Spotted this sign in the Walnut Creek We Olive store. Anyone who loves olive oil and is looking for a job might find this a good match.
Spotted this sign in the Walnut Creek We Olive store. Anyone who loves olive oil and is looking for a job might find this a good match.
photo by Jeanie R. Wakeland
From an email:
WHEN: April 27 (5-9 p.m.) April 28 (10 a.m.-7 p.m.) April 29 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.)
WHAT: Artists’ Market
WHO: Clay Arts Guild
WHERE: Civic Arts Education Studio, 1313 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek
INFO: 925-943-5846, www.clayartsguild.comThe burst of green grass on Mt. Diablo and colorful wildflowers on the hillsides stimulate many gardeners to think about brightening their own yards and patios with plants, water features and garden decoration.
But where can they get unique pots and garden ware in which to put those plants?
The Clay Arts Guild (CAG) will focus on outdoor garden pots and garden decoration at the Artists’ Market spring sale on April 27-29. A reception with live music, light refreshments and a flower-arranging demo kicks off the sale from 5-9 p.m. April 27. The sale continues April 28, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and April 29, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Civic Park Studio, 1313 Civic Drive in Walnut Creek.
Yes, it’s fast food, but I believe Boudin Bakery & Cafe in downtown Walnut Creek at Broadway Plaza offers a great deal in terms of quality and price. My favorite dish is the Fra-Mani rosemary ham and brie sandwich. You can see the rest of their menu here. (after selecting Walnut Creek for pick-up location). They also offer a frequent buyer card in which you can take home a free loaf of bread monthly the first year in addition to $5 off every $50 spent.
Any fans? Boudin vs. Panera, which do you prefer?
SFGate’s top 100 Bay Area Restaurants list came out this month and the only restaurant to be listed in Walnut Creek is Va de Vi. Lafayette garnered none. In fact Va de Vi was the only restaurant listed in all of Contra Costa county. What about Ottavio in downtown Walnut Creek? Or Pizza Antica in Lafayette? What Walnut Creek/Lafayette restaurants should have been included?
When people wrote in to complain about lack of Walnut Creek and east bay restaurants, this is what the critic, Michael Bauer had to say:
The simple answer is that the restaurants are better in San Francisco and Napa Valley.
…I realize that it often boils down to location, and people will accept a slightly inferior experience to avoid the hassle of fighting the traffic, paying tolls, avoiding the homeless and everything else that goes with living in an urban center.
Not everyone agrees with some of the selections, but I don’t see how most people would argue that restaurants in Livermore, Berkeley or Mill Valley could compete with what’s in the city.
Is Bauer correct in his thinking here?
In the beginning, there was nothing. No police parking spots that is, at the Walnut Creek Target. Years later two police parking signs appeared in the Target parking lot, closest to the store. And now, as you can see in the above photo, there is only one. According to a Walnut Creek employee I spoke to, the additional spot was no longer needed.
If I remember correctly a few years ago there were some Craigslist exchanges happening in the parking lot here and some people got robbed as they handed over goods they planned on selling. That’s probably why those spots were added. Personally I don’t see why they need to reserve the best parking space for this; a couple of rows back in the corner is right near by and would serve the same purpose I imagine.
From the Walnut Creek Walks web page:
North Lime Ridge Open Space celebrates Spring with myriad wildflowers. Take this walk and get a botany lesson at the same time! Meet at 10 a.m. at the Bayberry Drive entrance to the north Lime Ridge Open Space. For details on the walk, including driving directions to the entrance, click here.
Brent Robert Kastroff
From a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District press release:
Late on Friday April 6th, 62 year old Walnut Creek resident Brent Robert Kastroff was arrested by Contra Costa County Fire District Investigators and the Walnut Creek Police Department at his home in the community of Rossmoor.
In January of this year, Fire Investigators received information about a small fire that occurred on private property on Vista Del Valle in Lafayette. The property is a large parcel that contains 3 homes but the majority of the 90 acres is grass covered land that even when maintained can still pose a wildfire threat to nearby homes and residents due to it’s size and topography. The investigation lead to the discovery of a previously unreported fire in May of 2011 in the same area; however there were no leads in either incident.
Last month Fire Investigators received information about a third fire on the same property that was similar to the previous two fires. Fire Investigators were able to develop some witness information after conducting a thorough neighborhood canvass assisted by the on duty firefighters from Lafayette Station 17. The investigation led Fire Investigators to contact Mr. Kastroff at his home in
Rossmoor which is adjacent to the property where the three fires had been discovered. Mr. Kastroff was interviewed and admitted to Fire Investigators he had started the fires and eventually led them to the very spots where the fires had been discovered earlier. Mr. Kastroff stated he did not feel he had done anything wrong because the fires were small and he had only started some pieces of paper on fire which caused small spots of grass to burn. What Mr. Kastroff failed to realize is the danger posed by causing a fire to start – even a small fire. Any fire, accidental or intentional, has the potential to become catastrophic and deadly. Fire investigators submitted the case to the District Attorney’s Office late Friday and a warrant for arson was issued for Kastroff’s arrest. Kastroff was booked into the County jail where his bail was set at $225,000 for three counts of arson to forest land.Kastroff has a history of fire setting dating back to 1995 and Kastroff was arrested in San Rafael in 1998 for setting fire to small papers in a trash can.
Other arsonists apprehended by the Fire Investigation Unit, such as Scott Weinberg who set numerous fires in the Concord and Walnut Creek area in 2009 and eventually caused over one million dollars in damage to a commercial building, and Thomas Hartman of Pittsburg who is currently awaiting trial for allegedly setting approximately 50 fires over the past two years, exhibited similar behavior to Kastroff in the beginning of their arson sprees.
Fires of any size should be reported immediately to the fire district. A fire appearing to be small or harmless may be important signs of dangerous or potential arson activity.
If anyone is aware of any fires possibly associated with Mr. Kastroff they are asked to contact the District’s Fire Investigation Unit at 925-942-9140 or call the Arson Tip Line at 1-866-502-7766.
The 1st Annual Walnut Creek Restaurant Week begins Monday, April 16th through Sunday April 22nd and offers prix fixe menus for lunch at $10-$20 and dinner for $20-$40. From their website:
Walnut Creek Restaurant Week is a culinary celebration of spectacular cuisine at incredible prices. Entice your appetite and delight your palate with prix-fixe menus offered at over 2 dozen restaurants. With cuisines that encompass American, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Japanese and Mexican (just to name a few), experience why our delicious community has been called, “The East Bay’s most popular dining destination.”
If you check out the website you can enter your email for a chance to dine out to a restaurant every week for a month. The list of participating restaurants and menus is here. Highlights include the Neiman Marcus Cafe, Ottavio, and Va de Vi. Also participating are Cypress, Lark Creek, Prima Ristorante, Sasa, Walnut Creek Yacht Club and a bevy of other restaurants in downtown Walnut Creek.
If I had to choose one I’d go with NM Cafe as I haven’t been yet and want to check it out. You can see the menu they offer for this special here. Considering what they normally charge this seems like a good deal. Any recommendations on what else to check out?
Some news off the beaten path: Moraga now has an alternative produce store besides Safeway. Located at 576 Center St. in the Rheem Valley Shopping Center, Moraga Produce offers a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, including an organic section as well. Take a look at the inside below:
I think I noticed Mexican Coca Cola being sold which is great as it uses real cane sugar instead of corn syrup. If the quality of the produce is good I can see this being a popular place to stock up instead of Safeway or a trip to Orinda or Lafayette.
Moraga Produce also has stores in Walnut Creek and Concord, has anyone been to one of them? How is it?
BDB Studio, aka Blow Dry Bar, is opening up in downtown Walnut Creek on April 20th, replacing a Cosmetology Salon. They are located at 1639 North California Blvd. in the Mercer Apartments complex. Their Facebook page had this poster:
It looks like this is a shampoo and styling salon for in-between hair-cut appointments. Check out the inside:
As noted previously, other than Mike’s Bikes and The Counter restaurant at each end, the stores located below Mercer Apartments are generally beauty salons of one type or another.