Just wanted to put out a quick note to anyone out there - I am working on a project that is related to this but on a much bigger scope. Database controlled websites, iPhone app, all kinds of cool stuff to try and keep you informed as to what is going on locally.
If you are in the Walnut Creek area, have a smart phone and would like to help me test things out when it's being build, drop me an email at : geekytraveler at gmail dot com.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Shiro
Wife and I discovered this place back when it was called 'Sushi Groove'. If you don't like the idea of a non-traditional Sushi place with a DJ Booth and anime colors, don't come here. Personally, I love it.
The ownership has changed along with the head chef. The current chef came from 'Blowfish Sushi', and if you have been there, you know that they have cuisine that's different than the norm.
We popped in here last night to check the happy hour menu and it's been expanded big time. They've tripled the amount of food and added several drinks.
Disclaimer: There is a $4 salad on the menu that I didn't really understand and neglected to ask about it. Trust me, when you read this you'll ask 'Ok, what is that?!'
As it stands now, this is my favorite place in Walnut Creek when I am with a group that's ravenously hungry (this is assuming, of course, that no one in your group is scared of fish.). We got some sushi rolls and the quality continues to be top notch.
We also got the Mahi Mahi Taco w/Yuzu Sour Cream out of curiosity. Most all restaurants in Silicon Valley have at least a few staff from Mexico - and their cuisine sneaks onto the menu sometimes. The taco was delicious, if unexpected, so we chatted with the chef about it.
My theory was that all the ingredients (except the tortilla) were in stock in back and a lunchtime favorite of the staff got promoted to the menu after rave reviews from whoever tried it. The chef chuckled at this and kept the true origin mysterious noting that "We like to try new things in all kinds of directions."
All their drinks during happy hour are $3 and include wine, beer, sake and a few cocktails.
Bonus (at the time of this writing): If you use OpenTable.com, you can make reservations online and accumulate points for restaurant gift certificates. Off-hours will occasionally give you 1,000 points to get bodies in the seats. 2,000 points gets you a $20 certificate, so it's worth working the system.
Check the Wiki here for the details.
The ownership has changed along with the head chef. The current chef came from 'Blowfish Sushi', and if you have been there, you know that they have cuisine that's different than the norm.
We popped in here last night to check the happy hour menu and it's been expanded big time. They've tripled the amount of food and added several drinks.
Disclaimer: There is a $4 salad on the menu that I didn't really understand and neglected to ask about it. Trust me, when you read this you'll ask 'Ok, what is that?!'
As it stands now, this is my favorite place in Walnut Creek when I am with a group that's ravenously hungry (this is assuming, of course, that no one in your group is scared of fish.). We got some sushi rolls and the quality continues to be top notch.
We also got the Mahi Mahi Taco w/Yuzu Sour Cream out of curiosity. Most all restaurants in Silicon Valley have at least a few staff from Mexico - and their cuisine sneaks onto the menu sometimes. The taco was delicious, if unexpected, so we chatted with the chef about it.
My theory was that all the ingredients (except the tortilla) were in stock in back and a lunchtime favorite of the staff got promoted to the menu after rave reviews from whoever tried it. The chef chuckled at this and kept the true origin mysterious noting that "We like to try new things in all kinds of directions."
All their drinks during happy hour are $3 and include wine, beer, sake and a few cocktails.
Bonus (at the time of this writing): If you use OpenTable.com, you can make reservations online and accumulate points for restaurant gift certificates. Off-hours will occasionally give you 1,000 points to get bodies in the seats. 2,000 points gets you a $20 certificate, so it's worth working the system.
Check the Wiki here for the details.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Vanessa's Bistro 2
Note: We first visited this place in March 2010, but went back last night to verify the menu. The same staff is there and it looks like this place will be here for a while.
Walking home from the movie theater one evening, we passed Vanessa's and were stopped by the sign that noted that their happy hour begins again after 9 PM. I look at my watch (about 9:30) and, since we are a bit snack-ish, pop in for a sip and a bite.
The interior is open, clean and bright. A few of the tables have people, who are animated in their conversations. After pulling up seats at the bar and asking for a happy hour menu, I decide to try something new and order the only beer on the menu I've never had : Cháu Tiên. (I figure, at two dollars a beer, even if I don't care for it, it's no big deal.)
The first item we picked was the salt & pepper fried calamari (I consider calamari a baseline appetizer, I'll pretty much devour it no matter the quality, but it's a good indicator of the type of food they are going to be cranking out.) The second was the slow oven roasted pork with chipotle sauce and tortillas (Tell me that doesn't sound great. I thought I'd take a risk on it being as good as it sounds.)
The bartender (Ian) chats with us a bit and tells the story of the original Vanessa's Bistro in Oakland and it's a good old-fashion "immigrant comes to America, starts with a deli and grows from there until she owns a couple of restaurants known for commitment to quality and love in it's food." A couple of the other employees chime in and reveal that they have all worked with or around her for some time and this (for the most part) is one extended family.
I sip my beer and it's good. Really good. (I have learned it's a locally brewed beer that you can read about here. How he was able to register paleale.com is beyond me.) Looking at the label, I wonder why I've never heard of this beer before.
The calamari is lightly battered large rings interspersed with fresh vegetables (not exactly "health food" but one hundred times better than the "gut bomb" I was prepared for when ordering fried calamari.)
The pork is essentially pulled pork that is juicy with citrus and herbs that you scoop onto a tortilla and spice up as you see fit.
After a couple of bites, we determine the food is good. Really good.
I verify that the reason that they only have beer and wine is because of liquor licensing, but am happy that there is a place to hang out later in the evening that isn't a magnet for the sloppy noisy drunks. All in all, this is a great spot for a high quality food and beer on the cheap.
Check the Wiki here for the details.
Walking home from the movie theater one evening, we passed Vanessa's and were stopped by the sign that noted that their happy hour begins again after 9 PM. I look at my watch (about 9:30) and, since we are a bit snack-ish, pop in for a sip and a bite.
The interior is open, clean and bright. A few of the tables have people, who are animated in their conversations. After pulling up seats at the bar and asking for a happy hour menu, I decide to try something new and order the only beer on the menu I've never had : Cháu Tiên. (I figure, at two dollars a beer, even if I don't care for it, it's no big deal.)
The first item we picked was the salt & pepper fried calamari (I consider calamari a baseline appetizer, I'll pretty much devour it no matter the quality, but it's a good indicator of the type of food they are going to be cranking out.) The second was the slow oven roasted pork with chipotle sauce and tortillas (Tell me that doesn't sound great. I thought I'd take a risk on it being as good as it sounds.)
The bartender (Ian) chats with us a bit and tells the story of the original Vanessa's Bistro in Oakland and it's a good old-fashion "immigrant comes to America, starts with a deli and grows from there until she owns a couple of restaurants known for commitment to quality and love in it's food." A couple of the other employees chime in and reveal that they have all worked with or around her for some time and this (for the most part) is one extended family.
I sip my beer and it's good. Really good. (I have learned it's a locally brewed beer that you can read about here. How he was able to register paleale.com is beyond me.) Looking at the label, I wonder why I've never heard of this beer before.
The calamari is lightly battered large rings interspersed with fresh vegetables (not exactly "health food" but one hundred times better than the "gut bomb" I was prepared for when ordering fried calamari.)
The pork is essentially pulled pork that is juicy with citrus and herbs that you scoop onto a tortilla and spice up as you see fit.
After a couple of bites, we determine the food is good. Really good.
I verify that the reason that they only have beer and wine is because of liquor licensing, but am happy that there is a place to hang out later in the evening that isn't a magnet for the sloppy noisy drunks. All in all, this is a great spot for a high quality food and beer on the cheap.
Check the Wiki here for the details.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Start at the beginning - Fleming's
I'll start with the place that essentially kicked off this whole idea. I was tipped off to this happy hour by a Bartender at Shiro who suggested I hit it on Monday (when Shiro was closed). I was stunned that such a great find was in my backyard and proceeded to spread the word to everyone.
Now is as good a time as ever for this post because they just changed their happy hour menu. They used to have a Sidecar on it that I didn't enjoy at all. Evidently, they have caught on that people are counting calories (even at happy hour) so they ditched the Sidecar and added two new items:
Bikinitini - which is under 100 calories (Vodka, lemon juice, orange juice, Splenda and soda water) and Heineken Light as their bottled beer special. As a side note for the guys, you can order one of the fruitier drinks and ask for a "Mantini" (which is them putting it in a low-ball glass so it doesn't look like you are drinking a girl's drink.)
As for food, the Fleming's Prime Burger (with cheese and bacon) is possibly one of the best six dollar burgers you will ever find. That is the bonus of going to a high end steak place for the bar menu - the quality is superb.
The jumbo shrimp cocktail also exceeded our expectations. We expected the generic "martini glass with shrimps around the rim and red sauce in the middle", but they serve these gigantic shrimp on a plate on top of an amazing tropical salsa.
The downside to this place is that, even though it officially opens at 5, if you do not arrive at 4:30 you will be standing around stalking a seat like a vulture for at least an hour. The staff are really amazing and let you cram into any space you can rest a drink, but it can be adversarial in there when someone stands up to leave. Either bring a bodyguard or be prepared to let someone else try and steal the seat you have been standing next to the whole time.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Greetings!
After being pestered by friends and colleagues to document all the knowledge I have acquired about Walnut Creek happy hours, I finally got off my backside and created this blog as well as the Twitter @WCHappyHour.
I have been “working the system” for some time and will do my best to detail the times, places, quality and people that make Walnut Creek a darn cool place to hang out when you are on a budget.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)