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?
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.
The Starbucks located in downtown Walnut Creek on N. Main St. & Duncan St. next to the Broadway Pointe parking garage will be closed until Saturday for a remodel. A few blocks away there are Starbucks at Broadway Plaza as well as on Locust St. across the street from the Cheesecake Factory which will be extra-staffed in anticipation of the additional traffic. There is also Peet’s, which was remodeled last month. According to an employee I spoke with there will be an additional entry point around the side as can be seen in the photo below. The door already exists, but it was closed previously. In additon, the ordering and serving bar will be relocated to another wall to allow access to the new entry way, and for more tables.
And for you coffee lovers out there, they are getting a Clover brewing system:
For decades, the technology of coffee brewing had been well established. But in 2007, a new technology made its debut that totally changed the game.
That development was the Clover® brewing system: an innovative design that lets you discover new layers and dimensions within a coffee’s familiar aroma, flavor, body and acidity. The result is a deeper experience – one that’s carefully prepared and made to order, one cup at a time. You can find Clover® brewing machines in select Starbucks stores.
The Machine
The Clover® brewing system uses innovative Vacuum-Press™ technology to create your cup right in front of you. You watch as a stainless steel filter lowers into the brew chamber. Hot water is added at a precise temperature to brew your coffee for an ideal length of time.
The Clover® brewing system controls brew time and temperature digitally, as even small changes here can dramatically affect the outcome you taste in the cup. A thermal blanket surrounds the brew chamber to keep water within 1 degree Fahrenheit of the ideal temperature.
After the coffee brews, it is pulled through a 70-micron filter. The resulting grounds are pushed out of the top of the machine. The coffee itself flows into your cup – hot, aromatic and amazingly flavorful. We’re pretty sure it will be the best cup of coffee you’ve ever tasted.
Anyone try a Clover brewed coffee? How does it taste?
Back in January I noted that the restaurant Harvest Market would reopen in February, and I have learned that it will be opening on April 14th and will serve both lunch and dinner. You can see the updated decor in the photo above. The picture frames at left will contain photographs of farm scenes to emphsize the organic and natural ingredients being used.
Harvest Market is located at 1633 Bonanza St in downtown Walnut Creek right near McCovey’s restaurant.
Yes, it’s fast food, but I believe Boudin Bakery & Cafe in downtown Walnut Creek at Broadway Plaza offers a great deal in terms of quality and price. My favorite dish is the Fra-Mani rosemary ham and brie sandwich. You can see the rest of their menu here. (after selecting Walnut Creek for pick-up location). They also offer a frequent buyer card in which you can take home a free loaf of bread monthly the first year in addition to $5 off every $50 spent.
Any fans? Boudin vs. Panera, which do you prefer?
SFGate’s top 100 Bay Area Restaurants list came out this month and the only restaurant to be listed in Walnut Creek is Va de Vi. Lafayette garnered none. In fact Va de Vi was the only restaurant listed in all of Contra Costa county. What about Ottavio in downtown Walnut Creek? Or Pizza Antica in Lafayette? What Walnut Creek/Lafayette restaurants should have been included?
When people wrote in to complain about lack of Walnut Creek and east bay restaurants, this is what the critic, Michael Bauer had to say:
The simple answer is that the restaurants are better in San Francisco and Napa Valley.
…I realize that it often boils down to location, and people will accept a slightly inferior experience to avoid the hassle of fighting the traffic, paying tolls, avoiding the homeless and everything else that goes with living in an urban center.
Not everyone agrees with some of the selections, but I don’t see how most people would argue that restaurants in Livermore, Berkeley or Mill Valley could compete with what’s in the city.
Is Bauer correct in his thinking here?
The 1st Annual Walnut Creek Restaurant Week begins Monday, April 16th through Sunday April 22nd and offers prix fixe menus for lunch at $10-$20 and dinner for $20-$40. From their website:
Walnut Creek Restaurant Week is a culinary celebration of spectacular cuisine at incredible prices. Entice your appetite and delight your palate with prix-fixe menus offered at over 2 dozen restaurants. With cuisines that encompass American, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Japanese and Mexican (just to name a few), experience why our delicious community has been called, “The East Bay’s most popular dining destination.”
If you check out the website you can enter your email for a chance to dine out to a restaurant every week for a month. The list of participating restaurants and menus is here. Highlights include the Neiman Marcus Cafe, Ottavio, and Va de Vi. Also participating are Cypress, Lark Creek, Prima Ristorante, Sasa, Walnut Creek Yacht Club and a bevy of other restaurants in downtown Walnut Creek.
If I had to choose one I’d go with NM Cafe as I haven’t been yet and want to check it out. You can see the menu they offer for this special here. Considering what they normally charge this seems like a good deal. Any recommendations on what else to check out?
I spotted this outside the Stadium Pub sports bar in downtown Walnut Creek at 1420 Lincoln Ave. across the street from Radio Shack. Not sure whether this is a special menu only on Fridays; anyone like the food here? I’ve only ever had the hot dogs when I go.
Pronounced, “Pah-Cheese”, Patxi’s is a chain pizza restaurant known for their Chicago style deep-dish pizzas, although they also offer thin crust. They opened in June, 2011 at 3577 Mt Diablo Blvd in the Clocktower, and you can check out their menu here.
From their website:
Our specialty is authentic Chicago style deep-dish pizza, which comes in two styles, and we also offer two styles of thin crust pizza. Our guests enjoy choosing from a myriad of fresh toppings and ingredients to make totally personalized pies. We offer two styles of dough, four styles of mozzarella and over 30 different meat and veggie toppings. We also offer fresh salads, appetizers, and beverages including beer and wine.
I now realize I’ve been mispronouncing the name all this time. Originally being from New York, I’ll be honest and admit that I don’t get Chicago style pizza. Glad they also offer a thin crust style. Anyone tried their thin crust? Or is deep dish the way to go?
