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01/09/09
Enjoy delicious imported cheeses—on the house—at all A.G. Ferrari stores
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12/23/08
We’ve seen more restaurants than usual closing their doors. We’ve lost Movida in Livermore, Mono in Oakland, and Strings in Walnut Creek to name a few. It’s always disappointing when a business closes. You can’t help but think of the people who will lose their jobs.
I’m especially sad that the Pleasanton Hotel will close after its New Year’s Eve celebration. This Victorian era restaurant has been a part of Pleasanton’s charming and historic downtown for 25 years. I never did have the good fortune to eat dinner there. I always just swung by after hours to listen and dance to the jazz and blues bands on the patio. It was always a great time under the magnolia tree.
If you get a chance, there are a few more good times to...
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12/19/08
Lafayette's new Chevalier Restaurant is winning rave reviews from our food team—look for a featured review in the upcoming January issue of Diablo. Chef Philippe Chevalier is preparing spectacular menus for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve and has offered a lucky Diablomag.com reader a special prize: dinner for two (wine not included) on your choice of Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve. Enter below—and good luck!
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12/18/08
This Sunday, December 21, Hanukkah begins at sundown. You don’t have to wait until sundown, though, to enjoy traditional Hanukkah foods. Saul’s Restaurant and Delicatessen in Berkeley is hosting a sidewalk Latke Tent and Beer Garden this Saturday through Monday, 11 am – 6 pm.
Drop by to try Saul’s Latkes, which won a place in the East Bay’s 101 Most Delicious Things to Eat. The potato pancakes are fried at the tent and served with applesauce and sour cream. Order the Latkes individually or, if you want to take Latkes to a holiday party this weekend, preorder Latkes by the dozen...
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12/18/08
If you're looking to make New Year's Eve dinner plans, you should enter our contest to win dinner for two at Chevalier Restaurant in Lafayette. But in case you want to make reservations early, you could also consider the prix fixe dinner Wente Vineyards will be offering for New Year's Eve. Info about the dinner below. The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards has announced a special prix fixe New Year’s Eve menu. Executive Chef Arthur Wall and Sommelier Jorge Tinoco have created a five course menu with wine pairings that...
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12/15/08
A winner has been selected from our exclusive Crab Trivia Contest on Facebook. Siv Ricketts won dinner for two at the Walnut Creek Yacht Club!
For access to exclusive Facebook contests and giveaways, become a fan of Diablo magazine HERE
Below are a few of our favorite responses to the bonus question, "What's your favorite memory of eating crab and the best way to eat it? Feel free to share your memories or recipes by commenting below. Question:What’s your favorite memory of eating crab and the best way to eat it?”
Answers:
Over a 3-year...
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12/09/08
The December issue of Diablo magazine made a special guest appearance on Monday’s episode of KGO’s View from the Bay. Master bartender—and Diablo favorite—Manny Hinojosa wowed host Janelle Wang and local morning talk show’s live crowd by whipping up his trademark Hot Mexican Punch, which he first shared in the Food Scene of this month’s issue. Hinojosa, looking as natural on television as he does behind the bar, is somewhat of a local celebrity, turning his longtime bartending gig at the Walnut Creek Yacht Club into a job traveling the U.S. inventing new cocktails. Here’s the
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12/08/08
The Walnut Creek Yacht Club's holiday crab dinners are coming up. Check out Diablo's Facebook page to win a free dinner for two.
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12/08/08
Love the idea of letting your kids decorate holiday sugar cookies and gingerbread men but hate the idea of cleaning frosting and spilled sprinkles from your kitchen floor? Zephyr Grill & Bar in Livermore offers the perfect solution: a free cookie decorating party for kids on Dec. 13 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. While your kids are perfecting the buttons on their gingerbread men and cloaking sugar cookies with colorful sweets, you can enjoy Zephyr’s free appetizers. Reservations are recommended: 925-961-1000. And don’t worry, this is one gingerbread man that you can catch again -- the “Build Your Own Holiday Cookies” ($7.95) are on the menu during the holiday season. Check
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12/03/08
Let’s be honest, we’re a culture of “designer tastes on Tar-jay budgets.” Eating well is a sign of success, stability and security so it’s no surprise that, with grocery shopping, we want to have our cake and eat it too. We want high-quality foods at reasonable prices. Until recently, many of us were willing to motor around town to Whole Foods, Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Costco, etc., taking advantage of everyone’s specials.
A recent survey conducted by Whole Foods Market found “that, despite rising food prices, 80% of U.S. adults say they do not want to compromise on the quality of the food they buy; 70% say that are buying the same amount of natural and/or organic foods they always...
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12/02/08
Too tired to cook dinner this evening? Want to try something new? Then head to the opening of Knoxx Restaurant in Lafayette. Knoxx is featuring the cuisine of Italy’s Piedmont region and is located in the former Pasta Per Tutti space. Can’t make it tonight? Knoxx is open for lunch and dinner daily. 3756 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, (925) 284-5225, www.theknoxx.com.
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12/02/08
Just got a nice letter from a reader and chef in the area, in response to James O'Brien's story in the November issue...feel free to add your comments below! Dear Editors,
As an East Bay chef and ecologist, I appreciated James O'Brien's "Mean and Green" Rant in your November issue. I agree with his premise that the radical fringe of the Sustainable Food movement can do more harm than good when it succeeds in "turning the repetitive acts of everyday life into one long string of guilt trips." As a society we need to realize that there are many paths toward green, and allow people to...
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12/02/08
Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, send the turkeys on vacation; it’s time to get personal with some healthy swine.
Eccolo will present a special Pig Dinner on Wednesday, December 3, at its Berkeley restaurant. The dinner will feature organic hog farmer Jude Becker and dishes exclusively made with Becker’s “Animal Welfare Approved” pork.
Recently seen discussing humane treatment of farm animals with Lisa Ling on Oprah’s talk show, Becker raises 6,000 pigs a year on his family farm in Dyersville, Iowa and is committed to the stringent standards set by the Animal Welfare Institute such as organic, sustainable farming and range-based humane animal breeding. For example, Becker’s sows give birth to litters on pasture and...
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12/02/08
‘Tis the season to stuff yourself to bursting, but maybe you’d like a truly seasonal treat that’s delicious and healthy? Frog Hollow Farm’s pear parfait starts with Warren pears so beautiful you’ll want to paint them. You add yogurt (Frog Hollow recommends locally produced, organic Strauss). Next comes the farm’s own ultra-toasty granola—a nutty combo of rolled oats, almonds, raisins, and sunflower seeds—and sweet pear topping, which is made by Frog Hollow’s chef-in-residence Becky Courchesne. The result is creamy, sweet, fruity, crunchy, toasty, and satisfying. And what a healthy breakfast! To order the pear parfait package online, go to froghollow.com.
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