Bernard’s Danville Real Estate Blog

Local restaurateur Rodney Worth made his name in Danville with his popular Peasant And The Pear restaurant but last year he expanded his horizons to Alamo with the opening of The Peasant’s Courtyard in a space previously occupied by the Courtyard Café. Sylvia and I decided it was time to check it out.             I remembered the Courtyard Café as a pleasant breakfast and lunch venue with a small interior but a large patio which was certainly appealing in the summer months. I found it hard to imagine how such a small space could become a profitable restaurant though. Of course I had reckoned without Rodney’s thoughtful take on the situation.Sylvia and I visited on a Friday evening late in April and we immediately headed for a table in the sheltered courtyard. From the moment we sat down, we felt totally relaxed and having ordered a bottle of Chardonnay, began to peruse the menus.

We immediately realized one of the reasons why this restaurant should be destined for success. This really is a menu with something for everybody. There are sandwiches, burgers, omelettes, salads and more, plus a selection of Specials, which always included Fish and Chips on a Friday.

We decided to share a portion of Calamari to start and this was an excellent choice. A generous portion, lightly battered, and deliciously fresh. Sylvia went for the Fish and Chips Special for her main course, while I had another special, a rack of barbequed ribs, also served with fries.

By this time it was getting decidedly chilly outside and after a word with our waiter, we retreated indoors to finish eating our entrees there. The waiter was totally unfazed by our request and we were seated at a cozy table in the corner in no time.

My ribs were really meaty (an enormous portion) and the barbeque sauce was delicious and plenty of it. Sylvia’s fish and chips were good but not quite what she expected. The better was not quite so light as the traditional English style fish and chips (as served at the Crown Pub in Danville).

We passed on desserts and relaxed while we finished our wine and listened to the singer-guitarist. They have live music on a Friday and Saturday evening, yet another attraction.

The inside really is tiny with only ten or so tables, but what a great ambiance. It has the feel of a European bistro or wine bar. There is also a very attractive bar.

Both Sylvia and I agreed that this was one of the most relaxing evenings we had spent in a restaurant in a long time. The staff are absolutely top-notch and there really is something for everybody on the menu. Prices are very reasonable and portions are generous, plus they open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It really does seem that Rodney Worth knows what he is doing here and we look forward to visiting his next restaurant that is about to open in Blackhawk Plaza.

Blackhawk Plaza has no shortage of restaurants and Laurus is the latest addition to the Blackhawk dining scene. The competition includes the excellent Blackhawk Grille. It will have to offer a pretty good dining experience if it is to be successful. Will it survive? Read on to get my take on it.
 Laurus is the brain-child of restaurateurs Matthew Silverman and Thomas Bensel and is their third venture in Blackhawk, joining their wine bar, Stomp, and their Mexican restaurant, Coa, all recently opened.
 All three locations are in keeping with Blackhawk Plaza but Laurus is undoubtedly the flag-ship. It opened for business in early December and Sylvia and I dined there for the first time with Michelle (her birthday dinner) for the first time shortly afterwards.
 This is a very stylish restaurant with somewhat minimalist décor and designer colors on the walls. The floor is polished concrete. There is an open display kitchen, an elegant, curved bar with plenty of seating and also an outdoor terrace seating surrounded by the Blackhawk water features with Koi carp and ducks etc.
 The service is impeccable and the food here is excellent. The three of us shared a generous portion of fried Calamari as an appetizer and none of us could fault it. This was  lightly breaded, served with haricots verts and accompanied by a light curry mayonnaise.
 For an entree, I had sea scallops that were served (very artistically I should add) on a bed of butternut squash risotto. The scallops were succulent and the risotto cooked to perfection, although the portion size (just three scallops) seemed a little on the meager side. Even so, I do appreciate the concept of quality rather than quantity and given the choice, quality wins every time.
 Sylvia had the Bistro Steak (a flat-iron steak served with sweet potato fries, an interesting twist on the usual steak frites) and pronounced it to be excellent, with a really good flavor and tender to the bite. Michelle’s choice was the Seafood Bouillabaise and it looked to be crammed full of quite a variety of fish and shellfish. She said it was yummy!
 Neither Sylvia nor Michelle appeared to appreciate my suggestions with regard to a pudding so we settled for finishing off our second bottle of Frogs Leap chardonnay by way of a final course. The wine list is quite extensive incidentally, and the wine was served at perfect temperature, but it would be nice to see some lower-priced wines on offer.
 Overall, we came away with a high opinion of Laurus. I won’t say we will be frequent visitors as it is a little above our normal dining budget but it would be great for a special occasion and should certainly be popular with many affluent locals. 

Regular readers will know that this is not the first time I have reviewed Faz but times change and my policy is to occasionally revisit restaurants I have previously reviewed, hopefully to confirm that they are maintaining their standards.

Quite apart from all this, I freely admit that Faz has always been one of my favorite restaurants. From my first visit, back in the 1980s when I was here on vacation, I was completely hooked. It wasn’t so much the food that impressed me then, although it was good, but the unique ambience of the place. And amazingly, it is not the tree growing up through the roof of the restaurant that is the most striking feature, but the dining patio - a large, sheltered wood deck at the rear of the restaurant with tall redwood trees growing through it and reaching towards the sky. As owner Faz Poursohi has been quoted as saying, “Anybody who fails to make a success of a restaurant with such surroundings does not deserve to be in the restaurant business”.And so it was that Sylvia and I found ourselves once more, seated outside on the deck on a warm Friday evening towards the end of March.Diners at Faz are presented with a basket of home-made foccacia bread and a middle eastern flat bread together with a small plate of olive oil with parmesan cheese and herbs mixed in. This tastes so good that appetizers seem quite unnecessary, so instead, we ordered a bottle of Frei Brothers Chardonnay to enjoy while we snacked on the breads and waited for our entrees. Frei Brothers really do produce a good Chardonnay.One thing that is perhaps worth mentioning here (and a point that while being a big plus to us, may be frustrating to some) is that service is relaxed at Faz. We like to take our time over a meal and the wait-staff are certainly pleasant and attentive, but don’t come here if you want to be out in an hour. It just isn’t that kind of a restaurant.The menu at Faz is another secret to it’s success. You can dine here very reasonably, on a simple and tasty pizza or pasta, and yet they also offer a good selection of more expensive dishes and there are always daily specials.On this occasion, Sylvia dined from the specials menu, while I ordered from the regular menu, although we both had lamb.Sylvia chose the lamb sirloin (having first ascertained from our waiter that it was a New Zealand Lamb - Sylvia finds American lamb is a little too “gamey” for her taste). This was a generous sized sirloin served with roasted potatoes and a selection of fresh vegetables and the taste and texture was excellent.For my entrée, I had rack of lamb with mint sauce on the side, a dish that has featured on their menu as long as I can remember. This is a dish that I generally avoid in restaurants as although it is generally tasty enough, and the presentation is frequently quite impressive, so often, there is little actual meat there. I do feel somewhat cheated if most of my main course turns out to be a few bones.Not so at Faz. This was not only one of the most generous portions of rack of lamb I have ever been served (really large enough to share), but the flavor was outstanding. This was served with similar accompaniments to Sylvia’s dish.Neither of us were inclined to have a dessert but we were completely satisfied by our meal and happy to know that Faz is maintaining its reputation for good food and good service at reasonable prices. You can find there menus and more on their web site at www.fazrestaurants.com.  

Can Danville support yet another new restaurant? Chow owner Tony Gulisano thinks so and to back up his confidence he has invested a ton of money in converting the old Blockbuster premises on Railroad Avenue into an extremely individual space.

This is the fourth restaurant in the Chow empire, two being located in San Francisco and the third in Lafayette. I know the Lafayette restaurant well and although there is a similarity in menus, the ambience seems very different.For a start, there is much more outside seating in Danville, with lots of outside gas heaters and some firepits. Inside, too there are many differences. Both have fireplaces but Chow Danville seems much bigger and lighter with a rather quirky style of décor. Tony Gulisano says it is in the style of an Amish barn. I think that is a bit of a stretch but it is certainly very appealing.Chow Danville opened a few weeks ago and it seems to have been pretty full from the get-go. Danvillians have embraced this style of smart-casual dining and Chow delivers in spades, being open from breakfast through dinner. There is also a full bar which seems to be just as popular as the rest of the restaurant.Sylvia and I visited on a Thursday evening around 6.30 for an early dinner and the restaurant was almost full both inside and out. We opted to eat inside with a table in the center of the dining area and we immediately noticed what a “buzz” there was. Like many people these days, we much prefer a lively atmosphere to a staid one and that is what you get at Chow. This is probably not the ideal place for a romantic dinner for two.Chow’s philosophy is based on the concept of providing good wholesome food at reasonable prices. They use organic produce and local suppliers where they can.Neither of us wanted an appetizer and the menu has a surprisingly good (and perhaps a little eclectic) selection of fish, pasta, meat and game for main courses. Sylvia chose the steak frites, one of her favorites, and as I am a game enthusiast I went for the squab, not a dish commonly seen on menus in these parts.The steak with the frites was hanger steak and having tasted it, I agreed with Sylvia’s comment that it was full of flavor and cooked to perfection. My squab was equally delicious - pan-roasted to a dark pink color and served with an imaginative selection of sides - braised cabbage, a mélange of diced vegetables, a slice of sweet potato and bruschetta. This was one of the best meals I have had in ages.Having declined an appetizer, we felt justified in sharing a dessert, and although the selection was fairly small it was definitely tantalizing. We decided on a chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and a bitter chocolate sauce. Although neither of us are great desert eaters, we had to agree that this, again, was superb. The chocolate cake was like a very light chocolate brownie and the chocolate sauce was phenomenal.I predict that Chow will soon become the most popular restaurant in Danville. The service, overseen by manager Tonino Drovandi (who, despite the name, is Scottish, believe it or not) was impeccable - attentive and unobtrusive, and it is really difficult to find anything to fault. We will be back. You can see more about Chow on their web site at www.chowfoodbar.com. 

It may seem strange to review a coffee house under the title “Restaurant Review” but Sideboard is really not so easy to categorize.
 
A relative newcomer to the Danville restaurant scene, Sideboard occupies the space in the old Danville Hotel that was vacated by Lisa B’s restaurant. This has one of the most appealing ambiences of any restaurant in the area and it is hard to understand why any restaurant serving average to good food should not be able to make a success here. Sadly, Lisa B’s failed. Sideboard, on the other hand, already has a loyal following.

In England, we have a peculiarly English phenomenon that is known as a wine bar. Somewhere you can enjoy a glass or a bottle of wine or beer, optionally have a bite to eat - anything from a snack to a full-blown meal - and just hang out with friends and enjoy the surroundings
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Sideboard is an English wine bar!

Not content to just move in to the already attractive space, owners Erin and Ford Andrews have made major improvements including removing a wall to incorporate the conservatory are into the main area, making worthwhile changes to the bar and introducing attractive shabby chic furniture with comfortable seating. It all works well!

Sylvia and I visited on Tuesday after Labor Day for a light evening meal. We were immediately welcomed by the friendly staff who explained the system to us. At sideboard, you order and pay at the counter then find a table and your food and drinks are delivered to your table (just like an English wine bar).

The menu is mostly made up of salads, sandwiches and some pasta dishes. Sylvia ordered the Beef burger with fries (this is so out of character!) but opted for walnut bread on the side rather than the normal Acme bun. I had Papardelle Carbonara.

Both of these dishes were absolutely outstanding and portion sizes were good. Sideboard use organic and natural food wherever possible and it shows. I think even the peas in my Carbonara were fresh rather than frozen and Sylvia’s Beef burger tasted like grass fed steak. Pasta Carbonara is a favorite of mine and I can tell a good one. Papardelle is not a common variant but it really worked here. I will find it difficult to order anything else at Sideboard, it was that good.

The wine list here is fairly short and seems a little light on less expensive wines. We accompanied our meal with a bottle of Artesa Chardonnay ($38). This is a little more than I expected to spend on wine although this really is an excellent  Chardonnay.

But I think the secret of Sideboard’s continuing success will be that it can be whatever you like. They open all day from breakfast to dinner. It can be your local coffee shop (serving Bluebottle coffee) where you can also have a pastry if you like. And they look delicious. Or just call in for a glass or bottle of wine or beer. Sylvia and I dined inside to experience the ambience but you can hang out on the patio at the front of the Danville Hotel if you like and just watch the world go by.
 
Sideboard may be a newcomer to Danville but I guarantee that they are here to stay. This is one of the best additions to the Danville restaurant scene in years. You can expect to see me there. Often!

I know that many of my readers are familiar with Café Esin in San Ramon and it has been no secret that they have been planning to move to new, more spacious accommodations in Danville’s new Rose Garden Center close to the Sycamore Valley Road 680 off ramp.

Well at last they are there. Sylvia and I were present on the opening night and although this was intended to be a “soft launch” for the new venture, with no publicity announcing the opening date, it was interesting to see that around a quarter of the inside tables in this quite large restaurant were occupied. And this was on a quiet Tuesday evening.

Esin has an immediate feeling of quality. Even before entering, the exterior is evocative of a quite up-market restaurant and at the front and side is an array of tables for outdoor dining with numerous overhead heaters. You can see that this will become very popular.

Inside, there is a very pleasant and spacious bar area to the right and I predict that this will become a regular meeting place for the after-work crowd, providing some relief from the often overcrowded Forbes Mill and Piatti bars.

The dining room is to the left. Here you will see high ceilings, cream walls, much wood paneling, very attractive lighting and lots of space.
So as you can see, at least as far as the premises were concerned, Esin impressed us considerably. But what about the food? Can they maintain the high standards that we have become accustomed to at Café Esin in San Ramon?

I am glad to report that the answer is a resounding “Yes They Can!”. I am always prepared to give a new restaurant some leeway as it often takes time to get the wrinkles out. No such allowances are needed at Esin. Service was as impressive as ever - prompt and attentive without being intrusive. They appeared a little over-staffed on this first night but I suspect that this was to make sure everybody quickly gained familiarity with the new systems as well as to avoid any possibility of slow service.

Esin’s menu will be familiar to their past patrons although I did note a number of new additions. We both passed on the appetizers on this occasion, although I personally was tempted by the oysters (roasted and stuffed with spinach, bacon and cheese) and the zucchini fritters. But at Esin, you have to save room for dessert!

For an entrée, Sylvia chose an old Café Esin favorite, Filo Wrapped Chicken Breast filled with 3 cheeses. This is normally served with couscous but they happily substituted roast fingerling potatoes. I had the Dry Rubbed Ribeye Steak which was served with mashed potatoes and caramelized onion jam. This came exactly as ordered (medium rare). Both dishes were first class.

Esin is famous for its desserts, and rightly so. On this occasion we shared the bread pudding of the day (made with apples). Neither of us normally eat desserts but one almost feels it is heresy not to indulge at Esin. It came right up to our high expectations.

We accompanied our meal with a really outstanding bottle of Viognier, having found little Chardonnay to interest us. If it wasn’t for the amazingly good taste of this wine, at a quite reasonable price, then I was anticipating criticizing the wine list. They probably do need more Chardonnays if they are going to keep the locals happy though.

So in summing up I have to say that I consider Esin to be one of the most appealing quality restaurants in Danville. I have no doubt that even though it has a large number of tables both inside and out, if you want to dine here at the weekend, reservations will be essential. Check out their web site at www.esinrestaurant.com.