Broadway Plaza Concert Series Begins!

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The 2024 Broadway Plaza Summer Concert Series begins tomorrow August 8th at 7 pm! Will I see you there? I love taking advantage of one of Walnut Creek’s best free, outdoor events each year. Thursday night, they kick things off with 24K Magic, a tribute to Bruno Mars. You can’t beat that kind of sound for an opening night! Seating is limited, get their early and bring a chair, friends and some beverages.

There are drinks for sale at each show, and the surrounding restaurants will be open for food, too. Though the event is free, A Brighter Day is a sponsor of the series and accepts donations for their cause. It’s a great cause, so please learn more about it and consider a donation if you go to the concerts. Below are a couple of pictures from past events.

More acts for the month of August include Evolution August 8th (a Journey tribute) and Kalimba August 15th (an Earth, Wind & Fire tribute). This is always a really fun time and the Walnut Creek Downtown Association does a wonderful job putting it on. Let me know if you’re stopping by!

Upcoming Events In Walnut Creek

If you don’t get the “This Week in the Creek” newsletter, make sure you sign up. It is a great resource for those of us living in or around Walnut Creek who like to go out and do things. Just visit www.walnutcreekdowntown.com and scroll to the bottom to find the “stay in touch with eNews” button.

Anyway, one of the most valuable aspects of the newsletter for me is the events calendar. I love to know what’s going on in my backyard, both for my own personal benefit and so I can help clients get acclimated to the town. So, as you can see on the graphic from the newsletter below, here are some upcoming events!

Next month, you can join the Walnut Creek Downtown Business Association, the City of Walnut Creek, and Steinway Piano Gallery for an Earth Day “beautification project” called Painted Pianos. This is a really unique event designed to bring the community together through music and art. To learn more, visit this website.

That cool event will be going on for about six months! And you can never go wrong with live music, First Wednesdays, or the fan-favorite Uncorked in June. They even have the local skating rink opening and Oktoberfest mapped out so we can plan way ahead. There is never a shortage of fun things to do where we live!

Are you going to any of these? Maybe I’ll see you there!

Montesacro: The New Go-To Spot

Montesacro is an Italian restaurant in downtown Walnut Creek that also has two locations in San Francisco and one in Brooklyn. I remember when this was Mint 54 and have wanted to try it since it became a full on restaurant, thus I invited some clients who just closed and my neighbors who referred me, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner.

“Montesacro” is the name of a neighborhood in Rome and the restaurant pays homage to this “hardscrabble, working-class quarter…affected by the aftermath of World War II.” They are inspired by old taverns in Rome where they only served wine straight from the barrel and patrons sat on benches along long, wooden tables.

The history is fascinating, but the food is what will keep me coming back. Montesacro sources local and sustainable food from farms and small Italian producers. Right now, they are advertising the “pinsa,” which is a cloud-like pizza – crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Need I say more?

This is a fairly small restaurant, but it was packed at the bar and all the tables. I ordered the carbanarra, one couple split the veal shank. As you can see by the size of the bone, my dog Poppy enjoyed Montescaro too. You can enjoy all your favorite Italian dishes at Montesacro, plus the lively bar scene. P.S. I highly recommend the Pinsa Al p=Pistacchi – shown in the picture above a small size pizza stuffed with pistachio cream. I would highly recommend Montesacro for your next night out or Italian fix!

Love You A Latte 2024

Most every year, I host my Love You A Latte event at a local coffee shop. I held the 2024 event at Tellus Coffee in downtown Walnut Creek. It’s always nice to get some friends and clients together for a coffee and some chatting about life, real estate, and other topics.

This year, I had about 20 people show up to take part. Thank you to everyone who came to Love You A Latte! I hope you had a good time and look forward to seeing you again next year. In the meantime, I look forward to staying connected whether we’re friends, family, or just business associates.

One attendee mentioned how much he loved that I created community with events like this. That is a major goal of mine as a realtor. We live in a wonderful community and I want to be a trusted source for real estate and various service providers and just a great friend to the people who have been here for me most of my adult life. I think we can all stand to interact in-person a little more these days, too!

Love You A Latte was a really great, intimate event and there were some memorable conversations. Tellus coffee (click to see past blog) was also a great place to host this event, just look at all the greenery and brick. The staff was nice and helpful, I highly recommend stopping by for some coffee and great ambiance. I really appreciate the all those who came and look forward to another great event in 2025! Will you be there?

The Little Pear: Delicious In Downtown

A new restaurant opened in downtown Walnut Creek where The Counter burger restaurant used to be. The Little Pear is from the same ownership group (The Worth Group) as The Peasant & The Pear in Danville and The Peasant’s Courtyard in Alamo.

When I visited, I ordered the Bishop Ranch salad with Mexican White Prawns and it was absolutely delicious (unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture!). The Little Pear is open every day except Mondays from 11 am to 8:30 pm (opening at 10 am on weekends) and I highly recommend you add it to your list of downtown Walnut Creek restaurants to try.

They offer a menu for weekend brunch, several tasty starters, soups, salads, sandwiches, specials, and burgers and other entrees. My Bishop Ranch salad had pear, candied walnuts, blue cheese, and balsamic over greens and I still think about it!

They also have nice outdoor seating for when the weather warms up. I have ate at both of their other restaurants which are also fantastic and think The Little Pear will be no different. Chef Rodney Worth grew up in Northern California and learned to make “good food that makes you feel good” while pursuing a Culinary Arts degree from DVC. He has worked at Wente Vineyards, Bizou, and in catering so he has a wide range of experience that you can taste in every bite.

If you give it a try, let me know what you think about it!

5 Tacos And Beers

5 Tacos and Beers just opened after months of waiting in the former Tender Greens location. There was a line to be seated, which was not surprising given the hype surrounding the restaurant. The food was very good (a bit pricey, but what isn’t these days?) and the margarita was excellent. One negative is that you pay for chips and only get a small amount.

A little bit of background about 5 Tacos and Beers: A unique Mexican restaurant that offers healthy, fresh, and traditional food from south of Jalisco, Mexico. Traditional recipes have been passed from generation to generation, making their “homemade” food full of flavor and authenticity. They are also the only restaurant in the Bay Area with more than 25 local beers on tap, coming from award-winning breweries.

The chef, Lito Saldaña, is the Founder and Creator of Los Moles restaurants in Emeryville, San Rafael, and El Cerrito. His cuisine focuses on bringing in distinct flavors from traditional Mexican pueblos and showcasing them with a modern twist. He uses family recipes and keeps the food simple, but enjoyable.

On the menu are three prominent names: Mama Luisa, Don Pedro, and Mama Elena. These are important people in Chef Lito’s life. His parents, Pedro and Luisa, have been the inspiration for his career and his greatest culinary instructors. In the traditional pueblos of Mexico, mothers and grandmothers prepare enough food (with plenty of tortillas) for family and neighbors. Everything is shared and everyone eats well!

Have you tried 5 Tacos and Beers? Let me know what you think by commenting below.

Shake Shack Opens In Walnut Creek

The anticipated opening of Shake Shack in Walnut Creek did not disappoint. It has had a line every time I drive by and the downstairs seating is completely full. There is additional seating upstairs and an elevator for those who don’t want to navigate a tray of food up the stairs.

I really enjoyed my meal there. For $19, I had a regular cheeseburger, fries, and a small drink. I had Shake Shack in New York City many years ago, and I remembered it being good (and there was always a line there, too). I’m glad it stood up to my memory!

Walnut Creek has a few burger joints like George’s on Newell, Burger King by Civic Park, and Gott’s across from Broadway Plaza. When my kids come to town now, we might not have to drive to San Ramon or Pleasant Hill for In-N-Out. We can just stroll over to Shake Shack instead!

Have you tried it yet? Let me know what you think by commenting here.

Panama Bay Opens Downtown

I checked out Panama Bay recently, located in one of the most unique buildings in downtown Walnut Creek. You may remember it as Yogurt Castle (a cousin to Yogurt Park – ah, those were the days!), next to Scott’s Seafood. Sadly, Scott’s has been closed down.

Panama Bay, though, is a coffee shop! I tried a mocha, but they were out of whipped cream (because of one too many pup cups that day, which is an adorable reason!). I thought Panama Bay was a little bit pricey, but they had some uncommon syrups like banana bread syrup.

I had caramel, coconut, and sea salt added to my mocha. It was delicious and definitely a unique drink. They also have sandwiches and a banana bread mix for sale. I’m just glad to see something finally go into this little hobbit house downtown. They get a lot of business from people who live in the apartments across the street and in the surrounding neighborhoods, as well as lunchtime office workers.

New BART Art!

I found these wonderful new statues at the corner of Pringle and California by BART. As it was new construction, builders are required to provide artwork, as is city policy. These can be found in front of the new Waymark Apartments, once a parking lot for Walnut Creek Bart.

I love the flowers (are they California state flowers, poppies?) and the bees! These are so awesome! I could not find any specific information about this art but I wanted to share it with all of you. This is one of my favorite installations, I drive past it on my way home from work and it always puts a smile on my face. Check it out on the corner of Pringle and California.

Where are your other favorite pieces of art in Walnut Creek? Comment below!

Broadway Plaza Summer Concert Series

This is one of my favorite Walnut Creek events of the year: the Broadway Plaza Summer Concert Series! Since Nordstrom was robbed in 2021, they have closed the street between it and the fountain by Brighton’s off to traffic. This makes for a much more enjoyable and intimate concert series event!

Starting this Thursday, Aug. 4, and continuing every Thursday throughout the month, a Bay Area band will take the stage at 7 p.m. each night. This week, it is Petty Theft, which is a San Francisco-based tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Next week (Aug. 11), The Sun Kings (a Beatles tribute) will take the stage, followed by a Journey tribute band on Aug. 18 and The Best Intentions on Aug. 25. The Walnut Creek Downtown Association will serve beverages at each concert, and surrounding eateries will be open to the public. Time to rock out to some fun music!