While walking by Starbucks in Broadway Plaza in downtown Walnut Creek over the weekend I noticed this La Boulange sign on the Starbucks door. Looks like Starbucks is finally trying to offer higher quality bakery items in their stores. Has anyone tried Boulange items at Starbucks yet? How are they?
That’s a cool looking grill if I do say so myself. Maserati spotted, where else but in front of Nordstrom.
Last April I noted that Traction Bikes opened in downtown Lafayette on Mt. Diablo Blvd. but unfortunately they are closing. The owner mentioned that he’s looking for someone to take over the lease. That leaves Sharp Bicycle and Hank & Frank Bicycles as the remaining bike shops in Lafayette.
A couple of weeks ago I noted that the restaurant Rustic Kitchen would be opening where Roya’s Royal Garden used to be on Mt. Diablo Blvd. in downtown Lafayette and now Diablo Dish has more details about the owners and the cuisine, which will be, “seasonal, California-American fare, including daily housemade pastas and flatbreads, grilled fish and grass-fed steak, salads and sandwiches for lunch.”
I had a chance to drop by and chat with co-owner Gary Rust who also mentioned that the cuisine will be organic when possible. Based on his work at One Market, Lark Creek’s flagship restaurant as well as his background growing up in Massachusetts, seafood dishes such as Dungeness crab cakes and lobster salads will be appearing on the menu during the season in addition to house smoked and grilled fish. Add homemade pastas, steaks, burgers as well as an expansive wine list and cocktails designed by former Walnut Creek Yacht Club bartender and Food Network celebrity Manny Hinojosa and this is shaping up to be a must-try restaurant.
Check out the interior progress with new flooring recently put in:
Based on Rust’s description of using reclaimed wood for an upscale casual food environment I’m excited to see how it turns out in a few weeks. Rustic Kitchen is located at 3576 Mt. Diablo Blvd. across from Postino.
Lots of bridal store action happening in Walnut Creek lately with the bridal boutique Kinsley James Couture Bridal opening up over the weekend. Located at 1623 Mt. Diablo Blvd. around the corner from the Century movie theater, they have a spacious and contemporary interior which looks amazing. You can check out their Facebook page here.
Check out the sweet interior:
Brett Kern, Inflatable Dinosaur Series: Tyrannosaurus Rex, 2013, ceramic.
Peaceable Kingdom: Animals, Real and Imagined
Bedford Gallery
1601 Civic Dr. Walnut Creek
March 3rd – May 19th, 2013
$5 | FREE first Tuesdays of the monthA juried show devoted to investigating our storied and rich relationship with the animal world,Peaceable Kingdom will invite prominent curators to assemble a collection of innovative and appealing works by national artists. This exhibition will explore the presence of animals in the visual arts, and how they appear as metaphors, totems, objects of fear, and sources of emotional attachment and affection. The history of human and animal interaction is filled with tales of failed domestication, unusual friendships, and fearsome predators. Human fascination with the animal kingdom has run the gamut from emotional connection, to economic exploitation, and even scientific curiosity. Throughout all of these interactions, however, the sense of wonder we feel when we encounter animal life has been an enduring theme that has informed their continued and abiding presence in the visual arts. This juried exhibition will encourage artists to meditate on these complex and diverse relationships, addressing such issues as antagonism, admiration, attachment, and even the politically charged issue of animal rights.
One of the unique parts of the Walnut Creek Neiman Marcus store was the wind fins in front which would swing back and forth with the wind. Some loved them, others hated them, but now they are gone. However, according to an employee I spoke with they were falling off so they were taken down to fix.They should be back in four months.
Back in January the Walnut Creek night club Vice Ultra Lounge closed after a contentious existence culminating with a sarcastic YouTube video by owner Matt DeLima thanking the city for their ‘help’ through the years. Now, DeLima is back at the same location with a new sports (& coffee) lounge concept called Blu 42. With a full liquor license and breakfast, lunch and dinner menus available, it’s possible to enjoy the game while watching one of the numerous widescreen TVs hanging around the lounge area. Thanks to a reader for letting me know about this.
The back part of the lounge will offer dancing at the end of April. Blu 42 will be open every day until 11pm and in April they are scheduled to be open until 2am. With a full liquor license and dancing you might be tempted to call it part night club, part sports lounge but Blu 42 wants to stay away from that word so call it a dance lounge, call it a night life establishment but remember, it’s not a night club. 😉
Check out their breakfast menu (click to enlarge):
This is part of the sports lounge area:
Blu 42 is located at 1251 Arroyo Way in Walnut Creek between Civic Drive and N. Broadway.
