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?
Spotted in downtown Walnut Creek, note the old-style coke bottle and container at top. The text on the side of the car says, “Endeavor to be Adequate”.
With Orinda Theatre Square coming alive lately, the aMFa art gallery, located next to the soon to be opened Barbacoa Mexican restaraunt is in a great location to take advantage of visitors dining out or shopping. In addition to art by the owner Allison McCrady, other artists are represented as well:
The piece at left, which I was immediately drawn to, has already been sold by the way, but there are plenty of other exciting pieces available so drop by if you have the chance.
aMFa also offer art classes for $300 per term. Occasionally they display (and paint) outside the gallery/studio in Orinda Square which makes for a pleasant experience while strolling around downtown Orinda.
photo by Flickr user soyunterrorista
This Thursday is Bike to Work Day and there will be Energizer Stations in both Walnut Creek and Lamorinda serving refreshments and promotional items throughout the day. From their website:
Come help celebrate National Bike Month and California Bike Commute Week in May with Bike to Work Day. Bike to Work Day is a promotional event to encourage non-bike riders to try commuting by bicycle. Bike to Work Day in the San Francisco Bay Area is primarily funded by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission with the help of financial donations from event sponsors and volunteers.
Here is a map of the Walnut Creek and Lamorinda-based Energizer stations:
View Contra Costa County Energizer Stations for Bike to Work Day 2012 in a larger map
Spotted in Lafayette. How would you like to live in an apartment with this as your living room window? Pretty cool.