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.

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.

Echo of the Arts

Your Boulevardier passed the under-construction McDonald's on a walk this blustery morning. Construction is moving apace, though the structure looks nothing like what one might think a McDonald's should look like. In fact, from one angle the new structure looked vaguely familiar.


A walk down the Boulevard and up Redwood Road confirmed (somewhat) Your Boulevardier's suspicion: the gentle arc over the McDonald's facade is not unlike that over the Castro Valley Center for the Arts.

It must actually be said that the McDonald's arc is more stylish. It's gently asymmetrical and airy, while that of the Center for the Arts is plain and heavy. Still, the resemblance is notable.


On the rest of his walk, Your Boulevardier noted a number of other recent buildings with similar arcs, including the remodeled Safeway and the new Taco Bell, both of which are on Redwood Road. (Those buildings' arcs are much less prominent in the designs than the previous two mentioned above.) And, of course, the Wachovia (née World Savings) building is a favorite, but much older, example.

Strobridge Interchange Questions

The new interchange from Eastbound I-580 to Strobridge Avenue appears to be nearing completion. Most barricades have been removed, and crews appear to be in cleanup mode. Still, four questions remain in Your Boulevardier's mind about the project. They are, in no particular order:

How will the odd patch of earth between the freeway and the onramp be maintained? One finds it hard to believe that a crew will get way up there regularly with a lawnmower to tend the narrow strip. Your Boulevardier is no fan of pavement, but it would make sense in this case to not make the area a haven for unwanted vegation.

Will CalTrans remove the fences that run along both sides of Strobridge Avenue under the freeway? It can't be argued that the fence on the west side keeps anyone out, since it stops abruptly on the south side of the underpass with no gate or structure to close the end. For now, all the fence does is collect trash, and it's very rarely cleaned out.

What will happen to the CalTrans corporation yard on the north side of the underpass? Like the aforementioned fence, the yard is an unmaintained haven for trash. Illegal dumping occurs regularly, and many piles of construction materials and debris remain there as well.

What is the purpose of the metal box at the top of the onramp? Will it be relocated, and if so will the temporary barricades and sand barrels around it be removed?

Maintenance of this offramp has long been neglected by CalTrans. Indeed, one of Your Boulevardier's neighbors left the Baywood District because (among other things) he felt the area gave a slumlike first impression, what with the litter and ill-kept homes along Strobridge Avenue. (And, perhaps ironically, this person drove a garbage truck.)

That Seeping Feeling

The strange little building at 2659 Castro Valley Boulevard has long mystified Your Boulevardier. For a while it seemed to be a construction firm that built decks and fences of plastic, but as of late it seems to just be another un- or under-utilized business shack. (Castro Valley has many, a fact that will be documented someday when time permits.)

Yesterday on a stroll along the West End, it was noticed that the ground on either side of the building seems to be oozing water. It's not known if there's a broken pipe underground, or if the water is simply natural percolation or seepage from the hill to the site's south. But regardless of the source, it looks somewhat unsafe for the structure -- and the sidewalk, with a bit of algae building up, is becoming slippery. Below are two views of the property, from the east and west respectively.


Is there a geologist in the house? Can anyone tell what's going on here?

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.

The Marble-Clad Marvel

Your Boulevardier loves to look at buildings. He has traveled to some great cities in his day, and viewed some fine architecture. The structures in humble Castro Valley may not measure up to those in, say, Chicago or Paris or New York or Florence, but many of them have a certain charm. Your Boulevardier admires a sense of scale, a whiff of whimsy, a hint of history, a dash of detail in a building.

One Castro Valley building that many people pass but precious few probably notice is the marble-clad structure that houses Fura Bodyworks. It was, if memory serves, a lawyer's office for quite some time; today, piercings and tattoos are given -- apparently with some skill. Your Boulevardier sports neither piercings nor tattoos, and he has never set foot in the place. However, this does not detract from his respect for the building itself. (And he does acknowledge the entrepreneurial zeal and local loyalty of Fura's proprietor, Mel Speed.)

But back to the building. In a sense, it is a modern skyscraper writ small. Tiny, even. Vertical stripes of black-and-green marble, alternating with dark windows suspended in bright steel frames, forms a pleasing rhythm not unlike that evoked by Mies van der Rohe in his best mid-20th-century creations.

Not-so-close examination shows that this building is, underneath its stone cladding, simply a construction of cinderblocks. (Everyone who has driven through the Jack-in-the-Box drive-through knows this, in spite of efforts to disguise the fact with greenery.) But the facade the building presents to the street is all style, and even a bit of modernist glamour.

Monday Morning Meanderings

Basking in his newfound fame, Your Boulevardier took to the streets this morning sans chien. (She will come home this afternoon.) The usual haunts were visited: Peet's, where a skeleton crew scrambled to keep up with orders; and the Post Office, where a line of impatient patrons stretched out the door at 9:30 a.m. and parking had begun to get, shall we say, creative.

Around town, a few bits of weekend randomness were noticed. The corner of the curved awning at XOTek Windows (at the intersection of Castro Valley Boulevard at Nunes Avenue) had, apparently, been struck by a tall vehicle; stucco lay in chunks on the sidewalk below, and scrapes were visible in the fascia. Across the street, the large concrete refuse container by the Blockbuster Video bus stop had been pushed from its moorings to a random location. (For what it is worth, the container on Redwood Road in front of Safeway, near to Peet's, was shoved from its appointed spot months ago and has never been relocated.)

Your Boulevardier walked up Castro Valley Boulevard, then turned north on Lake Chabot Road a piece. He noticed that the former professional office buildings across from Eden Hospital are being deconstructed from the inside out. While Sazio's Italian Restaurant, Sushi-Ya, and Theadora's Salon seem to cling to existence (though Yelp describes Sushi-Ya as closed), the establishments surrounding them are vacant and stripped to the studs, while the exterior remains largely unaffected. (Gutted like a fish, a sushi-eater might say.) A peek along the culvert behind the buildings finds that the structures' innards have, for now, been tossed out back; from the street, the parking lot looks clean and tidy. This demolition strategy confuses Your Boulevardier, since the debris will need to be hauled back through the buildings before it can be trucked away -- unless, of course, the buildings themselves will be demolished, in which case heavy equipment can be used to scoop up everything. But if that's the case, why bother with the interior demolition in the first place? Why not do as was done at McDonald's -- simply crush the buildings and pick the valuables out of the rubble?

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.

Banking Crisis hits Castro Valley

Your Boulevardier is concerned about banks in Castro Valley. Specifically, he is concerned about his favorite building in town.




The former World Savings, now a branch of Wachovia, is a lovely, interesting building. Note how the roof floats lightly above the nearly-all-glass structure. Admire the gentle curve of the roof -- it evokes Ancient Greece, in Your Boulevardier's eye. Pop inside sometime and admire the spidery sculpture hanging from the ceiling. (For security reasons, bank employees generally frown on people photographing the insides of their offices; thus, no interior image is supplied here.)

Wachovia, of course, is in financial trouble. Citibank and Wells Fargo are gunning for it. Whichever bank wins, it is doubtful that they will take over this lovely building. It's a prime location but doubtless commands a commensurate price. The building itself has a few problems -- inability to expand, few spots for ATMs, and (if one remembers correctly) some structural problems with the roof that were addressed a few years ago.

Meanwhile, neither Citi nor Wells Fargo are known, at least in Castro Valley, for their interest in real estate. Citi exists in what may be the worst building in town, at the corner of Santa Maria and the Boulevard; it is unattractive, dirty, windowless, somewhat hostile and bunker-like, and has entirely inadequate parking and auto access. Compare that with Wachovia.




In Castro Valley, Wells Fargo is located in a strip mall. Perhaps that's enough said.




Castro Valley will have to wait to see how the chips fall. Fingers are crossed that the lovely building anchoring the corner of Redwood Road and Castro Valley Boulevard will keep its intended use -- as a financial institution -- or will find a new and suitable purpose.

(Note: photos of Citibank and Wells Fargo have been added and text has been tweaked.)

Wudas Is Right

There are fewer things online that are more pathetic than an abandoned blog. One of those things is a blog with a long hiatus followed by a post reading "Sorry it's been so long since there has been a post."

The Castro Valley Boulevardier falls into the second category.

The usual excuse applies: real life has been busy. Several things have been noted by Your Boulevardier, but he has not taken time to post on them. For example:

• A couple of weekends ago, several of the concrete trash bins on Castro Valley Boulevard were knocked over. They were righted within a day or so.
• Other vandalism seemed to spike as summer drew to a close. The pedestrian overcrossing over Highway 580, frequented by Your Boulevardier, was tagged again, and promptly cleaned up again. Your Boulevardier is pleased that the appropriate authorities are staying vigilant to it.
• Restaurants have come and restaurants have gone. The Indian restaurant in the Village, the Vietnamese place across from Pete's Hardware, and the "Theme Unknown" place by Kragen Auto Parts are among the openings. (Your Boulevardier has not tried any of them.) Closed are Fongs, Peking Village, and Pancho's. Meanwhile, Bangkok 580 fell victim to a takeover robbery.
• The cloudy creek question (the post on which prompted Wudas to remind Your Boulevardier to update the blog) was resolved, and it appears the problem was simply construction erosion upstream. If Your Boulevardier appeared alarmist, he apologizes.
• Your Boulevardier participated in Barefoot Boot Camp at Castro Valley Yoga in the third week of August. The upper body is still complaining, though proud to have made it. It's amazing and heartening to think that a dozen people would be up and exercising at 6:00 a.m. for six consecutive days!
  
• School has opened, and it is pleasing to Your Boulevardier to see children walking to their classes. Still, school zones continue to be dangerous places for pedestrians, what with distracted parents driving their offspring while engaging in telephone conversations, eating breakfast, or attending to their grooming.
  
• For Sale signs, and vacant properties, seem to be appearing more frequently around town, at least in Your Boulevardier's home district of Baywood.
• Your Boulevardier saw a poster for a Green training class co-sponsored by the Castro Valley Sanitary District and the Castro Valley Adult School, upcoming on September 27. More information can be found at the Adult School website (appropriately enough, on Mr. Green's welcome page.)
• A production of Carousel is coming to the Center For The Arts later in September. One can't go wrong with Rogers and Hammerstein.
• Castro Valley product Rachel Maddow is getting a regular MSNBC show. Your Boulevardier does not partake of intense political coverage from any portion of the spectrum, so he has not seen the show; but he knows friends of Maddow's parents, and hears that they are rightfully proud of their daughter.
  

For now, this list of tidbits will have to suffice. Again, Your Boulevardier apologizes for the long drought of new material.

Digging Castro Valley

Two holes in the ground were noted on today's walk.

Behind JD's, the parking lot is full of earth and a deep trench can be seen next to the Chabot Cinema. Your Boulevardier suspects that the retaining wall is being rebuilt to a higher standard, but can anyone confirm? The parking lot is closed and so parking at JD's is even tougher than usual.

By the Post Office, work continues on the sewer replacement behind Castro Village. Where the new line attaches to the main, in the middle of Santa Maria Street, workers have been digging and working for a week or so, with flag persons attempting to keep traffic flowing. The crew is fortunate that school is not in session at Castro Valley High.

Your Boulevardier noted both of these earthmoving escapades while pursuing his pastime, walking in Castro Valley. He notes (though his evidence is anecdotal) that more people are joining him on foot in the City of Lite, and suspects that the move is related to gasoline prices. Castro Valley is a surprisingly walkable town for many of us who live in or near downtown -- all manner of services, from a top-notch hardware store to a handful of fine coffee shops to a yoga studio to a few ice cream parlors all await within a few-block area.

Ups and Downs

Your Boulevardier and the Trusty BoulevarDog took advantage of today's bright, cool Sunday morning to stroll the West End. Some things in Castro Valley are looking up, and other things in Castro Valley appear a bit downtrodden. A brief catalog of observations:

Upside: Some time was spent at Valley Java, which was as bustling and busy as ever. A new railing around the outdoor seating area provided a hitching post to which the Trusty BoulevarDog could be secured while coffee and a blueberry muffin were procured. It's good to see a locally owned independent coffee place busier than the forlorn Starbucks on Stilts at the corner of The Boulevard and Lake Chabot Road.

Downside: Properties along The Boulevard are in need of maintenance, especially vacant ones. The former rental yard on John Drive, the vacant gas station at the corner of Stanton Avenue, and the landscaping in front of Tony & Ted's Liquors all look pretty shabby.

Upside: Work has resumed in earnest at the future Saigon Bistro (next to Valley Inn). A workman was there this morning, in fact. New windows and granite facing on the building's front are in place. The windows were obscured so Your Boulevardier could not see what has been accomplished inside, but he noted construction-related vehicles in front of the shop earlier this week so he assumes that progress is being made.

Downside: What in the world is going on at Carry Outee? The lot looks more like a dumping ground with each passing day.

Upside: The Rowell Ranch Rodeo is coming, and businesses around town are preparing for our anachronistic Western festival with window paintings, posters, and other decor. Your Boulevardier, it should be known, is a fan of horses but not of rodeo, and looks forward each year to the Rodeo Parade. This year it is on May 10, and as always the real entertainment begins at around 9:30 when the Castro Valley Community Band warms up the crowd.

Downside: The Daily Review has apparently decided to distribute its newspaper for free in some neighborhoods on an occasional trial basis. (If there is a pattern, Your Boulevardier cannot detect it.) Sadly, people who are not in the habit of receiving a newspaper at home are also not in the habit of picking them up from their driveways or yards, so dozens -- perhaps hundreds -- of yellowed, pathetic-looking papers are littering our streets and sidewalks.

Upside: a new business has opened next to Knudsen's Ice Creamery: Jazzy Crafts. Your Boulevardier has not yet visited -- the grand opening was just yesterday -- but it's always exciting to see people pouring their entrepreneurial ambitions into our town. Best of wishes to the proprietors.

Downside: Your Boulevardier notes with a sigh that election season appears to be upon us. Oblivious to irony, sign-posters for Dennis Hayashi and Loni Hancock have been busy piggybacking their placards onto the signboards that tout vacant real estate about town. Is this honestly the association that these candidates want?