Life and Real Estate in The San Ramon Valley
Restaurant Reviews
Restaurant Review – La Finestra, 2065 San Ramon Valley Blvd., San Ramon
May 15, 2012
La Finestra is an established restaurant in Lafayette and when Incontro closed its doors in San Ramon to relocate to Danville, they took advantage of the opportunity to open a second location in premises that Incontro had updated with style and taste. Now it was time to see how it compared to Incontro.
When Incontro opened here a few years ago, they took a big risk. This location seemed to have the kiss of death for restaurateurs. But Incontro changed all that and subsequently moved to a prime location in Danville.
La Finestra is a different kind of restaurant to Incontro though. Yes, it is Italian, but with a strong Sicilian influence so the menu is quite different. Sylvia and I had previously eaten at their Lafayette restaurant and enjoyed it, although we did not think it was exceptional. And the premises are more traditional in Lafayette.
The San Ramon location is much more modern with a striking exterior, stylish dining room with warm colors, wood paneling and a small bar area and generally a very appealing ambiance.
The menu has a lot of choice in all courses and fish and seafood in particular, are well represented. We decided to pass on the appetizers so as to leave room for dessert (always a good test for an Italian restaurant) although we did take advantage of the complimentary warm focaccia bread with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar based dipping sauce. Very fresh and full of flavor.
For an entrée, Sylvia chose the Chicken Breast Stuffed with Pancetta, Sage and Provolone Cheese in a Chianti Wine Sauce, a generous portion and not too heavy on the red wine. She pronounced it to be excellent. I had the “Gamberoni alla Diavola” – Jumbo Prawns Sautéed with Roasted Red and Yellow Bell Peppers and Onion in a Spicy Garlic Tomato Sauce. This was absolutely delicious. The sauce was reminiscent of a ratatouille although a little more subtle in flavor. Both dishes were accompanied by Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, Pine nuts, Raisins and Sautéed Garlic Vegetables. The pine nuts and raisins are definitely a Sicilian touch. Everything was really tasty and cooked to perfection. We accompanied our meal with a bottle of Acacia Carneros Chardonnay that we had brought with us. They charge a reasonable $15 corkage fee and unless you like Italian wines, which dominate the wine list, you may want to follow our example.
Our waiter suggested the semifreddo as a dessert and we were very happy that we took his recommendation. A generous portion of coffee ice cream set on a zabaglione cream custard and topped with a paper thin waffle. They take their desserts seriously at La Finestra.
We enjoyed our visit here very much and I was surprised to read other reviews of La Finestra on Yelp.com that are not so favorable but I suspect that they may have been written shortly after their opening, while they were sorting out some teething problems. Certainly, we have nothing but good to say about this restaurant and we will definitely be back. You can read more about them, see lots of photos and check out the menu on their website at www.lafinestraristorante.com.
Restaurant Review – Santorini, 105 Town and Country Dr. Danville
April 9, 2012
A new Mediterranean restaurant in Danville! The name may suggest that it is a Greek restaurant (as Santorini is a Greek Island) but a glance a the menu will soon show you otherwise.
Santorini is the creation of the owners of Silk Road in Walnut Creek, a restaurant that Sylvia and I visit quite frequently so we were very interested to compare the two.
Santorini is located at the back of Town & Country Shopping Center on San Ramon Valley Blvd. It is on the second floor, next to El Nido and a big bonus is the outdoor seating under a covered deck where they have a good supply of heaters.
On our first visit, early on a Friday evening, we were surprised to see that it was already fairly full and there was a strong buzz of conversation. And this not a small restaurant. I would guess at least 80 seats inside plus a pleasant bar as well as the outside patio seating I mentioned above. They had only been open around a week or two, and I had seen no advertising at all but Danville seems to have discovered it quickly and the attendance level must be pretty encouraging for the owners.
One is immediately struck by the pleasant ambiance created by the colorful décor (including an enormous mural of the island of Santorini). It was apparent that it has a more upmarket feel than Silk Road, which is also much smaller.
Once we were seated, a quick glance at the menu showed it to be virtually identical to the Silk Road menu. No complaints there as we have always enjoyed the food at Silk Road.
The menu is large and varied and includes numerous Greek and other Mediterranean dishes, stews, pasta and pizzas. There is also a variety of appetizers although Sylvia and I went straight to the main course.
Sylvia ordered Mousaka for her entrée, while I chose the rack of lamb. We had never had the Mousaka at Silk Road so couldn’t compare that but Sylvia said it was at least as good as any Mousaka she had tasted. It was a very generous size portion as well.
My rack of lamb was also quite delicious and again, an extremely generous portion. Both dishes were served with garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables.
Everything here tastes fresh and of good quality ingredients. They even make their own pita bread (which is delicious). Prices are good too. Far less than you would expect to pay for food of this quality, and such generous servings.
Perhaps because of the serving sizes we chose not to have a dessert, opting to finish our wine instead, while we just relaxed and enjoyed the surroundings.
As we were leaving, the manager asked us if everything had been enjoyable. He was very much in evidence throughout the evening and is obviously committed to making it a success. I don’t think it will be too difficult for him. They have a good, varied menu, pleasant surroundings, quality food and good prices. A combination that goes together bery well. Check out their excellent website at www.santorinidanville.com where you can see their menus and more.
Restaurant Review – Artisan Bistro, 1005 Brown Avenue, Lafayette
March 9, 2012
Of all types of cuisine, I have to say that French food is my favorite but it also has to be noted that it tends to be more expensive than many of the alternatives. Even so, the cost is well justified for a special occasion, particularly when the experience turns out to be exceptional.
And so Sylvia and I found ourselves parked right outside this bijou cottage on a Lafayette side street just off Mount Diablo Boulevard where we had come to celebrate Sylvia’s birthday.
This was our first visit to Artisan Bistro and having checked out their website (where we noted that it was Michelin recommended) and read the reviews on Yelp, we were anticipating a pleasant evening.
I am very happy to report that we were not disappointed.
As I previously mentioned, the restaurant is in what was originally a Lafayette cottage and much of the old character has been retained with assorted dining areas and a small but very attractive bar area. The ambiance is definitely “casual but up=market bistro”. The entrance is by way of a path that runs around the building to the back door, passing by a most attractive outdoor dining patio that I imagine is very well used in the warmer months. Then passing through the bar area, you find yourself in the center of the restaurant..
We were seated immediately and were immediately impressed by the friendly service and the warm abiance.
To start, we shared a duo of Sonoma foie gras, one portion being a terrine and the other seared. This was the perfect first course, light and full of flavor.
For entrees, Sylvia chose what the menu describes as “Snake River Wagyu Rib eye Cap & Braised Short Rib”. Wagyu beef is very similar to Kobe beef but bred in America and this was a portion of the tenderest part of the ribeye, together with a portion of short ribs, all served on a red wine jus. Very tender and tasty.
My entrée was the “Sonoma Rabbit Three Ways”. That is a bacon wrapped loin, a terrine from the shoulder meat and a country fried leg. Interestingly (and pleasingly) all boneless and also served on a jus. I rarely get the opportunity for rabbit and this is as good as it gets. Both dishes were accompanied by a selection of mushrooms and baby vegetables and everything was cooked to absolute perfection.
We are not generally big dessert eaters but it was a celebratory meal so we shared a “Roasted Brioche & Orange Bread Pudding”. This was really a dish to set the taste buds tingling. I really do recommend this one.
All of this was accompanied by a bottle of Layer Cake Chardonnay that was priced at a reasonable $35.
While not a restaurant you would generally go to every month, Artisan Bistro is the perfect venue for an intimate meal for two and in my opinion is as good as any restaurant in Lamorinda or the San Ramon Valley, regardless of price. And I have to say it cost less than I had expected. It is certainly no more expensive than many lesser restaurants.
Check out their excellent web site at www.artisanlafayette.com and don’t miss the galleries of photos there.