Walnut Creek: A surprising foodie mecca

It may not be the same as a few Michelin stars, a feature in Gourmet  magazine (oops! That magazine went away!)  or even a few crumbs of a mention  from the San Francisco  Chronicle’s Michael Bauer. But Walnut Creek’s food scene has just scored in the top 10 of another national measure. This is a ranking of 10 Undiscovered Restaurant Towns put out by the lifestyle website, Livability.com.

Livability.com, based in Nashville, says that Walnut Creek, while located next door to other San Francisco Bay Area foodie meccas, has “enough culinary heft to stand on its own.”

Take that Mr. Bauer! (Sorry, I was just mildly amused by the lack of imagination he and the Chronicle used with their latest Top 100 Bay Area restaurants list,  relying on their usual East–of-the-Caldecott standbys, Va De Vi and the Chows in Lafayette and Danville. Don’t get me wrong. I like those three restaurants but it’s ever more clear that the Chronicle--me-ow--is not interested in putting many resources into getting to know anything about life in our neck of the woods.)

Rant against Bauer done. Back to Livability.com’s  list of surprising restaurant towns.

Walnut Creek is No. 5 behind  Traverse City, MI, (Now, that’s surprising!), Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO, and Kansas City, Mo. The Creek is ahead of Pueblo, CO, Witchita, Alburquerque, and Eugene.

“Foodies worth their sea salt know metropolitan cities like Paris, New York City and San Francisco are considered food meccas. But diverse dining offerings and a deep-rooted food culture can be uncovered in smaller towns and cities, too,” Livablity.com says in its announcement of its new ranking. The website  is geared to the 35 million Americans who relocate each year, and its content is produced by a staff journalists.

Here’s what Livability.com says about the Creek.

“Its annual Art and Wine Festival, recognized by the Contra Costa Times as East Bay’s Best Outdoor Festival, draws 100,000 visitors to sample award-winning local and regional wines and microbrews and delicacies from dozens of local restaurants. Some eateries worth more than just a taste include the back-to-basics bakery Walnut Creek Baking Co., tapas favorite Va De Vi and the Zagat-rated Italian mainstay Prima, which features one of the most extensive and distinguished wine collections in the world. Walnut Creek dining also boasts a bit of star power – guitarist Carlos Santana is a partner at Maria Maria, the regional Mexican restaurant chain that began here and is named for the musician's 1999 hit song.”

North Main Street restaurant shuffle

--Sasa opens today. This Japanese small plates restaurant opens this evening in a historic, brick 100-year-old building at 1432 North Main Street that, once upon a time, was the Lawrence Meat Market. Local developer Brian Hirahara, the same developer behind Va de Vi, did the renovation, which will also includes outdoor dining. Diablo magazine's Ethan Fletcher says he's excited to try out Sasa's fresh fish, which the restaurant says it will import daily from Japan's renowned Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest fish market in the world. The executive chef is Philip Yang, the chef and owner of Lafayette's Blue Gingko.

--Le Bistro at 1606 North Main Street has closed. The restaurant, which says it served food inspired by the South of France, has a sign on its front window and door, thanking patrons for eight wonderful years.

--Cafe Delle Stelle is looking for a facelift. The casual Italian restaurant is located in the historic, two-story Sturm building, at 1532 North Main Street and the corner of Lincoln Avenue. This building, with its distinctive second-floor balcony, used to house the Melting Pot fondue restaurant. In the 1940s, the building featured The Nut Bowl Fountain. Historical records show that this corner, in fact, was the site for a variety of "fountains," popular eateries at the time.

The owners of the building would like to alter the facade of the building, the style of which is called "1930s artistic front commerical." The owners would like to make it more upscale Mediterrenean/Tuscan, with new details such as having a front entry way with faux stone columns.

The landlord also told Walnut Creek Design Review Commissioners that the restaurant's owner is looking to fix up the interior of the restaurant to make it feel less casual and more high end. Hmm, it's not clear, from reviewing the Design Review Commission records, if that means the end of Cafe Delle Stelle, or Cafe Delle Stelle in a new, improved form.

IHOP coming (returning?) to Walnut Creek

Just catching up on my reading the other day and came across this bit in Walnut Creek Magazine. It says that IHOP, or International House of Pancakes would be opening on North Main Street, near Beverages and More. This location would put it sort of the same 'hood as a proposed new In-and-Out. This restaurant, which serves more than just pancakes, would also be joining a company that has 1,400 restaurants coast to coast, including ones in Concord and Martinez.

What I'm wondering is whether, once upon a time, Walnut Creek had an IHOP.  I have this vague memory from when I was very young that downtown Walnut Creek had an IHOP. That is, an old-style IHOP in the iconic A-frame and with the blue roof. I also seem to think it was at or near where the current McDonald's is on California Boulevard. 

Any long-timers know what I'm talking about? Or, am I just dreaming of golden pancakes stacked with butter and topped with syrup, strawberries and whipped cream?

Some downtown restaurant news: new openings and a liquor license violation for one happening spot

Just in time for the holidays:

--Vanessa's Bistro 2, at 1329 N. Main Street, is open, in the former Tokyo Lobby spot. It bills itself as "Vietnamese tapas with a French twist." Some selections from the menu: Spicy Atlantic salmon tartare, vodka molasses marinated pork loin, and Dijon mustard and black peppercorn marinated rack of lamb with sweet potato croquette (with a port wine, bing cherry reduction).

--The other new "modern" Vietnamese restaurant in downtown, Eleve Restaurant, does not yet look open, though it looks awfully close. It is in the stylishy renovated two-story 6,000-square-foot building at the corner of North Main Street and Civic Drive.

--The other new Asian restaurant coming to town--and on Main Street and with a small plates focus--is Sasa. It will serve what is known as Izakaya Japanese cuisine, which is drinks and food in a "casual" but sophisticated atmosphere. Sasa is to go into the historic 1910 brick front building that long ago housed the Walnut Creek Meat Market. The building is being renovated to house dining indoors and out.

--And more new Asian on Main: The sign on the former San Franciscan says that the Modern China Cafe will be opening in that spot "soon."

--I've also heard from a friend that the popular Alamo delicatessen, the Brass Bear, has also opened on North Main. The Brass Bear has been a "mainstay" in Alamo for around 30 years.

--Over on Locust Street, the spot that once housed the Ephesus kebob lounge, and then a place called Class, now has a new sign atop it. It is now calling itself "Lift." Huh? Well, if nothing else, the business needs to fix that splintered woodwork that hangs over its door. And maybe work on its, uh, curbside appeal.

--The Persian-food fan husband of a friend is absolutely excited about the opening of Alborz on Mt. Diablo Boulevard, in the former location for Tin's Tea House.

--Finally reporting this hiccup for popular restaurateur Tony Dudum of 1515 Restaurant and Lounge. I remember noticing from a City Council agenda report that agents with the state Alcoholic Beverage Control had paid a visit to 1515 on July 23. The police noted that the ABC found that 1515 was serving liquor past its closing time of 12:30 a.m. Ironically, Tony Dudum and his dad Jack Dudum were, at that exact time, filing an appeal with the city to have their hours for serving alcohol extended past 12:30 a.m. They wanted to stay open until 1:45 a.m. The City Council in September gave them an extra half hour. Well, according to state ABC records, 1515 Restaurant had its liquor license "suspended" for 15 days; but in lieu of a suspension of serving alcohol, 1515 agreed to pay a fine of $3,000.

In an e-mail to me, Tony Dudum explains that "there was an honest misunderstanding between the city, the ABC, and myself. I am in excellent standing with all agencies."

Do you have to deal with picky ADULT eaters when you host Thanksgiving or any other dinner party?

You always hear about kids being picky eaters, and only tolerating so-called "white food."

Well, a Crazy reader sent along this fun blog from the New York Times's City Room about how complicated it can be to host a dinner party for adults these days with so many people having so many different dietary issues--and when food choices can even become a political and social statement. The writer begins:

Having friends over for dinner used to involve a minimal and fairly unremarkable to-do list: There were groceries to buy, along with flowers and a couple of bottles of semi-respectable wine. I would put out some guest towels and a collection of fancy soaps that were off limits to blood relatives, and then — voilà! — dinner was served.



Nowadays, it's fairly common for many of us to have relatives and friends who are vegetarian, or who don't eat red meat. Some of us also have friends who only eat kosher. And, now, out there, especially in the Bay Area, are those who identify themselves in more specific categories, as vegans and lacto-vegetarians, or as dedicated raw food eaters.

And then, in my circle of friends, and acquaintances--and in the circle of friends and classmates of my son--are people, for whom certain food choices truly make them sick, sometimes seriously. They can't eat dairy, gluten, chocolate, nuts, or shellfish. Briefly, my husband and I were friends with a couple who were vegetarians, and the husband claimed it literally made him ill to have anything non-vegetarian--fish or chicken--cooked on the same grill as his veggie burger. Of course, there was the one weekend he was out of town, and the wife came to dinner and happily gorged on a grilled chicken breast she had brought herself.

Let's just say that we're not friendly with that couple anymore.

According to this New York Times writer, things can get political when you have guests who will give you that withering look if you serve, say, anything that belongs to the endangered sea creatures list. Then again, I myself picked up and have tried to adhere to that handy-dandy Seafood Watch card they pass out at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and which is available online. It suggests which sea creatures to avoid and offers good substitutes. I worry about overfishing of species and the long-term environmental consequences that will have.

If you follow that card, that means no Chilean sea bass--a big "avoid," according to the Aquarium. However, with it costing $25 a pound last time I saw it at the store, I'm not going to be serving it anytime soon. I wouldn't give another host or hostess a withering look if they served it to me at their home.

I have to say that my own seafood-loving son went through a salmon boycott because he had heard about the salmon fishing ban off the Pacific coast. We went along with that and went sans salmon for some months.

Basically, as a hostess, I try to accommodate people's dietary needs by usually avoiding a red meat dish and offering something easy like a pasta that can be turned into something vegetarian by an individual diner. And, if I hear that a guest has a peanut allergy, I wouldn't cook anything stir-fry in peanut oil. But, I'd draw a line at choosing a vegetable stock in favor of chicken stock if I believed the chicken stock would make the meal taste better.

And tomorrow we're going to my sister's in Danville, and will enjoy the usual--turkey, gravy (cooked with chicken stock probably), stuffing with some kind of gluten-filled bread, and pie with fresh-whipped cream.

Persian restaurant to open in former Tin's Tea House spot

Our one-time source for great Dim Sum closed last April. Passing by the former Tin's space on Mt. Diablo Boulevard today, I see a sign for new restaurant, Alborz Persian Cuisine, is set to open.

The restaurant looks like it is still undergoing renovations...

There are several Alborz Persian Cuisines that pop up if you Google the name, including one in Austin, Texas, San Francisco, and Berkeley.

Whether Walnut Creek's Alborz is part of a chain, get ready for kebabs, eggplant appetizers, saffron-tinted rice, and stews.

I'm getting hungry writing this.

Three Walnut Creek restaurants make the 2010 Michelin Guide to the Bay Area

Three Walnut Creek restaurants are among the seven in the East Bay suburbs to merit mention in the Michelin Guide's Bay Area and Wine Country guide.

Those restaurants are Prima, Va De Vi, and Walnut Creek Yacht Club, according to a Diablo magazine blog. The others in our suburban area are in Lafayette: Artisan Bistro, Chevalier, Kopitiam, and Metro Lafayette.

This is the first year that suburban restaurants, east of the Caldecott Tunnel, received a mention. The version last year included selections from Berkeley and Oakland, but ignored suburbia.

While restaurants around the world covet a Michelin mention, the choices it makes are often controversial. A December 2008 Diablo magazine story points out that when Michelin arrived in Northern California in 2006, "and handed out only a fistful of stars, the food world erupted in outrage. ... San Francisco Chronicle's powerful restaurant critic Michael Bauer was quoted as saying that 'the inspectors don't get the Bay Area food scene.' "

Restaurant news: Zheng Long to re-open as The Door! The San Franciscan to close

One of our favorite neighborhood "joints" is about to re-open. A new sign is up outside the former Zheng Long on South Main Street, across the street from Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. The new sign states the restaurant will be called The Door.

A peek inside shows that the renovations are almost complete and that the restaurant is just awaiting the arrival of furniture.

For those who follow downtown Walnut Creek's restaurant scene, and are fond, like my family, of Asian cuisine, we all suffered a huge loss back in May 2008 when an accidental fire destroyed the interior of the pan-Asian restaurant.

The building has been undergoing renovations since then, with the restaurant set to re-open sometime by the end of this year.

Well, it looks like it will be re-opening soon. With the same owner, Steven Chen, according to a license on file with California's Alcoholic Beverage Control. Just a different name: The Door.

Don't know what will be on the menu, but we're hoping it is reminiscent of what we so much enjoyed at Zheng Long.

Meanwhile, a Crazy reader reports that The San Franciscan on North Main Street will be shutting its doors this weekend. We heard this closure was coming. We just didn't know when. Our reader says that the new restaurant going in will be--Asian-themed! Indeed, the state ABC says that an eatery called A Modern China Cafe has been issued a license to open there.

We remember that an upscale Vietnamese restaurant, Three Seasons Bistro, operated in that space at 1525 North Main Street, before being replaced by The San Franciscan.

Chili's in downtown Walnut Creek closes suddenly. Oh well.

A reader e-mailed a few days ago with the news that Chili's on Locust is closed. Indeed, a sign posted in the door says as much, advising any Chili's fans out there to check out their locations in Concord and San Ramon.

That's okay. I never went to Chili's. Other places in downtown that have always appealed to us, as a family, more. Besides, I never forgave Chili's for taking over the property that was once occupied by this locally run, old-style Italian restaurant. Does anyone remember the name? I don't remember the food, but I remember the bar, with red-leather booths and bar stools.

It felt like it could have been in a Sinatra/Martin/Davis, Jr. Rat Pack movie, and that's why my newspaper friends and I liked to get drinks there.

I'm sure others are eyeing that property pretty closely, especially restaurateurs. Across the street from Crogan's Bar and Grill, and Pyramid Brewery--but also next door to Spin Ultra Lounge.

Easy dinners from a suburban gal I know: Using your imagination, plus ingredients found at Trader Joe's or your own fridge

Even though I just polished off a plate of spaghetti, with a yummy mariana sauce, prepared by my husband, I'm getting hungry again, reading the recipes from this cool new blog, Simple Savvy Sassy. The recipes are created and have been taste-tested by a young suburban-raised woman who is now enjoying life, living in her studio in the City (San Francisco).

She loves cooking, and she likes to eat well, but she's not going to get too neurotic about it. She has a demanding job, so she doesn't have hours to agonize over a dish when she comes home from work or after a busy weekend, doing sports or seeing friends. She also wants to eat in a healthy way, with nourishing and flavorful ingredients.

Okay, full disclosure time: She's my niece, Lisa. She is a single working girl in her mid-20s, but her recipes, which I'm dying to try, could easily be adapted to the life of a married working mom (me!). Lisa has an enticing -looking recipe for sun-dried tomato and sausage pasta, which I know would go over well with a certain picky 11-year-old boy (her cousin). She also offers great advice on how you can buy those rotisserie chickens at the grocery store (and they don't always cost that much) and stretch them into several easy meals.

Lisa offers some more ambitious recipes, for mango-pineapple salsa for your home Taco Bar.. But I'd be willing to give it a go, because Lisa and her sister and her mom (my older sister) make some mean guacamole. Actually, Lisa credits her mother (my sister) for inspiring her love of cooking and experimentation. Her mother taught what was once called "Home Ec" at the middle and high school levels in East Bay public schools.

I can just say that going to my sister's house for any special occasion is always a treat, because she, Lisa, and my other niece--Lisa's sister--always dedicate the day to shopping and preparing a meal that always tastes wonderful.

New “Olive Bar” in Walnut Creek: Are there enough fancy olive oil lovers around to sustain this business?

I stopped in the other day at We Olive, the new shop on North Main Street that sells products made from olives, including an extensive selection of artisan olive oils that you can taste at their bar.

It’s a pretty shop, and that polished wood bar is long and lined with all varieties--or, as you say in WineSpeak, varietals?--of olive oils. These olive oils have been made in California and are part of a proud tradition that goes back to Spanish settlers, say the We Olive folks. These oils come flavored with different flavors and aromas--rosemary, lemon, and tangerine. The friendly employee behind the bar said that the Pasolivo tangerine blend—at $16 for 200 ml--is great to use in brownies.

The shop also sells olives that are stuffed with blue cheese and almonds, or graced with hints of orange and fennel or bay leaf and garlic. And, the shop sells tapenades, pesto, balsamic vinegars, cookbooks, and even olive-based skin-care and bath products.

Back to olive oils: We Olive says it has brought together the more than 200 producers across California.

At We Olive, you spend $34.50 for a sleek blue bottle of extra virgin, 100-percent estate grown, 100-percent organic Olivas de Oro Mission Blue, made in Paso Robles. This product is a “mild, unfiltered oil with a fruity olive aroma, with some herbaceous tones.”

As I write this, I’m getting hungry, and craving one of those blue-cheese stuffed olives, or a hunk of baguette that I can dip in olive oil from that $34.50 bottle.

At the same time, I’m wondering how well this store will do. We Olive is a franchise, originating from Paso Robles, the heart of the Central Coast’s Wine Country. This Walnut Creek location, at 1364 North Main Street, is We Olive’s seventh store. The company, according to its website, has plans to expand its franchise to up to 400 stores nationwide.

When a co-worker and I first heard about the opening of this olive bar, we were skeptical. You mean, like a wine bar? Both of us said, sure, we like to go to restaurants that serve hunks of delicious fresh bread, which you dip into small bowls of exquisite olive oil. We also really like noshing on fancy olives. But would we actually go into a shop and taste different olive oils?

I don't know.

However, I am tempted to go back to buy its We Olive brand of olive oil in bulk—for $1 per ounce. That’s the kind of oil I might use in a special vinaigrette for a salad, or for dipping bread.

I’d love to hear from people in the community who are more discerning about flavors and cooking than me, who are delighted that such a shop has come to our community.

Still, I wonder if, in this economy, whether people are going to want to spend money on specialty olive oils. Even in the way they would spend on the best coffee or the best wine.

WC city staff not crazy about the Dudums’ plans to transform 1515 Restaurant and Lounge into a nightclub

Last week, I reported on how Jack and Sylvia Dudum, of the extended Dudum family of Walnut Creek-based restaurant and real-estate moguls, were accused in, IMO, a rather strange scam.

According to an ABC-7 I-team report and public records, this alleged fraud involved them claiming to be full-time taxicab drivers in San Francisco in order to secure prized permits—or medallions, as they are called. These medallions allow full-time cab drivers--which, again, the Dudums claimed to be—to potentially earn thousands of dollars extra a year leasing out their permits to other drivers, during those hours when they are supposedly not behind the wheel.

The couple together own more than $15 million in property, from stores and a warehouse, to two condos on a Palm Desert golf course, according to Noyes and the complaints filed with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority. This real estate includes a 5,500-square-foot, $3 million home off Alamo’s Livorna Road, and about $6 million in property in downtown Walnut creek, including, it turns out, 1515 Restaurant and Lounge on North Main Street.

Each were charged with 12 counts of fraud, face more than $200,000 in fines each, and must appear for a disciplinary hearing on August 7.

Just as news about these legal troubles, resurfaced (they've been brewing since 2007), the couple have turned up on the agenda for Thursday night’s Planning Commission meeting as the movers and shakers behind a plan to turn the 1515 Restaurant Bar and Lounge into a two-story night club, complete with a DJ, live entertainment, and dancing on both floors. They also want permission to expand hours of alcohol service on both floors to 1:45 a.m.

Jack and Sylvia Dudum are listed as owners of 1515 Restaurant Bar and Lounge, and Jack and Tony Dudum are listed as owners and applicants of this new nightclub proposal. Incidentally, Tony Dudum was in the news recently as one of the downtown bar and restaurant owners objecting to a proposed policy to stagger cutoff times for serving liquor.

Currently, 1515 has permission to serve alcohol on the first floor until 12:30 a.m. seven days a week and until 11:30 p.m. on the second floor on Thursday through Saturdays. Since it opened in 2006, 1515 has emphasized “the restaurant nature of the establishment,” the city staff report says.

The city is not amendable to the Dudums’ dance club idea. City staff members say that allowing a DJ, live entertainment, and dancing would change the character of the establishment, “as these two elements are more closely associated with a club, not a restaurant.” Indeed, the city would like to limit any live music to soloist musicians provided the volume and intensity of the music “do not preclude patrons from engaging in casual dinner conversation.” In essence, the music needs to be “background in nature, complementary to the dining experience, not superior to it.”

The police department has also expressed concerns about transforming this restaurant into a club, as well as the request to extend hours for alcoholic sales. The police worry about additional strains on their services.

However, in a “nod to the current economic recession,” police are willing to agree to allow the closing times on the second floor to match the 12:30 a.m. closing times currently on the first.

In keeping 1515 as a restaurant, the city would prohibit it from presenting karaoke and fashion shows. The city also wants to ban video games, reduced-prized drink deals, and to keep the monthly gross sales of alcohol to food at a 40:60 ratio.

In their business proposals for opening 1515 and a subsequent and successful proposal to expand the restaurant into the second floor, the Dudums presented themselves as successful, community-minded, philanthropic, and taste-making business entrepreneurs. They also assert that their establishment would be a valuable asset to the Walnut Creek restaurant and business community.

From the Dudums original 2006 business proposal (the author is not identified):

--“I had in my possession a fantastic spot of a jewel for a wonderful restaurant, bar and lounge. Being a resident of Walnut Creek and having the desire to get rid of the stale atmosphere I present to you the plans for what I hope to be a fun, clean, upbeat, professional and great place for the community as well as the downtown city of Walnut Creek.”
--“I intend to provide an abundant amount of fresh and intriguingly flavorful tapas, entrees with a classy full bar service … The ambiance will be created by clean and fashionable décor”
--With my 15-plus years of experience in the restaurant and bar industry, this is a sure hit for the city, the patrons and the citizens."

From the Dudums’ September 2008 proposal (again, the author is not identified):

--“Our primary business is food service.”
--“The upstairs is decorated with class and beauty and brings a warm inviting feeling to all.”
--“Upstairs will be used for nonprofit [fundraising] events with the Special Olympics.
--“A big part of being in business is to give back to the community to those are not as fortunate as us.”

As much as I don’t want to diminish the Dudums’ proclaimed philanthropic aspirations, the statement about helping those “not as fortunate as us” came after Jack and Sylvia Dudum had come under scrutiny in the alleged taxi cab scam--possessing permits sought by not-so-fortunate men and women, struggling to earn enough money to house and feed their families.

Replacing Taxi's in downtown Walnut Creek: what I hear is a yummy Vietnamese noodle shop

The banner out across our neighborhood's once beloved Taxi's hamburgers on Newell Avenue says: "Pho's Saigon Noodle Coming Soon. "

The sign doesn't say what "coming soon" means, but this new restaurant appears to be part of a chain of noodle houses, named for the classic, casual Vietnamese dish, pho, which typically consists of white rice noodles served in a clear broth, along with variations of seasonings, vegetables, and meat. A foodie friend, familiar with this chain, says it prepares food made with fresh, flavorful ingredients.

Let's hope so. While I miss Taxi's, I'm a fan of Asian food, and of Vietnamese, so I'm looking forward to giving this place a chance.

Our local source for great Dim Sum, Tin's Tea House in Walnut Creek, to close this weekend

My family and are bummed. I got word today that Tin's Tea House Lounge, the Chinese restaurant on Mt. Diablo Boulevard that serves great Dim sum at lunch and on weekends, is closing this weekend.

The restaurant opened about five years ago. Its Walnut Creek site was the sister establishment of the popular Tin's Tea House in Oakland's Chinatown.

In a 2004 review in the San Francisco Chronicle, owner Alice Wan explained that she opened a Tin's in Walnut Creek because customers demanded a good Dim sum restaurant east of the Caldecott Tunnel. Apparently, many of her customers would drive from Contra Costa County or the Tri-Valley into Oakland to dine at Tin's, and they clamored for a restaurant closer to home.

Wan gave them what they wanted, and things seemed to go well.

My husband, son, and I have enjoyed a fair number of impromptu Saturday and Sunday Dim sum lunches at Tin's. The service was always quick, and the meal affordable and delicious. I'm also grateful for the fact that my 11-year-old son--who still turns his nose up at most anything green--loves seafood and many Asian dishes. I could eat Asian every night of the week!

If you've never had Dim sum (a word which literally means "touch the heart"), you could say that this type of cuisine represents the original concept of small plates.

At Dim sum restaurants, employees roll by your table with carts laden with plates or small steamer baskets. Each plate and basket contains a small portion of a meat, seafood, or vegetable dish. You choose the dish or say "no thanks." You get charged by every dish you choose. The advantage to this Dim sum version of small plates dining is that you can sample a variety of dishes--even the traditionally and highly prized Peking Duck! (Frankly, I've never tried Peking duck. Is it any good? I'd love to know!)

So, my family is sad about Tin's closing. Yes, we also are big fans of Yank Sing in San Francisco. We go there if we happen to be going into the city on a Saturday or Sunday. (The San Francisco Chronicle's imagination- and geography-callenged uber-critic Michael Bauer named Yank Sing one of the top 100 Bay Area restaurants. However, in Yank Sing's case, I'd say the Top 100 honor is deserved.)

Back to Tin's: It's been awfully nice to have a place, close by--in fact, within a mile of home--that satisfies my craving for steamed and plump shrimp or scallop dumplings, pork buns, or deep-fried shrimp with walnuts.

I reached an employee at the restaurant who said the owner might try to find another location in Walnut Creek or nearby. Let's hope so.

Cheesecake Factory to open in WC February 19

The Cheesecake Factory opened the doors of its new Walnut Creek location briefly Sunday afternoon to give crowds of cheesecake lovers and other fans of its extensive, American classic casual menu a sneak peek at its new digs.

These digs are said to include the nationwide restaurant chain's "distinctive decor," which includes Egyptian columns, dark cherry wood furniture, and brass accents. The Cheesecake Factory initially started out in 1947 as a small cheesecake shop run by a housewife and mom named Evelyn Orton. But she had a tough time juggling the shop and small kids. Later, after her kids were grown, she and her husband, Oscar, moved to Los Angeles, where they started their cheesecake business. They were an instant success, and now have around150 restaurants, with Walnut Creek's being the newest.

Each restaurant features around 200 items on their menus, including more than two dozen kinds of cheesecake. Among the flavors: Godiva chocolate, Dulche Le Leche caramel, peanut butter, oreo, cherry, Key Lime, Snickers bar, and, yes, low-carb (As if! What's the point?) are among the flavors.

Walnut Creek city leaders are very excited about the arrival of Cheesecake Factory. After all, it fills a big empty storefront in a prominent location in a downtown that, in these tough economic times, is seeing more and more vacant storefronts. This warehouse-sized space in Plaza Escuela, across the street from the Century Walnut Creek 14 movie theater, has been empty for more than two years, since the upscale Andronico's grocery store closed.

Unfortunately, the future of two business right across the street are in question. Both upscale clothing boutique Elisa Wen and Palomas Home Furnishings have "for lease" signs posted in their windows. Both are offering sales of 30 to 50 percent off certain goods. An employee at Elisa Wen says the owner might want to close the Walnut Creek location and focus on her store in Danville, thought that is some time off. Meanwhile, an employee at Palomas said the owner wants to wait and see how sales go in January and February before making a decision.

Perhaps the arrival of the Cheesecake Factory will help lift the spirits of consumers and the earnings of neaby businesses. The crowds going to check out the restaurant seemed excited. One my co-workers is excited. She lives in the Tri-Valley and sometimes braves the long lines waiting to get in at the first East Bay suburban location in Pleasanton. She warned that long lines seem to be apart of the Cheesecake Factory experience. But she says it's worth it, and she's not even a fan of cheesecake--like me. (It is actually one of the few desserts that I don't have a hard time passing on.) My co-worker says she enjoys other things on the menu, including lunch and dinner items. She says she's never had a bad meal there.