When the Oxnard institution Uncle Herb's Restaurant & Pancake House closed in September, Tom Rey Garcia was among those mourning the loss.

He grew up going there for breakfast at least once a week with his family, and, even as an adult, rejoiced when his order of strawberry pancakes came topped with "a mile-high tower" of whipped cream courtesy of Uncle Herb's owner Ron Lassiter.

But unlike the rest of us, Garcia was able to do something about filling the Uncle Herb's void.

Garcia is chef and co-owner of Tomas Cafe in downtown Oxnard. When family members decided to add more breakfast and lunch items to the cafe's existing menu of coffees, teas and art shows, he contacted Lassiter about bringing some of the old Uncle Herb's magic to the project. Lassiter, whose parents founded Uncle Herb's in 1968, was thrilled by the idea. "I still wanted to work in a restaurant; it's in my blood," he said.

So Lassiter is now at Tomas Cafe, acting as manager and overseeing the making of everything from huevos rancheros and chicken strip salads to pancakes and Uncle Herb's salad plate-sized cinnamon rolls, each of which comes topped with a melon baller's worth of butter.

"I'm not a calorie counter," Garcia said with a laugh. "I just wanted my pancakes and cinnamon rolls back."

Located at 622 South A St. in Oxnard, Tomas Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Call 483-6633.

MAKING A (WATER)MARK: Those watching the slow-but-steady progress of Watermark (and of its rooftop lounge, W2O) in downtown Ventura recently got two signs that the restaurant could open early this summer.

First, it was announced that the remodeled landmark will be the setting for a gala dinner when local-boy-made-good Kevin Costner brings his new movie, "Swing Vote," to Ventura for its July 26 premiere. That was followed by the naming, via a May 29 media release, of the restaurant's executive chef. He is Ray Luna, with a résumé that lists gigs with Patina, Spago and the late Stars in San Francisco.

Noting that Watermark is "poised to open in late June," the release also gave a phone number and Web site for the eatery, neither of which was in operation as of Tuesday morning. The next sign to look for? That could be the installation of the Watermark sign itself, made by Artisan Bronze in Oxnard.

WINE TIME: Publication of the Ventura County Wine Trail, a map of area tasting rooms, wine bars and wineries, will be celebrated from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the California Welcome Center in Oxnard (1000 Town Center Drive, Suite 135; 385-7545). Included on the map, and on hand to pour samples during the party, will be Casa Barranca and Old Creek Ranch wineries of the Ojai Valley, Rancho Ventavo Cellars of Moorpark, Cantara Cellars, Camarillo Custom Crush and Bella Victorian Winery & Vineyard of Camarillo and Herzog Wine Cellars of Oxnard. Capistrano's, Enoteca Toscana, La Dolce Vita, the SideCar and Tierra Sur will be among the restaurants serving wine-friendly appetizers.

Bad Dog Ranch Vineyards of Sonoma and Vines on the Marycrest of Paso Robles are just two of the wineries expected to participate when the Ojai Wine Festival takes place from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at Lake Casitas near Ojai. (Local wineries Noble Oaks and Ojai Ridge also will be present and accounted for.) Tickets for the Rotary Club of Ojai-West event are $25 in advance, $35 at the gate and $15 for nontasters age 16 and older (16 and younger are admitted free). Call 800-648-4881 or click on http://www.ojaiwinefestival.com.

THE SUBJECT WAS GRILLING: If you don't already know your way around a barbecue, attending an outdoor cooking class might be in order.

At 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Ricardo Valdes, a chef-in-training at the Inn of the Seventh Ray in Topanga, will return to his hometown to share his family's recipe for grill-top paella during a free cooking demonstration at Stuart's BBQ & Fireplace Design Center, 1700 E. Ventura Blvd., Ste. D, Oxnard. Call 485-0535.

Alberto Vazquez, chef at Mediterraneo at the Westlake Village Inn, will start the restaurant's first-ever "culinary arts series" with Master Your Grill classes at 2 and 6 p.m. June 28. On the syllabus: spice rubs, marinades, herbal infusions for seafood, and techniques for grilling vegetables, steaks and desserts. For reservations, $70, call 818-889-9105. For other classes in the series, including kid-friendly sessions, go to the restaurant's Web site at http://www.med-rest.com.

LOCAL FOOD FIELD TRIP: Known for the lettuces, greens and herbs it produces for the Santa Monica farmers markets and area restaurants, Maggie's Farm, a six-acre organic site in Agoura Hills, will be open for tours and tastings of its lettuces and braising mixes from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday. Growers Dennis Peitso and Monica Behan also will discuss varieties being grown as seed trials for Seeds of Change, a Santa Fe-based producer of organic seeds. For reservations and directions, call 503-349-0354 or send an e-mail to localfoodsource@gmail.com.

IN REVIEW: For restaurant critic Rita Moran's thoughts on IRONHORSE Restaurant and Lounge in Santa Paula, see Time Out in Thursday's Star.

— E-mail Lisa McKinnon at lmckinnon@VenturaCountyStar.com.