Walnut Creek’s best bites--and drinks to sip

What are your favorite things to eat and drink at Walnut Creek bars and restaurants or to pick up from  take-out restaurants and grocery stores? What are your favorite appetizers, dishes, drinks, or desserts? It can be a rare treat, or a regular standby, that one thing you crave after a hard day or that you know your whole family, including picky young eaters, will enjoy.

Here are a few of mine. This list is by no means exhaustive, and I’ll probably add as I remember more. I’m sure some readers will have strong feelings and good recommendations about certain menu items, notably burgers, pizza and burritos.

--The vegetarian burrito at Sunrise Bistro: Filled with the usual black beans and rice and cheese, as well as lots of veggies: broccoli, zucchini, and spinach. It comes with salsa and guacamole. It’s big and satisfying, but, like other Sunrise Bistro fare, it feels healthy. A vegan version is also available with tofu replacing cheese.

--Le Cheval's shrimp rolls (steamed prawns, mint leaves, wrapped in rice paper) and vermicelli salad and grilled chicken kebabs served with lettuce, mint, cilantro, nuts, and nuoc nam.

--Strawberry smoothie and imperial rolls from Pho Saigon Noodle House

--Tamale pancake, shredded barbecue chicken, avacado salad and tortilla strips, Lark Creek Walnut Creek

--Burger with Danish blue cheese, on a honey wheat bun, at The Counter. www.thecounterburger.com

--The Napa Salad--spring greens topped with grilled rosemary chicken, toasted sugar walnuts, fresh field berries, and feta cheese. Tossed as you watch. At Lettuce on Locust Street. Eat in or take out. 925-933-5600.

--Four Cheese Margherita pizza from Rocco’s Ristorante Pizzeria. I always love just a basic cheese pizza. This one has a blend of Mozzarella, Provolone, Fontina and Gorgonzola with basil and a sauce made from the restaurant’s own marinated diced tomatoes.

--Macaroni and cheese from Whole Foods: Comfort food at the Soccer Mom home. You’ll know why if you read these ingredients: pasta slathered, tossed and baked with a buttery white sauce, heavy cream,  Jack cheddar cheese and parmesan. Whole Foods was running out when I snapped this photo. 

--UPDATE: L'Orange Pomegranate martini, Sasa. Tastes like a nice icy glass of pomegranate juice, with a splash of lime and ginger. You could just drink it down--like juice--but there is the matter of the L'Orange Grey Goose vodka that would make you lose your designated driver status.

--Chocolate crackle cookies and Gingeroos (soft ginger cookies) from the Walnut Creek Baking Company. The crackle cookies are like chewy brownies in cookie form. 

--Dark chocolate almonds sprinkled with sea salt and turbino sugar. From Trader Joe's. Actually, Trader Joe's is a chocolate lovers' dream--or downfall.

Walnut Creek restaurant, bar servers: Got a gripe against customers?

How about ladies who lunch? That is, when they tie up a table for much of your shift and only order salads and ice tea. To top it off, they tip the bare minimum. Or, they ask split the check four or six ways.

This is a gripe I heard from one waitress at a Marin County restaurant on this morning's Ronn Owens show on KGO 810 radio. Yes, Owens asked this same question about customer gripes to people who work as a waiter, waitress, bar tender, host or hostess.

As Owens requested, don't name names. You'd probably tick off your boss if you griped about the customers at the restaurant or bar where you work.

Maybe you work at one of the downtown bars that looked like they fill up on weekends with some not always classy customers. You might have plenty of gripes. When I went on my ride-along a couple weeks ago, I saw plenty of aging frat boys spilling out of one bar, and other young men sauntering into another restaurant and lounge, dressed like they want to be characters in a Grand Theft Auto game.

And some of the young women I saw: Tottering around on very high heels, wearing very tight tops and short skirts, and looking altogether self-conscious and uncomfortable. (Seeing them did not make me want to be 22 again.) They looked kind of miserable but desperate to impress: No wonder they were likely to wind up drunk a few hours later--still tottering around on those high heels.

I never worked as a waitress--that would have been a disastrous experience for any customers I would have--but I hope I am always appreciative of good service and the work wait staff do.