I don’t what it is about Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Nordstrom but there sure are a lot of them right in front all the time. Behind this yellow Lamborghini is a blue Ferrari by the way. I wonder if they might prefer shopping at Neiman Marcus instead. (Thanks to the reader below for the correction.)
The designer fashion chain Betsey Johnson is being liquidated and all 69 stores will be shutdown, including the one in downtown Walnut Creek at 1198 Broadway Plaza across from Nordstrom. There are 20-40% markdowns now, but I imagine the discounts will increase over the next few weeks as they get rid of their current inventory.
This is a prime retail location with newly opened Neiman Marcus around the corner, and Nordstrom right across the street, so I’m curious what store will open in its place. What would you like to see there?
The Moraga Community Faire will be held at the Rheem Valley Shopping Center this Saturday, May 12th starting at 11am. In addition the entertainment listed below, there will be a classic car show and wine tasting. From the Moraga Chamber of Commerce website:
Activities for the whole family:
Entertainment Schedule
11:00am Campo Chamber Singers
11-1:30pm Chalk Drawing Contest
11:15am Dunk Tank Moraga Celebrity
11:30am The Saklan School Musicians
11:30-2pm Fingerprinting with Moraga PD
12:00pm Dunk Tank Moraga Celebrity
12:15pm Oak Grove Bluegrass Family
1:15pm Dunk Tank Moraga Celebrity
1:30pm EE and Friends (Littledog2)
2:30pm Dunk Tank Moraga Celebrity
2:45pm Peter Pan Foundation Kids
3:15pm Faire Passport Prize Drawing
3:30pm Carshow Trophies
3:45pm Dunk Tank Moraga Celebrity
photo by Flickr user Seuss
From the Friends of the Creeks website:
Join us for the 23rd Annual Creek Cleanup on Saturday, May 12. Meet at the gazebo in Civic Park at the corner of Broadway and Civic Drive in downtown Walnut Creek.
Continental breakfast at 8:45. Registration at 9:00.
ALL PARTICIPANTS must have a waiver form. Click here to download a form and get more details about the cleanup.
Photos of the 2011 creek cleanup are available here. Photos from this year’s cleanup will be posted approximately a week after the cleanup.
Spotted on Locust St. in downtown Walnut Creek:
A Tribute to Ted Gurney
The Mayor of Locust Street
Master of photography – photographic craftsman
President Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce 1977-78
President Parent Club, Los Lomas High School
Locust Street beautification chairman
Chairman Civic Arts Commission
U.S. Air Corp World War II
Walnut Creek’s business person of the year 1982
It’s been a while since I checked in on the new restaurant Citra Grill in downtown Walnut Creek across the street from the Century Movie Theater, at 1550 Olympic Boulevard. Yesterday I met with the owner to see how the progress was coming and found out that they expect to open in the beginning of June.
The vaulted ceilings really makes it feel spacious. Note the brand new kitchen equipment behind the counter.
At the other end of the counter are the cash registers:
An interesting component will be the combination of self and full service so you’ll order and pay at the counter but once seated, you’ll be able to order an extra dish from your table as well if you wish. The ingredients will be top quality and will serve fresh California cuisine. A private soft opening will be followed by a public opening in early June if all goes well.
With the weather getting nicer out, I want to ask about outdoor dining options. Va de Vi, pictured above, is one option. The recently opened Corners Tavern is another. Citra Grill, opening next month, will have outdoor seating with butterfly doors opening up the inside as well. The Counter, Lark Creek, and Pomegranate also come to mind. In Lafayette there’s Chow, Pizza Antica and Metro.
So for this week’s question of the day, where is your favorite restaurant patio in Walnut Creek, Lafayette or nearby? Any newly opened places have good outdoor spaces? What other ones are promising?
Fans of the Walnut Creek Baking Company will be excited to know that the owner, Denise Vickers, has recently published a cookbook, The Walnut Creek Baking Company Cookbook, which contains the actual recipes sold at the bakery, “filled with gorgeous photos and all the recipes for your favorites, plus notes, anecdotes and the story of how the bakery came to be.”
You can order the book online here, or drop by the bakery and pick up the cookbook directly. The price is $55. I glanced through a copy and thought it was really well put together with amazing photos throughout. As someone who has enjoyed eating the pastries for many years I think it’s great there is now a cookbook available with recipes and stories about the bakery itself.
What’s your favorite pastry? I enjoy eating almost everything here that I have a hard time choosing what I like best. The Chocolate Crackle cookie would rank highly though.
Trust in Education is hosting a comedy show at the Veteran’s Memorial Building in Lafayette this Friday, May 11th featuring comedian Mark Lundholm. From their website:
Now is the time to purchase tickets for TIE’s 2012 Funraiser and evening of comedy.
When: May 11, 2012
Where: Lafayette Veterans Memorial Hall
3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Lafayette
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 Silent auction, Drinks & Appetizers
7:30 Program Starts
Donation: Adults $60 Students $30Call 925.299.2010 for tickets or email us: trustineducation@gmail.com
Tickets may also be purchased through their website.
The French Bakery is a cute looking cafe and teahouse located next to Chow in downtown Lafayette offering lunch, tea and pastries as well as special occasion cakes. You can check out their lunch menu here, and tea/dessert menu here. From their website:
At The French Bakery you can enjoy lunch or afternoon tea in the relaxing ambiance of a quaint old house with three separate seating areas: the Morning Room, the Dining Alcove and the Library. You can also sit down and enjoy a scone and a pot of tea, or a dessert and a Cappuccino in our Bakery Parlour or outside on our patio. We also have our own awarding-winning bakery on site where everything is made from scratch, including our Clotted Cream. The only ingredient in our clotted cream is 100% real dairy cream.
We pride ourselves on our homemade luncheon items and our scrumptious afternoon tea fare. We have a very large tea selection of over 70 different super-premium black, green, red, and white teas for you to savor at our tea house or to take home, including 24 teas direct from Marriage Frères, Paris.We also have a wide selection of Tea Cups, Teapots, and Teapots for One, as well as other tea related gift items.
Check out the tea and pastry selection:
The French Bakery is located ta 71 Lafayette Circle in downtown Lafayette. Having eaten at a Chow many times I knew about the French Bakery but haven’t had a chance to eat there yet. Any fans of this place? What are the must-order items?