My wife and I stopped by Amphora Nueva after grabbing lunch at The Station nearby to replenish our…read moredwindling supply of aged dark balsamic. Like most artisanal olive oil and vinegar stores, this one allowed for sampling of nearly all their products. There are so many interesting oil blends and flavored balsamic vinegars, I would encourage you to take your time to try out anything that piques your curiosity before making a purchase. We ultimately picked up a bottle of their 25 year old aged, Denissimo balsamic. This balsamic had a wonderful sweetness to it and was beautifully viscous. I can't wait to drizzle this on top of a tomato burrata appetizer when summer comes around, or on some vanilla ice cream. Another balsamic I really enjoyed trying out -- that would also go lovely with vanilla ice cream, was the espresso flavored balsamic. I would definitely recommend checking out Amphora Nueva for all our olive oil and balsamic needs.

We first tried their product at a party--just a splash over sparkling water--and it was delicious…read more From that moment, we were hooked. Now it's in regular rotation at our house as we work our way through all the new flavors in the store. BB

Whenever I'm in the Lafayette area, I make it a point to visit Diablo Foods. Decades ago, I worked…read morefor one of their competitors and I appreciate the effort that goes into the quality and selection of their offerings. -For a grocery their size, they have an excellent selection of local produce from individual farms. -Their butcher aisle is superb, so many cuts and the quality of their meats, poultry and seafood is outstanding! How many groceries carry "American wagyu-style beef?" or fresh Scottish salmon?" (Not to mention how nice their butchers are, they are so willing to help with any specific cuts or instructions you need). -The deli has a great selection of cold-cuts, salads and makes killer sandwiches. -The cheese dept has an excellently-curated selection, far better than the chain stores. -Their in-house produced entrees are delicious, as well as the best local bakery/bread offerings. -Their checkout staff are friendly, beyond simply emptying your cart. They offer assistance to your car and have "associates" in the parking lot to help with parking and cart retrieval. This is "old-school" service in the 21st century...(obviously, they can't charge chain-store prices; they don't have the same buying power), but I definitely get value when I shop there...kudos to Diablo Foods, you "rock!"

I have probably ordered $500 worth of sandwiches from here over the past year, which should say a…read morelot. Their sandwiches are incredible. The staff are very friendly. I come back here once every week or two after placing an order via fax for my work place. So why only four stars? They unfortunately can get rushed, and miss stuff on the faxed in order sheets. Basic stuff: "please serve hot" or even as simple as basic ingredients to include like mayo or mustard. Don't get me wrong, I'll keep coming back here. If they could just get the orders more accurate it would be an easy 5/5!

We love Sepay Groves olive oil! Our go-to oil has been the Frantoio but we have discovered other…read moreoils that have a more earthy taste and are higher in polypheonols so we have been buying those as well. Their flavored vinegar is also fantastic. My favorites are the raspberry and black cherry. I'm glad this place is nearby because it's difficult to find good quality OO outside of Italy.

I visited to get another bottle of the: Sepay Groves…read moreFrantoio EVOO which is cold-pressed olives with a high poly- a bit peppery, grassy and (to me) a tad bitter. I use as a finishing oil drizzled on roast vegetables or for pasta dishes. Frantoio olive oil also has known health benefits! A great antioxidant, reduce inflammation, help with lowering cholesterol and for heart health due to high polyphenols. I'm all for it...a daily tablespoon or two will do ya! If you're a bit more adventurous you can go with the other high polyphenol EVOO of Spanish olives called Hojiblanca. Plenty of options of vinegars and olive oils to sample before you buy. Bought the 18yr old aged balsamic which elevates any dressing and your friend's will comment "how come mine doesn't taste like yours" (evil laugh!) ...quality ingredients make a difference! Staff helpful and will provide ideas for pairings with food and educate on the wonderful selection of products. Store shelves were not fully stocked (when I visited in Jan) but you can ask and a bottle will be filled in the back. Plenty of street parking and towards the end of First Street. Make it a destination for waterfront hike, shopping and eating! Support small business

This is a nice little shop on Locust Street - just down the street from several very nice…read morerestaurants - so this is the perfect location to get your after dinner sweet fix. They have a nice variety of gelatos, including some flavors you don't normally encounter. I tried the Stracciatella (an Italian version of vanilla and chocolate shards), and my wife tasted the Matcha Lavender. Both wonderful flavors, and well mixed (if you overdo the Lavender, it can taste soapy, but not here.). They're happy to provide samples if you're having a tough time choosing. Service was very good, and there's an indoor seating area. They also sell some very tempting chocolates, truffles, bon bons and chocolate bars. Those are for another time, as the gelato was enough calories for us. Very nice little spot. Highly recommended.

We found this shop after seeing how highly rated it is on Google and and walking in, it's easy to…read moresee why. The space itself is incredibly clean, cute, and welcoming. Plus, the staff members are total pros--they were polite, patient, and happy to offer us samples while we made up our minds. For atmosphere and service alone, this place easily earns 3 stars. Unfortunately, the actual gelato experience was a bit of a mixed bag. They have a ton of options, but the execution varied wildly: The Hits: The fig mascarpone was beautifully rich and creamy. The Miss: The cherry vanilla black pepper was a major letdown. It completely lacked any vanilla or black pepper notes, and instead tasted like a medicinal, artificial cherry cough syrup. The pistachio lemon curd was very tangy. The biggest hurdle here is the pricing. You're looking at $6.45 for a small cup (which allows up to two flavors). Once you tack on tax and tip, you are staring down a nearly $10 bill for a single small cup of ice cream. While the space is lovely and the employees are great, the value-to-price ratio just feels off for what you get. Because of the steep price point and the inconsistent flavor quality, we won't be returning for another round of this extravagant gelato.

Wonderful dinner last night at Locanda Positano in Lafayette. Locanda Positano is tucked away on…read moreBrown Street in Lafayette. So much delicious food in a wonderful atmosphere. We savored the Locanda Salad, Fritto Misto, incredible focaccia from the Bread Basket, Arancini, Linguini Alle Vongole, Penne Alla Vodka, and the evening special: rigatoni with braised beef and sausage. Every dish was delicious! I'm still thinking about the Locanda salad; it was fabulous! We enjoyed dinner at the bar. The drinks were fantastic, Danny provided excellent service, and Renato and the rest of the staff made us feel right at home. IG: robinmwood

We had an exceptional experience here today, with four of our party of eight ordering the lasagne…read more-- it was cooked to perfection, tender and flavorful without the crispy texture you may get in a traditional oven. The staff was super friendly and attentive -- will definitely return.

UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP. They are currently working on turning this little store around from the…read moreprevious (dated) produce store to a new source for all sorts of niche grocery products including my favorite dressings I buy at the farmers market. This will be a great addition to the neighborhood.

Bummer the new owners removed the hand-painted murals to cover the windows with AI slop…read more New market is less local, less produce, lots of stuff purchased at Grocery Outlet and resold here for twice the price, it seems. Also amazing is how prices change. Picked up a bottle of whit wine we were told was $12.99. He said he had a cold one in the fridge, grabbed it, and quickly tried to remove the $9.99 tag. Must have been disappointing for him when it scanned in at $10 even. Regardless, it is clean and convenient.

was drawn in by the large picture of Monica Vitti in front and I left with some awesome ice cream…read morefrom the back.. Last time I saw anything like that was in the women's restroom of Agnes B. in San Francisco, now long gone. One wall was papered with a montage of photographs from French Nouvelle vague films - Jean Paul Belmondo, Godard, Brigitte Bardot, etc. Congrats to Of All Places, I had a stimulating discussion with the owner about Italian films By Antonioni from the '60s. I'm afraid this dates me.

This compact specialty market has been open for over a year, and I really like how the merchandise…read morereflects local purveyors with no corporate brands. Starting with an arresting blow-up of Italian movie star Monica Vitti behind the checkout, it's a visually pleasing emporium because it's not overcrowded with idiosyncratic products. The wine collection is particularly interesting with labels unknown to me. I've been tempted by the delectables in the Grab & Go section, but I've demurred for the sake of discretion. In fact, having almost no knowledge of any of these products, I only recently bought something here because I want to support them. I got a box of Rooibos tea and a jar of Hawaiian masala (Photo 10). I look forward to buying more in the future, though one thought I had was that this store would benefit from samples. On a previous visit, there was a bakery pop-up in front (Photo 8), and I think more of that activity could encourage more in-store traffic. It'll be interesting to see how this business evolves. RELATED - Exploring Solano Avenue? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/eyjAJU1VZv

I've been here a couple of times for business events…read more Today we had the salmon and lamb, and both were excellent. The wines are always tasty, and the complimentary bread with herb butter is soft and fluffy. The strawberry salad was especially good, even better than the arugula salad. Lemon tart and tiramisu are both great.

We dined here to celebrate my son-in-law's birthday. I have mixed reviews about this place. The…read moreambience is nice, cozy, intimate, and fun. Menu items are on the high side, so be prepared to shell out some dough. We had a nice waiter, pleasant, cheerful, and very accommodating. I would give the waiter a rating between 4 and 5 stars. It was near closing time when we got there, but we didn't feel rushed to order or eat our dinner so that they could clean up and close the restaurant and head on home. We started with an appetizer and garlic bread (see picture). We had about six pieces of bread and as you can see in the picture, it was on the burnt side. I cannot believe that for the price you pay for a bread, they would serve this. I also ordered a black coffee, but it tasted like it had been sitting there since the morning and tasted really nasty. I asked to have a hot tea instead. Food was good. We ordered spaghetti, carbonara, some chicken dish, and a grilled salmon. All the food tasted delicious and we cleaned out the carbonara and spaghetti. After we ate our dinner, they gave my son-in-law a slice of tiramisu with a lighted candle. Overall, it was a pleasant evening and we enjoyed our food (except for the garlic bread). I'd like to see them do me good and give me a nice garlic bread the next time I eat here.