A Menu at the Mall for Many Tastes

Ed Watson, general manager of the new Favoritz Restaurant at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, said a restaurant should be able to accommodate even the most eclectic dinner party tastes.

“I’ve always looked at it as four people sitting around saying, ‘I feel like going out to eat. I feel like Chinese.’ And another saying, ‘I feel like barbecue,’ ” Watson said. “That’s the niche with our restaurant. Those four people could come here and all have what they want.”

Call this one Favoritz II, the first--also family-oriented and Hollywood-themed--having been opened in Woodland Hills in 1995.

Watson left as general manager of the original to open the new establishment. He was accompanied by chef Bri Flores, who will head both kitchens. Recipes are overseen by a product development specialist and a nutritionist.

So far, Watson said, the restaurant’s Chinese chicken salad ($7.45 half-order, $10.95 full order) seems to be the most popular dish.

The Favoritz salad list also includes a Thai noodle salad with grilled chicken and spicy peanut dressing ($7.45 and $10.95), a Greek salad with feta, black olives and cucumber in a wine vinaigrette ($6.95 and $10.95), and a chicken Parmesan salad with grilled chicken and smoked bacon in a balsamic vinegar ($7.45 and $10.95).

Entree choices include a 10-ounce charbroiled New York steak ($15.95), a roasted chicken ($10.95), rack of baby-back ribs ($8.95 for a half slab, $15.95 for full slab), Northern salmon ($13.95) and Idaho trout ($9.95).

For pastas, the list includes a vodka chicken sausage in a spicy tomato cream sauce served over penne ($9.95); spinach tortellini in a confetti of fresh zucchini and red pepper ($8.95); chicken Marsala over linguine ($10.95) and cheese ravioli topped with marinara sauce ($7.95).

Favoritz also has pizzas, burgers and soups. The Oaks is at 222 W. Hillcrest Drive.

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It is again that time of year when you get an opportunity to take a deep breath and dig into a plate of stomach.

Each year, people around the world celebrate the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns, who was born Jan. 25, 1759.

One of the works Burns is most noted for is his “Address to the Haggis”--the haggis being a traditional Scottish dish prepared by stuffing a sheep’s stomach lining with a minced mixture of the animal’s organs and oatmeal.

In honor of Burns, these folks not only consume the haggis, but partake in entire tributes to both the poet and this culinary challenge.

“I personally love it. I could eat a gallon of it,” said Chef Mark McGarry, who will be sharing the tradition Saturday at Crown and Anchor Sports Pub and Grub, a British restaurant in Thousand Oaks.

“People don’t really go for the traditional sheep’s stomach these days. We have a fake stomach, a large haggis lining,” said McGarry of Coventry, England. “It’s boiled with oatmeal and tripe and will be served with punchneeps [a mixture of creamed turnips and creamed potatoes].”

McGarry, whose father is Scottish, said the haggis comes pre-filled from an import company and--for those planning to make one at home--takes about 20 minutes per pound to boil. He has ordered enough to serve the expected crowd of about 150 people.

“We will display it on a tray and follow a bagpiper around the room and show it to the people,” McGarry said. “Somebody will stand up and read the poem, and we’ll have the blessing of the haggis. Then we’ll cut it with a Scottish knife, a dagger.”

Because the haggis samplings will be small, the Crown and Anchor also will offer its regular menu during the evening.

Burns night will begin at 7, with the Scottish Pipes and Drum Band performing from 9 p.m. to midnight. There will be a $5 cover charge. The restaurant is at 2891 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd.

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Fans of Rosita’s Kitchen of Saticoy, which shut down last May, might be happy to know that owner Rosa Sanchez-Agundez has opened her new restaurant inside the historical 90-year-old train car on Main Street in Ventura.

Rosita’s at the Side Car, which will serve the same homemade authentic Mexican cuisine as its predecessor, will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

The new Rosita’s is at 3029 E. Main St.