Restaurant rises out of the ashes

Construction is about to begin at the Westlake Village site of the former Cisco's Mexican restaurant, which burned down more than 18 months ago. But it won't be another Cisco's as owner Bob Wilson had hoped.

Instead, Wilson has subleased the property at 925 S. Westlake Blvd. to a company called 2k5 Nightlife, which owns P6 restaurant in Westlake Village and Chapter 8 Steakhouse and Dance Lounge in Agoura Hills. The lease is for 25 years.

The company will build Suki 7, a Japanese restaurant and nightclub. Suki means "elegant pursuits" in Japanese. Using the same designer who worked on P6 and Chapter 8, Suki 7 will be "relaxing and organic, yet sexy," according to Brad Finefrock, 2k5 general partner. The nightclub area will have an edgy, futuristic look, he added.

"There will be state-of-theart lighting and a video show on the dance floor," Finefrock said. "It will be really spectacular."

The restaurant will include a main dining room that seats 100, a sushi bar for 24 people, a 1,500-square-foot outdoor patio with fire pits, three private dining rooms and a private banquet facility.

Suki 7 will be open for lunch and dinner six days a week, with the nightclub open Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Finefrock said he anticipates the $4 million project to be completed by March.

For Wilson, a former Thousand Oaks mayor and current City Council candidate, the sublease is bittersweet. He and his family built Cisco's, which opened in 1974. An investigation found that an electrical short was the cause of the fire that destroyed the restaurant in March 2005.

"It's still a little emotional," Wilson said.

Wilson had planned to rebuild Cisco's but changed his mind when he did not get the insurance settlement he had hoped

for. He still hopes to build a Cisco's but at a smaller location in the Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village area.

"Just about everything is built on," Wilson said. "It may be another year before we find (a property)."

The Wilsons will continue to operate the Cisco's location on Avenida de los Arboles in Thousand Oaks.

"We still have a restaurant and quite a following," Wilson said. "The city has been very good to us."

He said he decided to sublease to Finefrock because he was pleased with the concept for Suki 7 and said the deal is good for him financially.

"It's going to be a beautiful place," Wilson said.

For Finefrock, Suki 7 marks the last of the company's restaurant developments in the Conejo Valley. He's now looking in Los Angeles or Las Vegas for 2k5's next location.

"We have enough out here," Finefrock said. "We're doing well and it's been good."