Beyond the Creek

Pinky’s Pizza to Reopen

November 8, 2011 4:21 pm

As Crazy in Suburbia reported today, Pinky’s Pizza will be reopening this Friday, having closed their original location in 2008 across the street from Trader Joe’s on S. California Blvd. When I dropped by today I got a couple of photos, and although all the windows were blocked out, I peeked in the back entrance and could see the pizza dough being stored in the refrigerators.

Apparently Pinky’s was a real institution back in the day, and having visited a few times a few years ago I can attest to the unique feel the place has. Being originally from New York I can’t say it’s the best pizza I’ve ever eaten, but if atmosphere counts I’d say it was pretty darn good.

Pinky’s Pizza is located at 2085 N. Broadway in Walnut Creek, across from the post office:

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Carwash Cleaners

November 8, 2011 11:30 am

Taken at the Autopia carwash at 2172 North Main St. in Walnut Creek, near the entrance to 680 N.

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“Vesu” Restaurant Review

November 8, 2011 8:30 am

Previously I posted a snapshot of the new Cypress restaurant, replacing Vesu which closed in April. Pursuitist recently reviewed the building and interior that Vesu used to occupy, before going under in April, now replaced by Cypress. The architecture and interior shots are quite amazing such that’s it’s hard to believe it closed so quickly.

Two things about the review that stood out are:

The Vesu Restaurant was designed by Arcsine Architecture and Bellusci Design and is located in the center of a small town called Walnut Creek near San Francisco, California.

I’d hardly consider Walnut Creek, with a population over 60,000 with Nordstroms and Macy’s a few blocks away a small town.

Also, take a look at the last photo in the review to see “VESU” embedded in the countertops. That seems like such a shame considering how quickly it closed. I wonder if Cypress was able to reuse them?

Diablo Magazine reported that Cypress was opened by Rick Delamain, who worked at Le Virage, a French restaurant in Walnut Creek for 18 years. Longtime Walnut Creek residents will remember Le Virage as it was considered quite the restaurant back in the day, but recent residents will also know Le Virage, for a different reason. Does anyone care to take a guess why?

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Walnut Creek Parking Meter Holidays Extended

November 7, 2011 5:49 pm

Previously, Crazy in Suburbia reported how she got a parking ticket for not feeding the meter on President’s Day since she assumed that was a parking holiday. There were numerous complaints about Walnut Creek’s parking enforcement about this issue over the years, and it looks like the Walnut Creek council listened. Beginning November 18, parking meter holidays will include more holidays, including Washington’s Birthday. Check out the Walnut Creek parking meter holiday ordinance amendment below:

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New Dirito Volkswagen Showroom Opening in 2 Weeks

November 7, 2011 5:32 pm

Looks like the new Dirito Brothers Volkswagen showroom is almost done. According to Volkswagen Walnut Creek, it should be open in 2 weeks, just in time for Thanksgiving. The current Dirito Brothers Volkswagen showroom will be hosting Nissan cars. So if you plan on getting a Volkswagen soon, you might want to wait a couple more weeks and check out what the new showroom has to offer. The new showroom is located a block away at Pringles Ave. and N. Main St., near Target.

According to the Walnut Creek Project Pipeline:

A project that will demolish 40,787 sq.ft of floor area on 2.74 acres to make way for a new 29,731 square-foot automotive sales and service building. A portion of the site will be used for vehicle inventory, customer parking, and outdoor vehicle displays. The project consists of grading, new traffic signals, relocation or undergrounding of utilities, and street and sidewalk improvements.

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Sculpture of the Day

November 7, 2011 11:30 am

Titled Bronze Buck, this deer sculpture is located in Broadway Plaza right next to Nordstroms. In fact, you can see the Nordstroms sign in the background if you look closely.

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Chipotle in Lafayette Open

November 7, 2011 8:30 am

Chipotle has been open in Lafayette since September, and it looks like it’s a popular place judging by the amount of traffic. Along with the new Whole Foods supermarket, that strip is definitely getting more foot traffic compared to before. It’s interesting how both chains existed in Walnut Creek before migrating over to Lafayette.

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Mural of the Day

November 4, 2011 4:51 pm

This mural is located in a parking lot to the side of La Fogata restaurant on Mount Diablo and N. Main St.

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Patron “Kicked Out” of Walnut Creek Library

November 4, 2011 2:35 pm

This report from the Nov. 1 Walnut Creek Police daily bulletin made me chuckle:

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Fancy Pants – Closed

November 4, 2011 11:30 am

Fancy Pants, the boutique women’s clothing and accessories shop, which was located on Cypress St. in downtown Walnut Creek has closed. Interestingly, the For Rent sign notes that the place rents for $1800, anyone interested?

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