Pickles

Part of my family and I found ourselves in Thousand Oaks this weekend on our way to the Conejo Valley Botanical Gardens and needed to have lunch first.  I surveyed the locals and looked up restaurants and sent a list to my mom & uncle. But nobody wanted to choose, so in the end we settled on Pickles because it was on the Ojai side of town and it clearly said on the website it was open on Sunday afternoon--the rest required a phone call--and I don't make phone calls.

Pickles is technically a Jewish deli but it isn't the kind of place that looks like Grandma's kitchen. Instead it is a large diner type space with not much character at all in the one room restaurant.  The menu is massive--at least 8 pages bound together spiral-notebook style.

Even though it was closer to lunch time, I was really interested in getting something breakfasty--even though I wouldn't get any pickles that way.  I noted the French Toast Tower on the menu and asked the waiter about it. He really didn't go into detail except that he said it had fruit on it.  I ordered it.

The French Toast Tower to my surprise was an actual tower!  3 thick slices of french toast held up by banana columns--almost like a sundae.  I loved it!  The toast was tasty and cinnamon swirled and seriously. getting this much fruit at a restaurant is almost unheard of.  Despite the huge whipped cream dollup, I didn't feel like I really ate a super bad-for-me meal due to the fruit stacking.

The other food was good but not amazing. I think this is the kind of family diner you go to because it has something for everybody.  Besides the sweet presentation of my meal, the rest of the meals were totally regular but the portion size was good and the service fast.  If you need something in Thousand Oaks for a crowd of kids or people with different tastes this place is for you.





Pickles
1940 Newbury Rd # 100  
Newbury Park, CA 91320

Piatti Ristorante & Bar

While Piatti Ristorante & Bar may be a chain, this is the first time I have ever heard about it. I was searching for places to eat with my family in Thousand Oaks. Since I don't know anyone that lives there, it was a blind search with my good friend Google Maps. Piatti is an Italian restaurant in a large shopping area near other bigger chains such as Applebees and Chilis.

We arrived at the restaurant around 5pm and were seated immediately. Although there were other people seated, it looked like they were still setting up for the evening--wiping down menus, the hostess just arriving, rushing back and forth with extra silverware and napkins. It was a little crazy up front and didn't seem like it was going to be a quiet evening--but it was just a rouse. One weird thing was that the restaurant was mostly empty but we got seated right next to one of the only other full tables in the restaurant. It wasn't particularly a prime area either. I wished we were a little more spread out.

We were a party of six--one being a baby and the wait staff and busboys were all incredibly attentive. They brought anything we desired very quickly and were gracious to take extra wine glasses away when we asked.

We ordered the calamari and carpaccio to start. If carpaccio is on the menu, I always make a point to try it. There was also a basket of warm bread on the table with a garlic vinaigrette dipping sauce. I didn't try the calamari but it looked pretty good and every piece was eaten. The carpaccio was delicious. The meat had lots of flavor and was delicious with the accompanying greens and shaved Parmesan. It also came with a couple of homemade potato chips that seemed to be their signature accompaniment.

While we waited for our food the restaurant filled up. We were able to see into the kitchen. The atmosphere was casual but with white tablecloths--kind of like the atmosphere at the Macaroni Grill. There was candlelight on the table and the restaurant was mostly dark. It could be a nice place for a romantic dinner but it seemed like most tables were filled with parties of four or more.

For the main meal I ordered the parpadelle pasta with zucchini, tomatoes, and shrimp. The dish was very flavorful, and filling. The shrimp wasn't a minor part of the dish--there were so many shrimp in there that I eventually tired of them and had to give the last one away. I was pretty full after only half of my meal but ended up finishing it anyway. I didn't hear rave reviews about the other food--my mom said her margarita pizza was pretty plain--and I noticed that it hardly had any basil on it. The pizza also looked normal and came on a plate--not a wooden cutting board like it displays on their homepage. My dad said his spicy Italian sausage pizza was much more flavorful. My sister had a salad that was supposedly dinner salad size--but it was really small. The kids menu was pretty neat--each meal came with a gelato sundae and a drink. My nephew ate all of his chicken and mashed potatoes.

My brother-in-law ordered the warm chocolate cake for dessert and it came with chocolate sauce, and vanilla gelato on the side. The cake looked pretty good, but I didn't try any. The restaurant wasn't cheap--but it wasn't over the top either. If we had stuck to one course each I'm sure it would have been a lot cheaper. I wouldn't go out of my way to Piatti, but if I was in the area again, I would certainly consider returning.





Piatti Ristorante & Bar
101 S. Westlake Blvd.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
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