Vegans would still think me incredibly cruel to continue to eat fish and cheese. I get it but hey it’s a sliding scale and at least I’m doing something, right?
It used to be that as soon as I opened a menu I looked right to the beef or pork dishes and stopped there. So this “fishetarian” diet has really helped me discover some good meals I would’ve otherwise missed. I wanted to share those with you here.
What am I missing? What are some of your favorite Ventura vegetarian or fishetarian dishes? Please let me know!