Corners Tavern to Offer Brunch Service Beginning this Weekend

June 1, 2012 11:30 am

photo by Stacy Ventura

Corners Tavern in downtown Walnut Creek next to Macy’s will begin offering brunch service starting tomorrow. Check out their brunch menu here.

From an email:

Nestled in the heart of downtown Walnut Creek, the new contemporary American restaurant, Corners Tavern will begin serving lunch on Saturday (11:30-2) and Sunday brunch (10:30-2:30) starting this weekend, June 2. The new brunch menu will continue the theme of big, bold flavors and will be divided into two categories: appetizers and entrees. Guests can choose from sweet dishes like the Brioche French Toast with Strawberry Butter or savory fare like the Duck Confit Hash with Fingerling Potatoes and Baked Duck Egg or the Grilled Shrimp and Grits with Housemade Andouille Sausage. Brunch cocktails include the Mimosa, Brazilian(Cachaca, mint, lemongrass, lime and Prosecco) and the Michelada (Mexican beer, tabasco and lime). A full brunch menu is attached.

Perfect for summer, Corners Tavern will have the patio seating available for outdoor dining and (weather permitting) the large front-facing roll-up garage doors open for indoor dining.

Corners Tavern will remain open after brunch and lunch service with a mid-day menu featuring a limited number of items including salads, smoked chicken wings, house-made charcuterie, the Corners burger and a variety of light snacks such as the smoked and spiced almonds and duck fat roasted potatoes. The mid-day menu is a perfect respite for Walnut Creek shoppers looking for a small bite between meals or a cold, refreshing beverage on a warm day.

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When Science Fiction Meets Reality

May 31, 2012 10:30 am

Over the weekend I had a chance to check out the Bay Area KidFest in Concord with my kid which was fun, and afterwards we headed over to Baskin-Robbins at Todos Santos Plaza for some much needed ice cream. Before entering I noticed a big poster promoting a Men in Black III ice cream tie-in. Although I haven’t seen the third movie yet, I have seen the first Men in Black, and remember the striking image of the Tony Shaloub character Jack Jeebs regrowing his head.

So with that frame of reference, we entered the store and sitting right at front is a woman with a very small head. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I was hallucinating slightly, or maybe it was an extended promotion for the movie due to the nearby KidFest. Not wanting to be rude by staring, I quickly noted that she was dressed normally, having a conversation with someone else, and so I decided which ice cream flavor to get.

It was only later, when I got home, that I found out that there is a neurodevelopmental disorder called Microcephaly, “in which the circumference of the head is more than two standard deviations smaller than average for the person’s age and sex.”

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Neiman Marcus Cafe in Walnut Creek Now Offering Prix Fixe Dinner Menu Option

May 30, 2012 11:30 am

Back in April I raved about the Neiman Marcus Cafe popovers in downtown Walnut Creek thanks to the first ever Walnut Creek restaurant week in which I was able to eat lunch there for a reasonable $20 which included an appetizer, entree, dessert and those delicious popovers, with strawberry butter of course. It looks like I wasn’t the only one to take advantage of the special prix fixe menu because the Walnut Creek NM Cafe has decided to offer a prix fixe dinner option year round, for $30. The menu will change weekly and the full menu will still be offered as well.

I had a chance to dine there last week (Kristi Yamaguchi was sitting a few tables away), and as you can see, both the dessert and entree look (and tasted) amazing. The photo above is the “Apple Brown Betty”, consisting of warm sweetened brioche & caramelized apples topped with vanilla and caramel sauce, and below feast your eyes on the chili-lime glazed scallop:

I also had a chance to try some other dishes and my favorites were the short rib pasta with house-made pappardelle pasta, cabernet marinara, parsnip puree, pistachio-parmesan persillade, and blackened Mahi consisting of rouille shrimp risotto, cajun Beurre Blanc, roasted corn & poblano relish. This week’s menu offers the short rib pasta and pan-seared Mahi Mahi.

These dishes come from executive chef Santana Diaz who I briefly met:

Santana has worked in the culinary world for many years, includes stints as the sous chef for the Sacramento Kings, including coaches, player’s families and celebrity VIPs, as well at Taste and The Firehouse in Sacramento.

We will be offering a last seating at 8PM Monday-Friday, Saturday last seating at 7PM, and last seating Sundays at 6PM. Along side the full menu offered daily we will also have a 3 course prix fixe menu offered for $30 per person! Customers may choose the entree-only option from the prix fixe menu if they do not want all three courses as well. The entrees for the prix fixe menu will always offer one seafood entree and one “land” entree for variety and I will be changing the entree options for the prix fixe every week to keep it original. We will also offer a special soup, salad, sandwich, entree, and dessert which will change daily and offered concurrent with the regular menu and prix fixe menu.

The Neiman Marcus Cafe is located on the 2nd floor of Neiman Marcus at the corner of Main St. and Mt. Diablo Blvd. across the street from Tiffany & Co.

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New “Almond Station” Homes Coming to Downtown Walnut Creek

May 30, 2012 8:30 am

At the intersection of Almond Ave. and Oakland Blvd. in downtown Walnut Creek, 9 new homes are being built by Ryder Homes, to be called “Almond Station“. 7 of the homes will be single family, with one duplex unit for a total of 9.

The location is amazing, within 10 minutes walking distance to both the Walnut Creek Bart station, and downtown Walnut Creek as well:

View Larger Map

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Fashion Scuttlebutt – Sway May be Coming to Walnut Creek

May 29, 2012 11:30 am

The latest fashion scuttlebutt I’ve learned is that the fashion boutique Sway is scouting locations in Walnut Creek. They started in Berkeley and now have 8 stores in California. Check out the interior of the Concord store:

Has anyone been to the Concord location? If so, what did you think of it?

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Sign of the Day

May 28, 2012 8:30 am

Spotted inside Str8 Edge Barbershop in downtown Walnut Creek.

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Neiman Marcus Walnut Creek Pre-Sale In Progress Now – Sale Starts May 31st

May 26, 2012 8:00 am

I happened to check out Neiman Marcus in Walnut Creek yesterday when I noticed there is a pre-sale going on right now before the actual sale begins on May 31st. There were multiple racks of women’s shoes in the pre-sale as well so you might want to stop by before the sale begins next Thursday for the best selection.

From May 29th through May 31st you can also get triple inCircle bonus points on selected sale merchandise in Fine Apparel and Ladies’ Shoes.

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Walnut Creek Memorial Day Ceremony – May 28th

May 25, 2012 4:30 pm

Photo by Flickr user davidyuweb

From the City of Walnut Creek website:

The City of Walnut Creek will honor the memory of fallen soldiers during its traditional Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 28. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m at the gazebo at Civic Park, corner of North Broadway and Civic Drive.
Keynote speakers retired Tech Sergeant Bob Tharratt and retired Sergeant Dick Ingraham will tell the story of how a regiment of Ingraham’s Infantry Division liberated a group of POWs that included Tharratt, and how they discovered that connection more than 50 years later during a conversation at a Walnut Creek church.
Other highlights of the Memorial Day Ceremony include music by the Walnut Creek Concert Band under the direction of Harvey Benstein. Chaplain Dwane Michael of John Muir/Mt. Diablo Health System will give the invocation and blessing, and the National Guard will present the colors and close the ceremony with the traditional laying of the wreaths at the Veterans Memorial Plaza.
North Broadway between Civic Drive and Lincoln Avenue will be closed during the ceremony.

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Paragon Apartments Gets Approval in Walnut Creek

May 25, 2012 4:15 pm

The Paragon Apartments project has been approved by the Walnut Creek Planning Commission last night. The Walnut Creek Current Projects website says:

A proposed project to demolish an 80,000 square-foot office building and develop a 300-unit, market-rate apartment development on the 5.08-acre site. The project includes: a 468-stall, five-level parking structure; on-site public pedestrian path; and, a new intersection at the project entry.

The final Environmental Impact Report can been viewed here. The Paragon Apartments will be located at 141 North Civic Drive:

View Larger Map

Looking at the map it seems like it would be at least a 25 minute walk to either Walnut Creek Bart or downtown. Would anyone be interested living here?

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Step into the Broadway Plaza Time Capsule

May 25, 2012 11:30 am

Earlier this month I reported on some scuttlebutt about an empty storefront being turned into conference space, and recently I noticed they added 2 images from inaugural Broadway Plaza store advertisements and an aerial view of Broadway Plaza as well.

From the October 10, 1951 Contra Costa Times:

Here is an ad with all the new stores listed:

Of these stores, I’d be most curious to check out, “Le Savarin Bakery”, and “Dwight’s New Yorker Delicatessen”. Also listed is:

J.C. Penney Company
Sears Roebuck and Company
F. W. Woolworth Company
Senior’s Junior Boot Shop
Singer Sewing Machine Company
Mode O’Day Frock Shops
Joseph Magnin Company
Lucky Stores
Faust’s Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge
Stephen’s Fountain Lunch
Le Savarin – Bakery
A.C. Kenville Health Food Store
Dwight’s New Yorker Delicatessen
Diablo Ice Cream Shop
The Toy House

What I’d like to know is what kind of health food was sold back in 1951? I never even realized they had health food stores back then! Does anyone remember these stores?

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