Open and shut: Ventura has new bakeries in the oven
But Tipps Thai bows out after 34 years
Lisa McKinnon
Ventura's tolerance for gluten appears to be on the rise, thanks to the appearance of two new bakeries at opposite ends of town.
Already open is Café du Suro, which debuted on Saturday at what used to be the tacos-surfboards-and more restaurant Mondos Beach Break in downtown Ventura. Operated by owner and baker David Lee, it features Intelligentsia Coffee espressos, pour overs and affogatos ($2.50-$5), Kilogram teas and house-made artisanal breads and French-style pastries ranging from macarons to chocolate croissants. Menu boards indicate that soups and sandwiches will also be available (377 E. Main St.).
After at least one by-invitation-only preview for friends and family over the Memorial Day weekend, Café Ficelle is headed for an early-June opening at a newly built space next to Jewelry Couture in midtown Ventura.
The coming-soon bakery is a new project by Bryan Scofield, chef and owner of Scofield Catering & Management. He will run it with daughter Lyndy Woodruff and executive baker and son-in-law Jarrett Chambers. The public opening date will be announced via the business' website and Facebook and Instagram pages (390 S. Mills Road, 805-941-3444, https://www.cafeficelle.com).
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The holiday weekend marked the official end of Tipps Thai Cuisine after 34 years of business at 512 E. Main St. in downtown Ventura. Co-owner Chingchai "Chang" Liampetchakul suffered a stroke at the restaurant in February. In May, he was arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with a fire that took place in a meeting space above the restaurant the previous month. (He is expected in court June 7 for an early disposition conference.)
Since then, Tipps had been open one day and closed the next. But last weekend, members of Liampetchakul's family were on site to oversee the sale of the restaurant's plates, dishes, decor and kitchen equipment. (On May 27, a large commercial freezer was seen being wheeled down the street from Tipps to its new home at Coconut Crab, set to open in early-to-mid June at 394 E. Main St.).
Liampetchakul's daughter April Mesa wrote in a Facebook post that she was, "so thankful for growing up in a restaurant that took care of many families.
"The restaurant did its job. It raised me, my sister, her children, and many more. For a lot of us it gave us our first job," Mesa added. "Thank you to everyone who has walked through those doors."
Any additional news about Tipps will be posted on the business' Facebook page, family members said.
In Oxnard, free chicken rice bowls will be served (one per person, please) during the grand opening of WaBa Grill from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 5. After the event, the order-at-the-counter restaurant specializing in "clean, low-fat, health entrees" will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (2721 S. Rose Ave., 805-483-4833, http://www.wabagrill.com).
The franchisee-owned site will be the fourth WaBa Grill in Ventura County. Existing locations are in Oxnard (2373 N. Oxnard Blvd.), Simi Valley (2941 Cochran St.) and Ventura (4726 Telephone Road, Suite 1A).
James Chan, executive chef and owner of Brasserie Communautaire in Oxnard's Seabridge neighborhood, is selling the 15-month-old restaurant to focus on developing a premium line of grab-and-go foods and other food-related projects.
Chan earned degrees in mathematics and computer science and worked as a financial analyst before changing career paths and going on to earn two James Beard Award nominations in the mid-1990s. Before opening "Brasserie C," he led culinary operations for a Palo Alto-based catering company that serves on-demand meals for clients ranging from Netflix to Tesla.
He will stay on as a consultant at Brasserie C through the end of June. The restaurant's new owner, Alan Nguyen, has indicated that its casual approach to French fare will continue under its current chef, albeit with expanded hours and perhaps under a new name: The pending new beer-and-wine license for the business identifies it as Coco Vin (4308 Tradewinds Drive, 805-985-5614, http://www.brasseriecommunautaire.com).
In Simi Valley, Tio's Cafe opened early this year at what closed in October 2016 as Simi Deli USA. The new restaurant serves breakfast all day (items include baked-in-house cinnamon rolls, omelets, scrambles and Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes), along with lunch items such as burgers ($8.50-$10.50), hot brisket sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy ($9.95), Chinese chicken salad ($10.50) and fish and chips ($10.95). Hours are from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily (2248 Tapo St., 805-638-0240).
In Thousand Oaks, Flatiron Bagel Co. is coming to the Oak Leaf Square shopping center. A banner stretched across the entrance promises "Bagels. Lunch. Coffee" — Peet's Coffee, to be specific. A glance at the business' website reveals a future menu of made-in-house bagels, bagel sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, and assorted bagel-based desserts (1817 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., http://flatironbagelco.com).
The 25th anniversary of the local chain Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill will be celebrated on June 5 with one free bottle of original barbecue sauce per table at each of its 16 locations, including Agoura Hills, Camarillo and Ventura. In addition, diners at the original Moorpark location will be able to spin a prize wheel to win barbecue sauce, T-shirts, $10 gift cards and other prizes (540 New Los Angeles Ave., 805-523-7253, https://www.woodranch.com).
Lisa McKinnon is a staff writer for The Star. For additional food news, follow 805foodie on Twitter and Instagram and "like" the VCS Eats Facebook page. To have the VCS Eats newsletter delivered directly to your inbox, go to http://bit.ly/VCS_Eats and type in your email address.