The more I travel on press trips, the more I realize that my stretchy pants must be a staple in my suitcase!  Thank goodness for the balance of outdoor activities on my recent trip otherwise I’d be heading into the holidays already 10 pounds heavier.  Basically it’s a foodie paradise in the Conejo Valley and I’m not surprised we enjoyed another tasty tour this year just as we did in 2014.  I’m going to consider this post a “part 2” of the great places to eat in the Conejo Valley, read part one by clicking below.

Conejo Valley: Great Places to Wine and Dine @VisitConejo

Tavern 101, Agoura Hills

Known for the best BBQ in Ventura County, Tavern 101 is right off the 101 freeway and offers mouthwatering selections.  We dined outside for lunch and the rustic decor complete with cactus accents is a great meeting place.  Our starter was a sweet and moist cornbread that hit the spot after my flight to Burbank.  Next we enjoyed a variety of delicious salads and appetizers.  The Quesadilla Rolls were filled with chicken and topped with homemade chipotle, pico de gallo, guacamole and sriracha and had the most amazing flavor combinations.  These were my favorite and I could have easily eaten all eight.  Ahi Tuna Tacos aren’t my thing only because I don’t eat raw meats, but the plates were empty before I could blink.  Marinated in a sweet soy and topped with Asian coleslaw, my group members gave two hearty thumbs up.  Now beets are my jam, I don’t know why I love that earthy taste and texture but I’ll even put them on pizza!  So their salad with feta and mixed greens in a balsamic dressing was so tasty!
Of course, we couldn’t leave without trying a little slow smoked BBQ.  The Baby Back Ribs were so tender with just the right amount of meat to sauce to fat ratio in each bite!  Open 7 days a week, they offer a fabulous Happy Hour 3-6pm daily with full bar and televisions to catch the latest in sports!

Malibu Cafe

In what was a magical, yet very family-friendly atmosphere, the Malibu Cafe has got to be on your to do list for dining experiences! With over 50 years of history at the Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, the grounds are a visual feast and that is all before your first meal comes.Rainbow umbrellas, crystal chandeliers over wood, modern art complete with hashtags, ping-pong, billiards, and more this place was FUN and I know I can’t wait to go back!  Then there is the food, and in my mind nothing is better than comfort food.  That’s the way I feel the menu read, of course everything was just pumped up a notch like the corn on the cob with queso fresco and chipotle ranch. A meat and cheese platter was kicked up a step with big chunks of chorizo (a favorite of mine) and peppadew peppers.   For this nice fall afternoon, it still was a bit chilly sitting in the shade, so to warm me up I ordered the butternut squash puree and a grilled cheese sandwich.  Oh the perfect meal for autumn and the soup was smooth and rich with flavor.  For dessert we shared  bread pudding ala mode that just put us directly into a happy food coma for the ride back to the hotel.

Sabor Cocina Mexicana, Thousand Oaks

Growing up Mexican-American, Mexican food has always been my favorite, well that of which my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and parents made!  Finding a restaurant to fulfill my tastebuds and meet my high expectations is tough.  There was a family-owned place in my college town of Davis, CA that I went to weekly for the four years I attended the university.  After I graduated, got married, and had children we’d trek back to town multiple times a year to meet my craving for their amazing salsa and beef burritos. Sabor Cocina Mexicana restaurant comes in on my all-time, non-family Mexican Food top 3!Tortilla chips with hot and spicy salsa hit the mark but they didn’t stop there, they added the freshest and balanced guacamole and refried beans too!  I was in heaven.  Over to my left I intently watch the tortilla maker preparing us nothing but the best. Sabor uses all natural ingredients, organic and seasonal when possible, and they also reinvent the modern Mexican dining experience with their style as well. Their custom interior design combines contemporary and classic, with authentic furniture and decor shipped directly from Guadalajara and inspired by Colonial Villages throughout Mexico. Impressive.  Costilla Colorado (short rib), Crepas Mexicanas (shredded chicken crepes), Chile Relleno de Marisco (roasted pepper with white fish and wild pacific shrimp) and to top it off, nutella-filled churros! Aye Yi Yi so much goodness!

Twisted Oak Tavern, Agoura Hills

Now you’ll find this same spot and LAB Brewing Co in my last post, but this time our experience was wild. Like HOGZILLA wild!  I’m just going to cut to the chase, we had a pig’s head on a platter. For dinner.  There was also red pepper harissa deviled eggs, pork belly bites, braised short rib fries, triple mushroom flatbread, and ahi poke to get us started, all paired with amazing beer!  But the pig’s head was the star of the show.  Think nooks and crannies of the skull (some teeth are even still attached) and a 35 minute wait tacked on for preparation, it’s a culinary adventure!

Jinky’s Cafe, Agoura Hills

With two locations in the Conejo Valley, breakfast just got better at Jinky’s Cafe. Luscious red velvet pancakes were the hit of the morning as far as taste and visual presentation, topped with mascarpone frosting and dusted with powdered sugar.  Many of us heading into the 5K Mud Run following breakfast opted for a lighter side of things like fresh strawberries, turkey bacon, and the fruit-yogurt-granola bowl.   Hearty omelettes, hashbrowns, breakfast favorites with a Spanish twist like chilaquiles, lunch, and dinner will have you making Jinky’s a must-stop whether in town or just passing by on 101.

Mendocino Farms, Thousand Oaks

Sometimes you just want an amazing sandwich and a cup of soup, and at Mendocino Farms Sandwich Market you can get both. The core values of the restaurant are: “to enrich the lives of all it touches, whether that’s the farms and food artisans we partner with to source ingredients for the menu, the team members we rely upon to provide exceptional hospitality every day, or the guests who choose to seek us out.”  Knowing this and walking into the restaurant, it’s high ceilings, bright walls decorated with positive messages, and smiling people all reflected their message loud and clear.  I chose a simple turkey and greens half sandwich with a cup of their split pea soup and it was just perfect.  Not too many people I know enjoy pea sup, but it’s something I’ve loved forever.  Also enjoyed was Mama Chen’s Chinese Chicken Salad, shaved, roasted free range chicken breast, napa cabbage & kale slaw, butter lettuce & romaine, scallions, cilantro, toasted slivered almonds, crispy wontons with miso mustard sesame dressing.  Each bite with a texture and flavor complemented with a nice tangy dressing.  A variety of vegan and gluten free options are available along with steak and pork options.  The atmosphere was family-friendly with foosball indoors and corn hole outside and a healthy kid’s menu available.

Harvest Kitchen and Bar, Hyatt Westlake Plaza, Thousand Oaks

My second time around Harvest Kitchen and Bar was just as delicious as the first last year. Guests of the Hyatt Westlake are lucky to have this great restaurant on site that serves healthy, farm-to-table California cuisine.  Some of our group members stayed at this hotel and our media tour included this breakfast stop again and for good reason, the food is fabulous and displays like artwork!Crepes filled with bananas and nutella, savory pancakes with lox, cream cheese, and capers and a breakfast quiche served in a hasbrown cup all courtesy of chef Ed Horincewich.  This breakfast experience isn’t your typical hotel fare, but if I’m ever in town for a night or two the Hyatt Westlake is going to be my first choice!

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, there’s something amazing delectable around, if there’s a spot I need to know about, please leave me a message in the comments.  Happy eating!

Meals were part of my media tour, all opinions are 100% my own.

Last year I was lucky to explore the Conejo Valley for the first time.  For our family living near the central coast, it’s not a typical location we would drive by on a road trip to Southern California.  When it comes to the fewest hours in the car, we are more likely to drive the seemingly endless Hwy 5 and then over the Grapevine into L.A.  If we want a more coastal trip down Hwy 101 we usually cruise as far as Santa Barbara, so this area has been bypassed or avoided until now.  Two trips and 6 days of fun, I’ve vowed to make this a destination spot to visit more often and tell the world about!

Located less than 30 minutes from the beaches of Malibu and 45 minutes from Los Angeles, the Conejo Valley offers all of the fun without the crowds and that’s what makes a visit even more worthwhile!  Just a few weeks ago a group of writers and myself found ourselves back for an FAM tour full of adventure!  Here’s a list of 4 great outdoor activities in the Conejo Valley that work for couples, families, or a friends’ getaway!

Pedego 101, Westlake Village

I’m a decent bike rider, I’ll go ahead and say that.  I enjoy leisurely rides around town with the kids, or sometimes on vacation along scenic paths .  Oh and I only enjoy riding on flat surfaces!  Once there’s uphill of any kind I panic and start shifting crazily until I jump off my bike and walk it up the darn road.  This makes my husband so sad as he loves to bike, especially mountain biking in Tahoe and he can never count on me!  When I learned that we’d be riding Electric Bikes on our Conejo Valley media trip, I got excited. It was definitely my first experience and I imagined the wind in my hair as we cruised along, not the wind knocked out of me from exertion!

Linda Coburn and John Tajiri opened Pedego 101 in Westlake Village after they experienced them last year in Seattle and fell in love with them.  I didn’t realize I would too.  After visiting the shop, a brief lesson on pedal assist and the throttle, we hopped on and started our 12 mile trek to Malibu Creek State Park and Paramount Ranch.  There is definitely a learning curve to electric bikes, when you go to pedal in pedal assist mode you get some immediate resistance and that feels different for sure but then your more natural riding experience kicks in.  I feel it gives you a little “boost” every so often during a leisurely ride. 

I rode to the park exclusively in pedal assist mode and here we met tour guide, local movie historian Brian Rooney, author of “Three Magical Miles.”  Brian showed us around to where the likes of Cary Grant, Barbara Stanwyck, Charlton Heston, Maureen O’Hara, Roddy McDowall, Elvis Presley, Reese Witherspoon, Rex Harrison and more shot scenes in major motion pictures. Movie locations include “Planet of the Apes”, “How Green Was My Valley”, “Batman”, “Pleasantville”, “Tora! Tora! Tora”, “Love Me Tender”, “The Towering Inferno” and more recently American Sniper as he shows us in the top photo.  Television shows like “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” was shot here and currently, “Bones.”

The return 12 mile trip I went for all-throttle.  Wow, how easy is uphill when you’re in throttle mode, it was incredible! Linda and John kept tabs on all of us during the trip, making sure everyone was comfortable and getting the hang of the bikes, they’re great guides!  Electric bikes are a must-try and they may even make it hard for you to ever have to pedal again.

Park Place Stable, Malibu

Joy Lazarus and her stable guide Roberto focused on safety as they welcomed our group in the Santa Monica Mountains and introduced us to their team of horses.  Gorgeous views of the valley surrounded us and we already felt at ease in this serene setting with the sound of light clopping around us.  Park Place Stable offers boarding, lessons, trail and beach rides and training at their new facility.

I’ve only been on a horseback ride once in Lanai, other than that it was around an arena for birthday parties with the kids.  I was a little anxious mounting Cornelious, as beautiful as she was, our lesson on stop, slow, whoa, right and left threw me for a loop when she’d pull down and want to eat the grass below.  The power and strength of the horse was something to awe, but we continued on as a group and headed toward Peter Strauss Ranch.  After coming down a steep hill (lean back to balance), the trail was pretty flat and relaxed through a few creekbeds (including smooth rocks), dirt paths, and even some streets to cross over a busy highway.

The horses were safe and sound, their demeanor was from what I could tell normal.  Roberto led the pack and on the return trip a few of us dismounted at the bottom of the steep hill we started.  We enjoyed the experience and if there’s a next time for me, a beach trail would be my first pick!

Hiking at Wildwood, Thousand Oaks

With thousands of acres of open space in the Conejo Valley, easy to more strenuous trails are abundant.  This year we had a horseback ride or hike option and half our group went each way.  Though I chose horseback, last year I went on a 2.5 mile hike at Wildwood Regional Park.  After a few days of indulging in the Valley’s finest cuisine, the hike was an amazing way to balance it all out.  The only downfall was that in the early fall, the heat was in the 90’s and we needed to cut the hike short.  The area is beautiful, visitors can expect to see waterfalls, scenic volcanic outcroppings, miles of trails, and several picnic areas.  In addition to its diverse multi-use trail system across ridgelines and into lush valleys, Wildwood is rich in historic and archaeological resources, unusual geologic formations, and is home to a wide range of plant and animal life ( I loved all the cacti).

Mud Run/5K, Dos Vientos Park

I participated in my first 5K event earlier this year as part as a sports fundraiser for a friend.  It’s one of those events that sounds intimidating and one worries that they need to prepare and train for it before committing.  Luckily it was an event that accepted people me-non runners-and there was a large group of walkers who still started and finished the 3.1 mile course.  When I learned that this media trip included a 5K Mud Run, I was pleased to learn again that I wasn’t expected to run, but the mud…well that scared a little.  I’ve heard stories of warrior dash type mud run where serious athletes compete for time and status and the courses were tough.

The Mud Crazy event held at Dos Vientos Park in Newbury Park was not one of those events, in fact it was very family friendly and is a benefit for The Thousand Oaks Teen Center.  With over 25 obstacles including hay bales, climbing walls, spider webs, tunnels, balance beams, a sand bag carry, and of course mud pits I was able to get through the course fairly unscathed.  At the start of the race music is blaring and pumping everyone up, participants lead off in a jog and I joined in though I had every intention of power walking the rest eventually.  Once the pack started spreading out, I chose to walk the course and many others did as well.  A second wave of runners started an hour after us, they were the competitors racing for prizes and bragging rights. 

In the end, I avoided personal injury by not climbing the walls and I admit I did not get in the mud pools (one other of our media group members also did not), but I did finish.  Chicken, yes, but the information is that the pools of mud were freezing cold at 9am and very rocky as well.  This clearly doesn’t mean I won’t try again the next time, I’m happy to report I’m more than willing to do another mud run/5k!  Following the event, there is a fun expo to peruse, many local vendors, and gourmet food trucks.  Shower stations are set up, so make sure you bring a towel and an extra pair of clothes! 

For more great activities and events held in the Conejo Valley, visit http://conejo.com.

Experience were hosted via our Media Tour, all opinions are 100% my own.