Tuesday Tiptoe Through the Town

Mon Petit Chou was kind enough to make the trip to the City of Lite this last Tuesday to do her reading while Your Boulevardier worked at his desk. A stopping point arrived at around 11:00 a.m., and a walk downtown and an early lunch was proposed and accepted. Your Boulevardier's standard route to Castro Village was taken, but new eyes were applied to the familiar scenes. One of the images that caught those new eyes was of this magnolia campbelii putting on a fabulous show against the wall of T-Kane Karate.



The early-springlike weather has encouraged many other trees around Castro Valley to blossom as well; rain is predicted for this weekend, and Your Boulevardier is curious whether the precipitation will interfere with pollination.

Lunch was found at Swiss Delices. Two different sandwiches (chicken curry, and mozzarella and tomato) were procured, and each was cut in half so both diners got a little variety. The sandwiches were excellent -- the bread particularly so -- and the shop's staff volunteered two small bites of pastry for dessert, which were gratefully accepted and enthusiastically consumed.

In all, it was a perfect day for a walk and a lovely time. As aforementioned, inclement weather is forecast, so Your Boulevardier encourages readers to enjoy the sunshine while you can.

Crossing the Border

Your Boulevardier has been baking and dipping Madeleines (off and on -- not constantly) for the last two days in preparation for the grand re-opening of the Book Shop, 1007 B Street in Downtown Hayward.

The celebration is Saturday, September 26 from 1 to 5 p.m. Your Boulevardier wouldn't miss it, though he is double-booked on Saturday so will only be there part of the time.

His Madeleines, Your Boulevardier admits, are not the greatest. They tend to be spongy and sticky, rather than crumbly and slightly crisp. One's not sure if the problem is a surfeit of butter, a surplus of sugar, an imbalance of eggs, or some other issue. Though they can be messy to eat, they are tasty. Try one and see for yourself.

Expressing Oneself

Mon Petit Chou came to collect the Subcompact Loaner yesterday, and found herself a bit peckish mid-afternoon. Your Boulevardier proposed a visit to Chef's Express, the recently opened Chinese food restaurant in the Village. She accepted.

The place is clean and attractive. The process for getting food is not unlike that of a well-known Chinese food chain with a black-and-white bearlike creature as its mascot. You choose the number of entrees you wish, and all other selections flow from there. Samples are offered to help diners decide.

However, this is not a chain; it is a branch of Chef's Experience China Bistro, a large, more traditional Chinese restaurant in downtown Hayward.

We each had two-entree items, which included chow mein and rice. (A tip for the health-conscious: steamed brown rice is available in lieu of fried or steamed white rice.) The entrees were reliably tasty but not exceptional; we both would have liked to see more vegatables, and more freshness in the vegetables we had. (Indeed, and surprisingly, there's only one vegetarian entree option available.) Most entrees were conventional American Chinese: kung pao chicken, broccoli beef, and so on.

The portions were plentiful. In fact, in spite of our famished selves, we left the restaurant with considerable leftovers. Still, getting two two-entree dishes, and making different choices between the two of us, gave us some variety.

The place was busy with patrons, even at 3:00 p.m. One suspects it does a good lunch business, and mostly sells take-out (seeing as how the number of tables inside is quite limited).

Suburban Foraging

Alas, due to professional commitments, Your Boulevardier has not been able to take advantage of the visiting Subcompact Loaner for extended dog walks. However, they took a brief stroll this morning and checked the blackberry bramble on Strobridge Avenue, east of 580 and below Strobridge School. The berries are just becoming ripe!

Your Boulevardier knows of at least one other place in town where a prolific fruit tree on public (or abandoned) property shares its bounty with all comers. Do readers know of others? (Perhaps you're unwilling to divulge; Your Boulevardier understands.)

Dining News

Your Boulevardier noticed several restaurant happenings on his walk this evening.

1. JD's is closed for the week. Workers are now digging away inside the restaurant, apparently replacing the entire floor. At this rate, one begins to wonder why they didn't demolish the restaurant and start over.

2) The former Pancho's Restaurant at 2788 Castro Valley Boulevard is, after an extended closure, now open as a Korean BBQ and Tofu restaurant. Your Boulevardier had been under the impression, from earlier alcohol license application in the window, that it would reopen as a Mexican restaurant, but it's not the case.

3) In sadder news, work appears to have stopped on the former Carry Outee. The banner heralding Toula's Gyros is now down. Your Boulevardier has not checked whether or not Toula is back to work at Chipotle.

4) The work on Chef's Express in Castro Village is nearing completion. The plywood siding has been removed, and the exterior is very attractive (if a bit out of character for Castro Village). A photo is below. Based on the signage that was on the restaurant when it was boarded up, this place is related to Chef's Experience in Hayward.

Gemignani "Rocks the Dough"

Your Boulevardier belatedly stumbled upon a news item in SF Weekly about the North Beach Festival, held a few weeks ago in San Francisco. Castro Valley's Tony Gemignani and his dough-tossing acumen were, it seems, a hit at the festival. Story and photos are here.

More Castro Valley Culture

New-style yogurt shops are all the rage these days. One has slowly been taking form in Castro Village; there's one in the new theater complex in downtown Hayward, and another one under construction in the storefront kittycorner to it. It seems that somebody has convinced bankers that indulgences with a hint of healthiness is a business combination that's recession-proof.

And now Your Boulevardier has received a press release announcing the imminent arrival of Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, which will open on July 3 in the 580 Marketplace (the center with Pyzano's and PW Market).

The press release is big on numbers. The Castro Valley Golden Spoon, it says, is the first shop in an ambitious plan to open 30 outlets in the Bay Area. Golden Spoon offers 50 flavors total, of which 12 are served daily on a rotating basis. (Not 24, as originally posted here.)

A regular frozen yogurt will be free of charge during the Grand Opening days of July 3, 4, and 5, 2009. One does not need a coupon to get the freebie. Store hours are 11 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Your Boulevardier, by the way, received no compensation for publishing this announcement, nor did he request any.

Postscript: With a little imagination, one can imagine a cooperative arrangement between Golden Spoon and Castro Valley's venerable Golden Tee. (Your Boulevardier just can't bring himself to say "Golfland.")

Rolling Out the Red Roof

Your Boulevardier apologizes for the dry spell; he has been catching up on work, participating in some musical activities, enjoying a bit of leisure time, helping a friend with a garden project, and hosting visitors for the Bay to Breakers. Posts will resume soon, it is hoped.

Meanwhile, three quick items: the El Rancho STEAK House was getting a new coat of red paint on its roof yesterday. Around the corner, Swiss Delices is open, sorta. (When Your Boulevardier had coffee and pastry there last week, the place was clean and freshly painted, but not well lit and its walls were devoid of artwork; also, sandwiches were not yet being served.) And across Redwood Road from Trader Joe's, El Rancho Supermercado (one does not think it is related to the STEAK House, but could be wrong) has a sign in its window reading "El Rancho Taqueria Finally Opening Summer 2009." (It has been hinted at for a long time; it's not known what the hangup has been.)

Special Food Edition

Your Boulevardier, remembering that this is the week when Don Jose's will donate a portion of its profits to the new Castro Valley Library, decided at the last minute to walk downtown and treat himself to a meal this evening. The restaurant was pleasantly busy, with a heartening cross-section of people: individuals, couples, and groups comprised of a variety of ages and races. The bar was lively with folks watching ice hockey. Your Boulevardier chose a salmon salad, which proved exceptionally good, and a large Dos Equis Amber (which Don Jose's has on tap). Not every restaurant can make a solo diner feel comfortable, but this one certainly did; in fact, Your Boulevardier was given a booth, not relegated to an undersized table. He was impressed with the food and service, and left a gratuity reflecting his pleasure.

There is other Castro Valley dining news to report as well.

Progress continues at the future Toula's Gyros, under construction at the former Carry Outee. The building has been stripped of its awnings and outstructures; paper obscures the windows, so whatever work goes on inside remains a mystery. Currently the Pepto Bismol Pink exterior paintjob remains, but certainly that will not last. Your Boulevardier has been schooled on the difference between Gyros and Falafel (thanks, and apologies, to jimigreeko) and looks forward to sampling Toula's fare.

Across the street and down a bit, Knudsen's Ice Creamery sports bright red-and-white signs announcing its fifth anniversary party on Saturday, May 2. Included in the celebration will be free mini-cones, a petting zoo, and face painting. Your Boulevardier is a fan of Knudsen's -- he will mark his birthday there a week from Sunday -- and congratulates proprietors Dave, Kathy, and John on their accomplishment.

And around the corner on Santa Maria Avenue, Your Boulevardier was positively heureux to spot a sign indicating that the former Katy-Lu's Korner would become an outpost of Hayward's outstanding Swiss Delices. This is excellent news for Castro Valley (particularly considering the recent departure of Primrose Bakery from the Village) and perhaps the death knell for Your Boulevardier's trim waistline. Before Swiss Delices' Castro Valley site opens, Your Boulevardier recommends that readers hasten to Main Street in Hayward, purchase some of the incredible baked goods, and offer your encouragement to the proprietors on their expansion.

Put a Fork In It

Your Boulevardier is amused by the signs hawking the lunch special at Tam's Kitchen on Castro Valley Boulevard. Why, you ask? Because knives and forks are used to secure the posterboard to its stake. (But the question is raised: wouldn't chopsticks be more appropriate?)

The food at Tam's Kitchen has not been sampled by Your Boulevardier, but Yelpers' opinions are mixed about it.

More Chinese Food Coming to CV

A stroll through Castro Village today revealed that Chef's Express will open in the former Peking Garden site. From the logo, Your Boulevardier surmises that this will be a branch of the Chef's Experience China Bistro (Yelp link) on Foothill Boulevard in Hayward.

It's a near-certainty that the Wilson Ave Guy will want to chime in on this breaking news due to his careful tracking of the Asian Cuisine scene in Castro Valley.

Hipster Night at Trader Joe's

Your Boulevardier popped into the Castro Valley Trader Joe's on Monday evening at around 8:00 p.m. It appears to have been Hipster Night at the store -- the place was chock-a-block with young, attractive couples. Most of the pairs fit a theme: she in studious glasses, long straight hair in a ponytail, and cute jeans; he in two days' growth of beard, a fitted logo ballcap (some, but not all, worn backwards), and saggy jeans with holes in one knee. Boys and girls alike sported elaborate winter scarves and (probably expensive) sneakers, and all couples seemed thoroughly, and happily, engaged in their food shopping. They would not have been out of place in Berkeley or San Francisco's Mission District.

Carry Outee ... of Business

As foretold by a commenter not long ago, Carry Outee -- the tiny Chinese takeout place on Castro Valley Boulevard -- closed with the end of 2008. Your Boulevardier only ate food from there once; fact is, he couldn't get past the name, which for some unknown reason evokes the 1970s-era MAD Magazines with which he grew up. But it's clear that the place had a devoted following.

It's in one of three shack-sized businesses all on one large lot on the north side of the Boulevard, just west of El Rancho Steak House. Two are now vacant; Your Boulevardier noted a gentleman on the phone in the third, looking busy, but those buildings do not seem to attract long-term tenants. An electric-bike shop and a trading card company have come and gone in the last few years, along with others that can't be recalled today.

If the climate for commercial real estate were different, Your Boulevardier would suspect that the three shacks would be demolished and one larger structure erected. But the timing for such a move would be poor, and the newish building just to the west of the three shacks -- which has housed a title company, an Indian clothing store, and now a tax-preparation business, along with a Sylvan Learning Center -- testifies to the fact that finding and retaining tenants is not easy these days.

A Visit to the New Cinema in Hayward

Heaven knows Your Boulevardier is loyal to Castro Valley, but he also enjoys visiting downtown Hayward. He is a fan of The Book Shop; he enjoys visiting Le Paradis and Buffalo Bill's; he is a regular patron of CopyMat. One of his professional clients is a downtown not-for-profit. So he spends a good bit of time walking B Street.

Last Tuesday, a visit was made to the new Century Cinema at the intersection of B Street and Foothill Boulevard. ("The Other Boulevard," as it is known to some. Or maybe just one.) The building is clean and bright, and the employees were friendly and enthusiastic. The young woman who sold the popcorn gladly filled Your Boulevardier's reusable water bottle, perhaps in defiance of company policy but in an exceptionally well-received gesture of goodwill. The bathroom was tidy. The seats were comfortable.

But show taken in, a late-afternoon showing of the new James Bond thriller, was not well attended; perhaps a dozen people sat in the 200-seat auditorium. Your Boulevardier spoke with the young man tasked with cleaning the salon after the show -- he didn't have much to do -- and was assured that the patronage was much higher on the weekends. In fact, Tuesday night is the best night to attend if one does not like crowds.

Mixed feelings are held regarding the new cinema. Your Boulevardier is among the Chabot Theater's biggest fans, but lately the local single-screen has not programmed selections suited to his taste. (High School Musical, Madagascar, and now Bolt.) He looks forward to the arrival of a film with a more adult appeal, at which time he will eagerly return to the Chabot. But it must be admitted, it is most pleasant to have a dozen screens within minutes of home. Your Boulevardier encourages all to visit the new cinema and inspect it for themselves.

By the way, all links above are to reviews at Yelp.com.

Remodeling McDonald's

Your Boulevardier notes that the McDonald's on Castro Valley's Fast Food Island is closed for remodeling. This event has been in the planning stages for years, it seems. This morning a cold steel fence kept all but the birds from visiting the Golden Arches. And because the restaurant was not being patronized, and the fries and burger buns on which the pigeons and seagulls had, in the past, feasted were not forthcoming, so the avian scavengers had precious little to do. One telling note as to the abruptness of the property's fencing: copies of USA Today remain in the newsrack by the restaurant's door.

Deep in the recesses of Your Boulevardier's memory, he can recall eating at this restaurant when it was brand new. The building was covered with white tile, and sported several red concrete outdoor tables in lieu of indoor dining then. The structure was spanned by the trademark aureate arcs. The hamburgers cost, if memory serves, twenty-nine cents.

Over the years, the building expanded as its real estate morphed. The playplace was added, and a section of the dining area was segregated as a party room. (Neveau de Boulevardier celebrated at least one birthday there.) The establishment's parking lot grew dramatically, even as the freeway and its offramps encroached.

Automobiles have always been the preferred mode of access to McDonald's, it seems, and pedestrians such as Your Boulevardier took some risks in attempting to walk to the place -- what with motorists juggling too-hot coffee, filing their change, shushing the youngsters, and, oh yes, driving their cars from the drive-through.

But one can say what one will about McDonald's -- Your Boulevardier has concerns about its business practices and the health value of its products -- but the company has maintained its Castro Valley property well through all the changes. On a survey mission this morning, Your Boulevardier noted the lush green lawns, carefully trimmed shrubbery, and crimson Pistache trees along the property's perimeter. Let us hope that the new structure adds some architectural interest and other thoughtful touches, since this site is, for better or worse, one of the gateways to our town.




Postscript, unrelated: On a walk to Valley Java this morning, Your Boulevardier noted that gasoline at the Shop 'N' Save on Stanton Avenue has dipped one tenth of a cent below $2 per gallon.

India comes to Castro Valley

Your Boulevardier, accompanied by mon petit chou, visited the new restaurant in Castro Village, Aroma Cuisine of India, last Friday night. The food was enjoyed and a good time was had. Your Boulevardier is not a restaurant reviewer, but will attempt to describe the visit.

The restaurant was full of patrons upon our arrival at 7:00 p.m.. We had no reservation, so the host escorted us to the adjacent patio and offered hot, spicy chai tea. Eventually a small table was made available toward the rear of the restaurant. The crowd appeared to be a fairly typical cross-section of Castro Valley restaurant diners: mostly Caucasian, mostly older, not without means. (We noted with pleasure that among our fellow diners were a few same-sex couples.)

The table was small and clean (as was the entire restaurant) and the chairs and lighting were comfortable. Indian art and live plants decorated the room. The piped-in music was the only atmospheric element that seemed a bit off-theme. Dishes ordered included Chicken Tikka Masala (chicken in tomato-curry-yogurt sauce), Dal Tarka (lentil puree), Raita (yogurt condiment), and warm Nan (puffy flatbread). A large Taj Mahal beer (brewed in India) and a small Maharaja beer (brewed in New York, promised as the best beer in the world, and proffered with a money-back guarantee) also were consumed.

The dishes were beautifully prepared, simply presented (on stainless steel platters) and delicious. The service was attentive and friendly. While the meal was not inexpensive ($38.33 including tax but not tip) it was well worth it.

After the meal, mukhwas -- candied seeds, eaten as a digestif -- were offered. These are found in a rack near the cash register. Simply scoop a small bit into your hand with the provided spoon and pop it into your mouth for a pleasant breath-freshener.

Mon petit chou knew much better than Your Boulevardier how to navigate an Indian dining experience, and gratitude is offered for her kind assistance. A tip of the beret goes to Aroma Cuisine of India.