At the end of April I noted that the Greek restaurant Opa! was opening mid-June, and I have since learned it will open by the end of June, and will serve the same dishes at their other locations. Check out their menus here.
The side of the bar is illuminated behind the stone:
Above the restaurant are various offices, although I still think it would make for a cool apartment.
Opa! is located at the corner of N. Main St. and Lincoln Ave. in Walnut Creek
An antique and collectibles show at the Shadelands Ranch in Walnut Creek will be open from 9am – 4pm, June 10th. From the Walnut Creek Historical Society website:
This event will be held once this year, on Sunday June 10. Dozens of dealers offer a fascinating variety of collectibles and antiques for sale on the grounds of the Museum. At recent shows, we’ve had a professional antique appraiser on hand to offer verbal evaluations on personal items. It’s a fun outing for the entire family! Admission and parking are free.
If you would be interested in participating in this show as a vendor, please complete and submit the vendor application to the Shadelands office.
The Eco Shoppe, part of the Vitamin Shoppe at the corner of Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Locust St. in downtown Walnut Creek is closing this week or next. Not much left but everything is 75% off so you might want to stop by if interested. Apparently a mattress store will be opening up in its place, and the Vitamin Shoppe will remain open on the corner.
Back in February I noted the opening of the Chinese restaurant Dragon’s Pond in downtown Walnut Creek, and they now have a new sign up. Interesting how it’s behind the glass.
Last month I noted the progress at Spouts Market shopping center in Walnut Creek at Geary and N. Main St, and a reader kindly pointed out that The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is on the signage as well. You can also see the progress on the shopping center from the photo above.
You can check out their drink menu here. I wonder how this compares to Starbucks and Peet’s, anyone been?
A couple of weeks ago I noted that the North Main St. fountains were getting refurbished and the one across from Wells Fargo has been turned on. Check out the finished work above. Cool stuff!
The 31st annual Walnut Creek Art & Wine Festival is being held this weekend at Heather Farm Park. From their website:
Celebrate Flavors of the Creek at Heather Farm Park for the 31st Annual Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau Art & Wine Festival. Distinguished by its spacious park setting and family-friendly activities, the popular Walnut Creek Chamber Art & Wine Festival, recognized by the Contra Costa Times as the East Bay’s Best Outdoor Festival, runs Saturday, June 2, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., andSunday, June 3, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Festival admission is free, making the centrally located Walnut Creek Chamber Art & Wine Festival a fun and travel-friendly weekend.
M U S I C * L I N E U P
Saturday, June 2
12:00 – 1:00pm: Foothill Middle School Jazz Band
01:00 – 2:30pm: LUCE
03:00 – 5:00pm: The Houserockers
05:00 – 7:00pm: Finding Stella
Premium Wine Tent: Ken CooperSunday, June 3
12:00 – 1:00pm: Jeffrey Halford and the Healers
01:00 – 2:30pm: Ruckatan
03:00 – 5:00pm: Salvador Santana
05:00 – 6:00pm: The Fundamentals
Premium Wine Tent: Dan DeSharaC H I L D R E N ‘ S * A R E A
Saturday, June 2, 2012
01:15pm: Poison Apple Productions
02:00pm: George Platt’s Swordplay and Fencing Academy
02:30pm: Livermore Shakespeare
03:00pm: Poison Apple Productions
03:30pm: Livermore Shakespeare
04:00pm: Walnut Creek Intermediate School Glee ClubSunday, June 3, 2012
12:00pm: Richard Lee’s East West Kung Fu
12:45pm: Poison Apple Productions
01:15pm: George Platt’s Swordplay and Fencing Academy
03:00pm: Poison Apple ProductionsNew this year:
Pet Rest Spot sponsored by Brandman University allowing your pet to spend time in the shade, get a drink of water and plastic bags for cleaning-up after your pooch. R E M E M B E R : All dogs must be on a leash.
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.
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.”
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.