Life and Real Estate in The San Ramon Valley
Restaurant Reviews
Restaurant Review – Divan, 2005 Crow Canyon Place, San Ramon
February 14, 2012
At last! A really first-class Indian Restaurant in San Ramon. I have been waiting over 20 years for this.
It seems that Indian Restaurants come and go with alarming regularity in San Ramon. Some seem to only last a matter of weeks, while others close down after a year or so but it all comes down to quality and consistency at the end of the day.
As my regular readers know, I am a major enthusiast when it comes to Indian Food (what else would you expect from a Brit? – our national dish is now Chicken Tikka Masala!). So when I learned that another new Indian restaurant had opened in San Ramon, I was eager to check it out. It didn’t take me very long!
Within 5 days of it opening, Sylvia and I went there for dinner with our daughter Michelle and two friends, all of us being Indian food fans. The first thing we observed was the high standard of décor – very stylish and quite understated. The location is good too, being virtually next door to Max’s Café on Camino Ramon where there is ample parking. Available.
We anticipated that they would not have a wine license yet, so we took our own wine with us. What we hadn’t anticipated was that they would have no wine glasses but this did not phase them at all. They immediately sent somebody off to nearby Marshall’s to get some. Now that is what I call service.
The menu has many familiar selections on it but also quite a few less familiar ones. For appetizers, we shared a variety of dishes – Coriander Mari (Calamari), Chicken Pakoras and Vegetable Samosas. All were really good but the Calamari was outstanding. Very fresh and tender in a light batter. Some of the best Calamari I have tasted.
We all had curries of one kind or another as a main course. I chose the Chicken Coconut Curry, a very mild dish but with outstanding depth of flavor (I prefer subtle curries). The others went for Chicken Vindaloo, Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Tikka Masala. Everybody was impressed.
If your taste for Indian food runs to the super hot, blow your head off kind, this may not be the best place for you, but if, like me, you prefer the flavorful dishes that are spicy without having an excess of heat, I can promise you will not be disappointed.
I mentioned that the menu had some less familiar dishes on it. These include Fish Pakoras, Seafood Biryani, Lamb Shank Masala and Fish Tikka Masala among others. They also have a wide selection of vegetarian dishes.
Prices were fairly typical of most Indian restaurants in the area and service was excellent. They are very friendly and helpful with an obvious desire to make sure you enjoy your meal.
Really, I can’t speak highly enough of Divan. It really is the best Indian restaurant food I have tasted in California and I have visited a lot of Indian Restaurants. They have another, well-established, location in Seattle plus another newer one in Fremont. I’m sure that with this kind of service and food, they are here to stay in San Ramon. That isn’t just my opinion either. Check out the reviews on Yelp. They are getting a lot of fans.
The Real Estate Informer Restaurant Awards: for 2011
January 9, 2012
Yes, its that time of year again. These are the local restaurants I consider to be the best in their categories based on my experiences in 2011.
Best Italian Restaurant
There are probably more Italian restaurants in the Bay Area than anything else yet really good ones are few and far between. After much consideration, my award goes to a relatively new restaurant, Mangia Mi in Danville. This little hideaway serves food with fresh ingredients at a reasonable price. They also have an outdoor patio.
Best French Restaurant
Not much competition here. French cuisine is considered to be the best in the world but the representation in the east bay is poor. I am pleased to say that we have one outstanding example though. The prices may be on the high side, but Chevalier in Lafayette serves outstanding French food and is highly recommended for that special meal.
Best Indian Restaurant
Indian restaurants come and go with alarming regularity and most are average at best. Too bad, since Indian cuisine is one of my favorites. The best Indian restaurant I know is undoubtedly Swad in Lafayette where you can get great food with outstanding flavors.
Best Chinese Restaurant
Again, there is a vast choice in this category. Overall though, I think Yan’s China Bistro is the winnner. With locations in Walnut Creek and Alamo, the food (especially the specials) is excellent and the surrounding are very pleasant.
Best Seafood Restaurant
I do like seafood and this is another category where there is little choice. The Walnut Creek Yacht Club has its followers but I still rate Scotts Restaurant in Walnut Creek higher. I find myself returning there frequently for their reliable and sometimes imaginative dishes. The décor is rather dated but it is still a pleasant (and very popular) restaurant.
Best California Cuisine
There is plenty of choice here and many contenders have a good reputation and a strong following. My choice, following their relatively recent change of ownership (and menu) is Patrick David in Danville. An intimate restaurant serving imaginative food in a great location.
Best Outdoor Dining
There are many restaurants in our area with patios. Not all have food to match the al fresco experience though. Some that do are Barone’s in Pleasanton and Chevalier, Metro and Postino, all in Lafayette. After much deliberation though, I think Blackhawk Grill has the edge over them all. It would be hard to imagine a more perfect location and the quality of food has always impressed me.
Best Overall
And the winner is …. Chevalier in Lafayette. As noted earlier, this is one of the very few remaining French restaurants in our area and the food is authentic and without compromise. The main restaurant is like a typical small French bistro and they also have a covered dining patio, set amidst attractive gardens. Chevalier has exactly what is takes to make a good restaurant great.
Restaurant Review – Incontro Ristorante, 455 Hartz Avenue, Danville
December 12, 2011
New to Danville but no newcomer to the local restaurant scene, Incontro established itself in San Ramon as one of the best Italian restaurants in the area. They recently took the brave step (in this economy!) of moving to Danville. It was time to see if it had paid off.
Sylvia and I visited early on a mild Friday evening and having parked in their private lot at the back of the building, walked through the bustling outdoor patio to the front of the attractive building that Incontro has made its own. This was previously a quite run-down place housing a Mexican restaurant, but the owners of Incontro have completely gutted it and transformed it inside and out, into a gorgeous restaurant, the likes of which Danville has never seen.
As soon as you enter, you know that this is a success. The attractive bar at the front was packed and despite having plenty of tables, the restaurant area was almost full. This was shortly after 6pm on a Friday. Don’t even think of going without a reservation.
Incontro is made up of a number of separate rooms, giving it the feel of a house. The décor is warm and inviting with extensive use of wood paneling, attractive art works and other décor items and the lighting has been designed to perfection. It looks like no expense has been spared and yet it is a restaurant that immediately makes you feel at home and relaxed.
Thankfully, the menu appears to have changed little with the move. There are relatively few choices but what they do, they do well. We skipped the appetizers and Sylvia opted for the Angus New York steak with a tarragon and wine sauce, while I had the pan-seared duck breast. Both typical dishes that you might find on an Italian restaurant menu but rarely cooked and presented as well as at Incontro.
We followed our main course with a shared Pannacotta and you can see this traditional Italian dessert on their web site at incontrodanville.com. This is a dish I rarely see on menus and Incontro prepared it to perfection.
We accompanied our meal with a pleasant bottle of Carneros Chardonnay that we brought with us. I should mention that they have a good selection of wines by the glass and the bottle but they are predominately (should I say, authentically) Italian and our palates lean towards California varietals.
So in summary, this is a great move for Incontro and also for Danville. Their risk has paid off and they are now established as one of Danville’s premier fine dining restaurants.