Neighborly in Westlake Village – Medium Good, High Hopes

Is there any greater amount of home cooking than the time from Thanksgiving to New Year? Besides various elaborate meals (lobster bisque, chicken parm, 35 cloves of garlic for sauces and bread, to name a few), I also made homemade fudge and my Scottish grandmother’s shortbread. More on that another time, but suffice it to say, if there is a butter shortage, blame me. The above two recipes required THREE sticks of butter.

So, ordering food from the new food-market-Eately-wannabe, just a ten-minute drive away in Westlake Village, seemed appropriate. It’s filling the former space held by Asian-fusion Social Monk, as devised and owned by parent company Cheesecake Factory. A Mendocino Farms creator is part of the new venture, with outposts in Manhattan Beach and Pacific Palisades planned.

As a solution for families who can’t decide whether to go Italian, Asian, or salad-y, it’s hoping to be the place to go locally. Purveyors are Gaby’s, The Cheese Shop, Social Monk, The Flour Shop, and Mini Kabob, with off-the-shelf fresh pasta from Joan’s on Third in L.A. The small space has these few independent purveyors and a common kitchen, plus a small refrigerated case of meals to bring home and heat. Via the website, I ordered a taco salad, John ordered a deep-dish pepperoni pizza, Grandpa went for Kung Pao chicken, and Juliet got lemon ricotta pasta from The Cheese Shop. Plus, a giant side salad of arugula and parmesan for us all to share. No dessert and skipped the $5 cookies from The Flour Shop.

A traffic-less ride from our neighborhood to Neighborly took 7 minutes, so I actually had a wait. Greeters were crisply clad in aprons and very friendly. They had been open for five days. A chef stood outside the open kitchen with an army of sous chefs expediting orders. Very efficient. Let’s see!

Once home, we unpacked it all and used our own forks, with their better-than-standard-takeout plating—no dishes please. The pasta was pretty good. Pizza was good, but there are better dedicated alternatives like Parma Pizzeria in town. Taco salad was basically flavorless—spring mix salad instead of romaine or little gem was a soggy choice (while doubtless cheaper), and at the very least, black beans should taste like cumin, not the can. No actual taco chips—just chip crumbles. The Chinese food was greatly enjoyed by Grandpa. His highest compliment came forth, “Not spicy!” Side dressing sent along for the salads was in ungenerous portions and not special. A menu edited by accounting would not be a first in the corporate restaurant world. Prices were the same (or a bit more) as dine-in at most of our local places, so at best you save on tip and changing out of pajamas. It was ok but not amazing.

Back to home cooking for dinner. . . but Juliet stopped by the market side the other day and brought home some amazing honey mustard pickles. As they work out the kinks, we may well try again.

📍 Located In:
The Promenade at Westlake

Address:
4000 E Thousand Oaks Blvd, Spc C1
Westlake Village, CA 91362

Website:
Be Neighborly