Wishing everyone in Walnut Creek and nearby a very merry Christmas! Have a great time, stay safe if you’re traveling and for those going on vacation have plenty of fun!
Wishing everyone in Walnut Creek and nearby a very merry Christmas! Have a great time, stay safe if you’re traveling and for those going on vacation have plenty of fun!
Flipper’s Burger’s in Lafayette has been replaced by TAO Restaurant which opened this month at 960 Moraga Rd. They specialize in Ramen noodles and also have a breakfast menu of omelets, pancakes, waffles and French toast. Amazingly they still offer Flipper’s hamburgers. Turns out the chef at Flipper’s stayed on at Tao so you can enjoy your burgers AND Japanese noodles.
Has anyone tried the Ramen here? Any fans?
Recently Crazy in Suburbia posted about plans for California Cafe to be torn down to make way for a “five-story mixed-use residential and retail project.” California Cafe was located next to the Lesher Center parking garage which reminded me of the Mercer complex across the street from Lesher Center. There were big plans for retail development at the Mercer, most likely to be anchored by a restaurant at the corner closest to the Lesher Center. It turns out to not have worked out quite as they imagined. After first getting the gourmet burger chain The Counter at the other end things were looking good. But it wasn’t until years later that a Mike’s Bikes occupied the prime corner across from Lesher. Now Mike’s Bikes is a very nice store, but I was a bit suprised that went in rather than a restaurant. As for the stores in between, 2 are unoccupied, and 4 are salons. No cafes, no convenience stores, but a great place to get your nails done I suppose.
I wonder if the developers who plan to redo California Cafe have taken into account what happened at the Mercer. Any thoughts on this?
From a Walnut Creek Police bulletin:
On 12/21/11, the Walnut Creek Police Department received information of an adult male who was alleged to have committed lewd acts with a child under 14 years old. The allegations were investigated and on 12/22/11 at approximately 1900 hours, Walnut Creek Police Detectives served a Search and Arrest Warrant for the person and residence of John Astor, who is employed as a custodian for the Mt. Diablo School District.
Astor was arrested a short distance away from his home and was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on charges of committing lewd acts upon a child under 14 years old. Astor is being held on $1.5 million dollars bail.
Due to his occupation as a custodian (at a variety of schools throughout the district) and his accessibility to children, anyone who has additional information about Astor or suspects their child may be a victim is urged to contact the Walnut Creek Police Department at (925) 943-5844.
This is a reminder Walnut Creek City Hall will be closed tomorrow through Monday 1/2/12 opening back up on Tuesday 1/3/12.
As noted previously, this is the giant menorah on display at Broadway Plaza until Dec. 27, the last day of Chanukah. I think that’s a dreidel design at the bottom.
“Coming Soon” as in, sometime in 2012, not next month. As noted in the summer issue of Walnut Creek Magazine, Anthropologie is coming to the former Mark Morris Tire shop located at Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Locust St. According to the Walnut Creek planning department it’s still undergoing design review.
This probably means Urban Outfitters on Olympic Blvd. is doing pretty well since they also own Anthropologie. This location is absolutely prime. Now I wonder what will go in the old post office that closed down last month a few stores away.
Thanks to a reader for pointing this out in this post’s comments.
I thought this was a cool sign on Mt. Diablo in Walnut Creek right off 24.
Is the X-Factor a guilty pleasure for anyone? If so, you may want to check out the top 8 X-Factor girls who will be performing at the Lesher Center on Dec. 22 at 7PM.
Although it seems intact now, apparently not for long, as Erawan Thai Restaurant, located on N. Main St. in Walnut Creek, across the street from Wells Fargo, is closing according to word on the street. The rumor going around is that this is where the elusive Farm to Table Cafe will be located that was mentioned in the Contra Costa Times article yesterday.
I had quite a few dinners at Erawan and thought the food there was quite good. But the photos they had on display on their windows were fading and really did not do justice to their food. Are there other Erawan fans out there, or am I the only one?