Dinner and Music Show at the Veterans Memorial Building in Lafayette on Mar. 8th

February 27, 2013 4:30 pm

From an email:

Lafayette Veterans Memorial Building
3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette
Friday, March 8th, 2013
6:30pm – Midnight | $85

Generations in Jazz Foundation invites you to It’s a Wonderful World – an evening of dinner and music Including the Big Band of Rossmoor, Bob Athayde & Friends, Dominant 7 and Juice This dinner is a salute to all the generous foundations and organizations that help to make Lafayette a wonderful place to live, work and play.

It all happens Friday March 8 at the Lafayette Events Center (aka Lafayette Veterans Memorial Building at 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette. Cocktails begin at 6:30pm and Dinner is served at 8:00pm.

For information or to make reservations please visit the Chamber website or call us at 284-7404. Tickets which go towards supporting the Big Band of Rossmoor are $85 per person.

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California Fresh Opens in Walnut Creek

February 27, 2013 11:30 am

Back in December I noted that Fresh Choice was closing in Walnut Creek and now the same owner is back with a makeover called California Fresh. According to head chef Doug Korach in addition to the organic salad bar there will be a coffee bar with pastries for sale as well as a wine and beer bar. Rice bowls with vegetables will be introduced where the pasta station used to be. No word yet on when the Fresh Choice sign will be replaced.

Check out the salad bar:

California Fresh is located at 1275 S Main St in Walnut Creek at the corner of Botelho Dr. and S. Main St.

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Wish Gift Shop Opens in Walnut Creek

February 27, 2013 8:30 am

Back last September I noted that Davidson & Lichte’s The Watch Shoppe closed on N. Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek and now the family-owned Wish gift shop has opened at this location offering gifts for all types, from babies, children as well as adults. The owner’s family had a similar shop in Carmel and the quality of goods is evident. They even have a few vintage toys such as fire engines and trucks that looked very cool. Although Davidson & Lichte plan on moving back to this location (as well as Vanessa’s) eventually, Wish would like to stay here as long as possible.

Check out some of the gifts for sale:

Wish Gift Shop is located at 1329 N. Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek across from Starbucks.

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Carnaval! – St. Mary’s Museum Docent Talk at Lafayette Library this Thurs

February 26, 2013 4:30 pm

From the Lafayette Library and Learning Center:

Lafayette Library and Learning Center
3491 Mt Diablo Blvd, Lafayette
Thursday, February 28th, 2013
6:30pm – 7:30pm | $5

Curious about Carnaval? Join us for a lively discussion
about this enthralling new exhibit at Saint Mary’s
College! Heidi Donner, Manager of Educational
Programs at Saint Mary’s newly renovated Museum of
Art, will discuss the Museum’s colorful display that
captures the European and American origins, history and
practices of “The Feast Before the Fast.” Ms. Donner
will share highlights of the sights and sounds of Carnaval
in New Orleans, Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Trinidad, Italy,
Spain, and Switzerland.
Also featured: a dynamic video documentary of Carnaval
festivities around the world by award-winning travel
photojournalist Robert Jerome. For thirty years, Mr.
Jerome has photographed Carnaval in Europe, the
Americas and the Caribbean. A few items from the
exhibit will be on display in the community hall as well.

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Tasty Scuttlebutt – Pinkberry to Open in Downtown Walnut Creek

February 26, 2013 11:30 am

Last October the clothing store Brandy Melville moved from a small shop next to the Cheesecake Factory in downtown Walnut Creek to a larger place a few blocks away and now word on the street is that the frozen yogurt chain Pinkberry is going to be opening up in this location. Currently this downtown spot has quite a few chain restaurants in addition to the Cheesecake Factory, including Chipotle, Panera, Starbucks, Buckhorn Grill and soon-to-be Ike’s sandwich shop so this could be a smart move opening up there. The spot where Ike’s will be, a couple of doors away, is where the frozen yogurt shop Red Mango used to be a few years ago. Keep in mind this is not confirmed yet.

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Car of the Day

February 26, 2013 10:00 am

Spotted on Locust St. in downtown Walnut Creek near the movie theater, I bet this Audi R8 is a sweet ride.

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XCVI Pop-Up Shop Boutique Opens in Broadway Plaza

February 26, 2013 8:30 am

XCVI Pop-Up Shop, a fashion boutique also featuring local art from California has opened up in Broadway Plaza in downtown Walnut Creek where Build-A-Bear used to be.

From their Facebook page:

The XCVI Popup Store is designed as an international bazaar, where shoppers can expect the bohemian aesthetic and ease of style that makes XCVI an effortlessly chic lifestyle brand. The store will feature XCVI’s vacation style clothing, as well as hand selected ensemble of local artisans showcasing their craft.

According an employee I spoke with the clothing is designed and manufactured in Los Angeles. Has any one checked them out yet? What are your impressions?

Check out the register area:

More photos of the inside and local art for sale after the jump…

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Vandal-at-Large Causes $10,000 in damages to Broadway Plaza Stores

February 25, 2013 10:00 pm

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ABC News is reporting that a “vandal has been etching illegible graffiti onto the glass”, causing $10,000 in damages to Broadway Plaza stores. He has not been caught yet.

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An Evening with Author Dave Eggers – A Hologram for the King

February 25, 2013 4:30 pm

An Evening with Dave Eggers, author of A Hologram for the King
3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd. (Veteran’s Memorial Building)
Thursday, February 28th, 2013
7:00pm | Free

Amazon book description:

In a rising Saudi Arabian city, far from weary, recession-scarred America, a struggling businessman pursues a last-ditch attempt to stave off foreclosure, pay his daughter’s college tuition, and finally do something great. In A Hologram for the King, Dave Eggers takes us around the world to show how one man fights to hold himself and his splintering family together in the face of the global economy’s gale-force winds. This taut, richly layered, and elegiac novel is a powerful evocation of our contemporary moment — and a moving story of how we got here.

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Lottie’s Creamery Opens in Downtown Walnut Creek

February 25, 2013 11:30 am

The wait is finally over as the ice cream shop Lottie’s Creamery opened in downtown Walnut Creek over the weekend. I dropped by a couple of times and it was packed with people trying out the new cream store on the block. As you can see by the photo above the storefront is now decorated with ice cream scoopers and Lottie’s milk bottles in front of the white bench where you can sit and enjoy your scoop.

The photo below (with chef and co-owner Deb Phillips) shows off their inside signage noting that, Lottie’s is “the Bay Area’s only micro-creamery pasteurizing organic & seasonal ingredients on site!”. The pasteurizer is actually visible through the window below the sign. To see a closer view click here.

Of the flavors I tried two that stood out were Irish Coffee Crunch and blood orange sorbet. Absolutely delicious. Of course I went back to my mainstay of chocolate and when I went back another day they were out of Irish coffee crunch so I uncharacteristically went for vanilla which was amazingly good as well. Since they make it there everything tastes incredibly fresh. Speaking of fresh, the fresh mint was great as well. Prices start at $3.50 for a single scoop, and they also serve blue bottle coffee and a few baked goods as well.

Check out a close-up vanilla ice cream photo, the flavor list and more after the jump…

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Beyond the Creek