I like what Water Light Public Plaza represents, even if it's poorly designed…read more Unfortunately, the three walls that make up the Plaza have no sound dampening. So if you have multiple people speaking or children being children, the sound carries to the point it's unpleasant. It couldn't be made into a park because the noise would be deafening. The Plaza has little to no greenery and only receives sunlight during certain points of the day and year, generally being a concrete shaded rather cold space with tables that go largely unused. It would liven up the area dramatically if they put in a small coffee shop that had games you could check out (like Salesforce Park), but my guess is they have to keep it a community space for tax purposes. In my opinion the seating at Growers Square and the Wells Fargo Fountain are far more successful. They're both more comfortable and have a mix of shaded and sunny areas. So all in all, while the idea of the Plaza (with it's beautiful tiled backdrop and fountain) is great, the actual usability of it day to day is fairly low.

This is a really cute public space in Walnut Creek, with a few plants along the border and several…read moretables available to enjoy snacks or drinks. Half of the seating area was covered by shade when we visited, which was a relief on a hot Sunday afternoon. The glass and ceramic mosaic mural along the wall, titled Water Light, is a beautiful reflective art piece by Jason Middlebrook, whose works connect art, history, and nature. The arcs of water flowing from the jets blend in with the artwork on the wall beautifully. The biggest surprise was the wooden grand piano at the corner of the plaza adorned with images of tiny trees and polka dots whose colors match the mural in the background (part of the Painted Piano Project). We got to play and listen to lovely melodies while relaxing in this simple yet delightful space.

Strolling through downtown Walnut Creek, I felt the unmistakable pull of destiny--a dinosaur-sized…read morehunch that something primal was calling. And there it was, the RAWR sculpture by artist Joyce Hsu, standing tall and proud like a raptor with a degree in modern art. It's as if the spirit of Jurassic Park whispered to Hsu: "What if dinosaurs weren't extinct, just... fabulous?" This T-Rex channels more sass than menace, its metallic frame a shimmering reminder that life, much like art, finds a way. The craftsmanship is impressive, its industrial skeleton begging for a caption like, "Clever girl... or clever welder?" The quirky title, RAWR, strikes the perfect chord--equal parts prehistoric roar and millennial text-speak. A must-see for anyone who loves dinosaurs, movies, or existential reflections on what a T-Rex might say if it had Twitter/X. In a world of beige suburban monotony, RAWR is the cultural chaos we didn't know we needed. Five prehistoric stars! [RAWR is a series of imaginative sculptures by Joyce Hsu, including a 12-foot-high T-Rex Robot and a 6-foot-high Dino Bench, located in Walnut Creek's Broadway Plaza.]

So I booked a reservation here instead of "the other Italian place" in Moraga because reviewers…read morecomplained a lot about service and value there. Damn. I don't know WHAT to believe anymore... Ambiance: It's a little difficult for me to really warm up to a place next to a movie theater. Yes, I've been to this shopping center a number of times. The vibe for a nice dinner is lost a bit with the location. Upon arrival: I felt like I was walking back in time. Yes, I love actual tablecloths, but the location itself wasn't inspiring. Vibe check = difficult when the restaurant is completely empty. Service: Like much of everything else, "these days--meaning post-pandemic" the server was young and trying. It was much like how it feels to fly now (I do it a lot). The FAs are young and inexperienced. He seemed unsure of himself. Nice kid but not the level of service that others had described. As far as his helpers...not so much. You have one job: putting the replacement knife on the wrong side of the plate is a detail that perplexed me. Yes, I notice this stuff. Now for the food: DISAPPOINTING. The meatballs were really basic and nothing special. Entrees? To say we were underwhelmed was an understatement. My dining partner had the lasagna. How do you screw that up? They did. Not flavorful at all. She said the sauce tasted like it was from a jar. I had some weird chicken with prosciutto and cheese dish. The chicken was really dry and overcooked. I could barely taste the cheese. The mushrooms that came with the dish didn't taste like sauteed mushrooms. They were overly sweet and just not good. Everything had a ketchup taste to it. The desserts were really tasty. I wanted good Italian food, NOT just a dessert. Now I need to try the other place and see if it's as awful as other reviewers have mentioned. It certainly can't be any worse than this location. I will NOT be returning.

The food was TERRIBLE! In a party of 8, no one's food was good. Pasta dishes were under-seasoned…read more My "pear" salad was a bagged salad with the feta sprinkles and chopped, brown pears. The burger was dry, luckily had cheese on it. The French onion soup was so salty it was inedible. And the fish sandwich smelled, well, fishy. The service was not any better. The waiter forgot to bring two drinks ordered at the beginning of the meal. Then never offered refills. When we asked another worker there for more iced tea/ soda, he replied yes. Then disappeared. Never ever will any of this party eat there again.

What a lovely evening in The Creek. How different it is there than i the streets I more…read morecustomarily travel. So pale. So placid. Not in a bad way. A passel of patriots plied the portals of perfection for a handful of hours last night, passing from place to place, pleasing our palate with the plenty poured ... Stop. Sorry. It was a lot of fun. A dozen or so eateries and shops and a piano store to visit, each with a small sample of their fare or something they brought to get us in the door. The crowd wasn't huge, the beneficiary of the gate a lovely organization about which I'd like to learn more. I think I liked those little sausages in a taco proffered at Stelle Bistro the best of all. While my big hands made the sausages look so small once I wrapped my lips around them there was no turning back. I had two. They were so good. Nique, Jayzee, 'Nessa and I tripped those lights fantastically. The evening's end on the couches at Residual Sugar sipping the bubbles thank you very much for the bubbles, my dear, was as pleasant a group together as I've had in a very long time. We didn't Gallop. We strolled. We're from Oakland, after all.

Now this was one nice little fun walking adventure I must say! A self-paced guided tour of Walnut…read moreCreek, in which it was created to raise funds and help students of the Diablo Ballet. I can't say I've ever been to an actual ballet performance, but after meeting the staff and supporters that put this event together; I wouldn't mind checking out one of their shows in the future. Just to show my support. The great thing about this event was that it began at one of my favorite places, Massimo! We checked in, started out with a serving of Cesar salad, pasta, and garlic bread. A good starting location, as you explored that map and scheduled your adventure. I've already done over half of the places listed, like: Massimo, Walnut Creek Yacht Club, Lark Creek, Hamachi, SF Creamery Company, Lottie's Creamery, Silk Road, The Counter, and Peet's Coffee. But I would have to highlight where I stopped: ~Massimo's soft penne pasta bolognese! Perfect! ~WC Yacht Club's watermelon gazpacho with shrimp and pine nuts! Delish! ~Lottie's served up some floats! Loved the root beer and orange flavored soda! ~Silk Road had some fresh hummus and flatbread with chicken pomegranate. This was some serious stuff! I should've asked for a second serving. ~The Counter: Sweet potato, onion strings, and parmesan garlic fries. Ok, but not a fan. Highlights of new places I've never stepped foot in, until now: ~Steinway Piano Gallery - Served up some wine from Las Positas Vineyards. Sorry, didn't like the wine, but loved the background music from the pianist. ~SkinSpirit - Serving Laughing Glass Cocktails and L'Artisan Gourmet Parisian Macarons. Unfortunately I gave up drinking, but gave the drink a sip and knew it was too good for me to finish. As for the macarons, they were OK only a little too soft for me. ~54 Mint Forno - Wow, my third favorite stop. A new WC bakery discovery. Loved the samples, but recommend everyone to take home one of their quiche's. Egg buttery goodness! ~Opa! - My second favorite stop. Why? Because everyone should try their spanakopita. Super flaky and made just right. As was their dolmas. It wasn't overly lemony like most places make it. Damn near perfect! ~We Olive - MY FAV! Enjoyed the ladies that helped me out. I sampled everything and very much plan to come back. This place gets its own personal highlights because of the variety of balsamic and olive oils. Ellen displaying her Chubtastic Wine Bottle Art as well. I wish I knew of this place long ago. Oh, and the brownie/wine combo...mmm!!! Overall, if you haven't really explored Walnut Creek, then this would have been a great opportunity to do so. And also a great way of showing your support for the hard working ballet students. If this continues next year, I shall plan to gallop once again. My only negative star would be because, I didn't see fellow yelpers flaunting any Elite name badges :(

We had an amazing Valentine's Day dinner and would absolutely return. Even though it was packed for…read moreV-Day, everything ran smoothly and the experience felt special. Our waiter, Nemo, was wonderful very attentive and informative about the specials and the menu. The free bread and dipping oil is delicious. The wine was great, and next time we definitely want to come back to try a cocktail and explore more of the menu, especially the desserts. The complimentary biscotti at the end of the meal was such a thoughtful, perfect finishing touch. I kept thinking about the salmon dish I ordered the entire next day, it was delicious. It could have used a touch of salt and pepper, but I chose not to add any because I wanted to enjoy the dish exactly as it came out of the kitchen. The ambiance was lovely, romantic, and intimate a cute, small place with great energy, and we would love to return to enjoy the live music they have at time. Overall, beautiful service, a cozy atmosphere, and a memorable dinner. We'll definitely be back again.

Food was great! Service was great! And the piano player was awesome!…read more Honestly, this restaurant is nothing short of spectacular. I came here with my husband tonight for a post concert performance dinner hoping to see my middle school band teacher perform on the piano. But alas, he wasn't scheduled to play tonight. That said, since walking through the door, everyone on the staff was attentive from greeting to explaining dishes to refilling water. This is a well run restaurant. For tonight, I got their braised short rib while my husband got a porchetta and prosciutto dish. We ordered a spinach dumpling appetizer and then chocolate cake and tiramisu as dessert. Their braised short rib is one of the better ones in which I wished it wasn't a special and more on the main menu. Their short rib is fall apart tender and flavorful. Everything's pretty well seasoned. Only thing I would change is maybe a bit more seasoning for the mashed potatoes since that was a bit more bland. Not that it was bad. It was still pretty good. Their in house bread and oil/olive dip is a bit spicy but it's delicious. Like I'd go back for the bread alone! The dessert was also really good. Chocolate and hazelnut is my thing so I can't go wrong with their warm chocolate cake. My husband got the tiramisu in which while good, is a little heavy on the coffee side for my liking. There's a bit too much powder which occasionally gives a dry taste too. But the flavors and generally really well done. Now I need to come back to catch Bob Athayde in action on the piano. There's a different player tonight who was still really good. The piano is beautiful too.

On the very weekend I'm absolutely dying inside to be at the Outside Lands Festival... I am in…read moreLafayette listening to a cover band do a Michael Jackson tribute. F me. I'll start over... a tiny patch of grass in the middle of town is all lafayette needs to gather up a cover band and every family with wee ones age 0-7 or so, within a 15 mile radius. the kids jump around the grass to 70's and 80's covers (tonight anyway.) The parents sit on the grass and drink not-coffee in starbucks clear cups. BYO blanket, snacks and Whatever to fill that starbucks cup. [Probably bring your own cup too, not sure how I got mine... ] Meet up with a couple other moms (or dads, or both...) and make a little party out of it.

I attended the Walnut Creek Art & Wine Festival over the first weekend of June. For the second year…read morein a row, it was held at Civic Park downtown. The weather was perfect. Both days were in the 70s. The layout was similar to that of last year. On the west side, there was a beer garden, rides for kids, and numerous vendors. On the east side, there were even more vendors, a petting zoo, large stage for musical acts, and an excellent lineup of food vendors. It seemed to me that there were more new vendors this year than last year. I interacted with some of them and they were all friendly. It's nice that there were several city-owned garages within walking distance. The organizers also operated shuttles to and from BART. I'm not a drinker so the prices of alcohol was of no concern to me. Someone in my group did mention drinks ran north of $10 per glass. On the food front, premium prices were charged. Four pieces of chicken strips cost $24. The musical acts were good. A lot of 80s and 90s tunes were played. Overall, it was a nice event. Will check it out again next year.

Wow! My first time here taking BaRt to Walnut Creek in 2025 and it was easy to find the shuttle…read morebus which was a school bus to take the riders to the park where the Art and Wine Festival was. Very easy. If all festivals are like this, I might as well venture out and explore! This was a new temporary location for this festival as the original was further away but it was being fixed or upgraded. I loved the set up as it was easy to walk around to see the vendors, rides and food! Yummy! You know I came for some good BBQ and it was great. Nice warm weather and good opening act Michelle Lambert the singer sounds great. She sounds like a Lee Ann Rimes and she plays a violin which was amazing to see and hear. As I was walking around there was food booths and vendors all around. My friend and i walked around the entire area. It's worth to trip to get a change of scenery and explore new vendors we don't normally see where we live. I bought some fresh nuts and bought my bbq lunch. My friend had to buy the cute succulents that came in a box of three. Would I come back here? Sure got good food, entertainment and vendors that were all well balanced.

Montclair Village is a neighborhood in the Oakland Hills area of the city!!…read more A small, yet, very walkable area with a good mix of restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, cleaners, banks, you name it!! Montclair Park and Recreation Area is right here also, which is very popular, especially on weekends as there are multiple tennis courts there along with a duck pond. Located right off Highway 13, this small, quiet neighborhood is one of the best areas in the city!!

From the owner: Montclair Village is a charming and vibrant community, nestled in the beautiful, tree-covered…read moreOakland Hills. The Village has a laid-back, small town feel, plenty of parking in the City-owned garage, and over 200 retailers, service providers, restaurants, and financial services.