photo by Flickr user kaylacasey
The Contra Costa Times reported that a Pleasant Hill man died in a crash on Highway 24 earlier today after hitting a tree. It was reported that the driver was driving erratically. A pit bull in the car survived.
I happened to drive past the accident, well after it happened but before the car was removed and couldn’t believe what happened to the car. I’ve never seen a car so smashed up before.
Metro, located in a parking lot across from Whole Foods is not in the prettiest area in Lafayette, but the California-French food and ambiance is upscale. You can see their lunch menu here, and dinner menu here. From their website:
The menu features an eclectic mix of California-French dishes including Tiradito of Hamachi with papaya, carrots, blood orange, chili & ponzu; Roasted Butternut Squash Tortelloni with sage-brown butter; Spicy raw Tuna Poke with sesame rice crackers; Gnocchi Parisienne with winter vegetables & Reggiano cream sauce; and Misoyaki Black Cod with cilantro steamed rice, sauteed spinach & yuzu-ginger sauce.
Metro Lafayette is located ta 3524 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Any must order items?
A few months ago Traction Bikes moved from Pleasant Hill to downtown Lafayette, at 3568 Mt. Diablo Blvd, right next to the Milosport snowboarding store. They are an independent bike shop run by owner Mike Brain who ran the first mobile bike repair business in Contra Costa County way back in 1982.
Check out the inside:
They offer bikes for both serious and casual riders, as well as children. Their Facebook page is here. Lafayette now has downtown 3 bike shops, Traction Bikes, Sharp Bicycle and Hank & Frank Bicycles.
Lafayette’s 7th annual Earth Day celebration will be held at the Lafayette Library & Learning Center in Lafayette this Sunday, April 22nd. From their website:
Sustainable Lafayette, the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, the City of Lafayette, and the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce invite you to Lafayette’s 7th annual Earth Day Picnic & Celebration! For over 40 years, Earth Day has inspired and mobilized individuals and organizations worldwide to demonstrated their commitment to environment protection and sustainability. In Lafayette we will be celebrating our efforts to protect our environment with a community celebration at the beautiful Lafayette Library.
Fresh, Organic Food
- Enjoy a great organic lunch el fresco from a variety of wonderful food providers and food trucks: Whole Foods, Fist of Flour, Nature’s Bounty, and Bookmark Cafe.
Family Entertainment
- Listen to live music from local musical bands at the outside library ampitheater (near the book statue). The Gypsy Chix will perform 11am – 12:30pm. Dream Posse will perform 1pm-3pm.
- Stop by the Arts and Sciences Center for special kids crafts, face painting and interactive activities by Lindsay Wildlife Museum and Lawrence Hall of Science.
A 2 br rental is available at the Cypress Creek Apartments near downtown Walnut Creek for $1613/month.
From the Craigslist ad:
Cypress Creek Apartments comprehensive amenities cater to almost every need like our heated sparking pool and a cardio fitness room– all surrounded by beautiful courtyards with winding sidewalks and lush landscaping. We are conveniently located on Ygnacio Valley Road.
This is the kitchen:
All floorplans are listed here. It looks like you get more bang for your buck but you’ll need a car or bus to get to downtown or Bart as it’s a bit too far to walk judging from the map.
Pets Eternal Rest is a pet euthanasia service located at 544 Ygnacio Valley Road in downtown Walnut Creek. From their website:
We, including our pets, are sensitive to our environments. Veterinary hospital environments, because they are public and can be busy, can sometimes feel impersonal and rushed. Pets Eternal Rest offers an environmental alternative for you, your family, and pet during the euthanasia process. Our environment is private, quiet, and kindhearted. This environmental choice allows families to gather and spend the time needed to say good bye to a pet that is a beloved family member.
I never realized such a service even existed.
Spotted on Croakerts St. in Walnut Creek near the new VW dealership, the plaque says:
Site of the homestead of
BERNARD CROKAERTS
1882 – 1972
Fifty-year resident of Walnut Creek
Awarded a certificate of merit by the
Walnut Creek City Council in 1972 for
his role in the early development and
growth of the city and its North
Broadway Area
Erected 1989
Back to the Table Cooking School will be opening in July in Lafayette next to Queen Bee at 271 Lafayette Circle. In addition to cooking classes they will also offer space for local, home-based business that need extra space and equipment. From their website:
We are excited for our grand opening of Back to the Table, planned for July 2012. Sisters Leslie Pease and Lisa Evaristo had the concept of a cooking school and production kitchen space in Lafayette. Seeing a need to bring cooking and family meals back, they then discovered a need in our community for‘home based’ businesses to have the proper space and equipment to work. The brand new Cooking school and Production kitchen will provide that proper space for your culinary creations with “state of the art” and new professional equipment.
Check out the equipment they have available in their 2 story building:
The equipment that is available on the first floor cooking school:
- 2 Double gas ovens
- 6 burner gas range
- Industrial refrigerator
- Industrial freezer
- Microwave
- Food Processor
- KitchenAid mixer
The equipment that is available on the second floor production kitchen:
- 4 Full size convection/conventional gas ovens
- 6 burner gas range
- 10 –ft x 10-ft walk in refrigerator
- 8-ft x 8-ft walk in freezer
- Microwave
- 60 quart mixer
- Two 8 feet work tables
- Cooling racks
- Food Processor
- Scale
- Private 2 x 5 work stations available.
- Space available for packaging and staging product
- Internet connection
Since the Viking store (and cooking classrooms) closed in Walnut Creek, it looks like this will be a great addition to the neighborhood for cooking classes. I look forward to seeing what kind of classes will be offered.
The Diablo Trails Challenge, a 50K ultra-marathon, half-marathon, 10K and 5K will be held this Saturday, April 21st. Course information is here. From the website:
Discover the beauty of Mount Diablo and support the cause of Save Mount Diablo! 5K/10K/Half Marathon and 50K
For over 40 years, Save Mount Diablo has worked tirelessly to preserve and increase the open space on and around Mount Diablo. In that time, their efforts have taken us from 6,788 acres of open space to over 100,000 acres of open space on and around the mountain!
With distances suitable for everyone from those hitting the trail for the first time to experienced ultra-runners, the Diablo Trails Challenge was created to help celebrate and support these achievements. A portion of all entry fees will go to Save Mount Diablo to help them continue preserving open space and trails for all of us to enjoy.
photo courtesy of Harvest Market
Last week I noted that Harvest Market in downtown Walnut Creek was opening up over the weekend, check out the updated photo of the interior with the farm photos, as well as the new menu which can seen here. The gluten free mac & cheese made from quinoa and goat milk sounds quite interesting. They also offer tri-tip, organic chicken, and turkey breast entrees and sandwiches as well as various vegetable dishes. Prices seem quite reasonable, has anyone checked them out yet?
Harvest Market is located at 1633 Bonanza St, Walnut Creek.
