Dogs Spotted Yesterday

Your Boulevardier was happy to see two dogs sitting quietly at the feet of their owners who dined on the outdoor patio of Rigatoni's yesterday, mid-day. One was a large golden retriever-style dog (perhaps a mutt) and the other was a small grey terrier of some sort.

Kittycorner, near Chipotle, a young woman walked an energetic white standard poodle -- one with the traditional-yet-seldom-seen "Dutch Clip" poodle haircut.

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).

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Your Boulevardier has been traveling -- once to far Northern California, and once to far Western New York -- and those trips have been followed by an amount of professional work that has been, frankly, staggering.

As a result, he has fallen out of the habit of posting here. You have his apologies. After Labor Day, it is hoped that regular missives will return. (At least as regular as can be hoped, given the source.) Meantime, here are three items to wet readers' whistles, all related to eating establishments in town:

1. Baker's Square has now become Shari's, as hinted here back in March.

2. The Dell Cafe has applied to repaint its building and repair its neon sign. This is wonderful news. The Boulevard needs more neon. Seriously.

3. As of September 1, Big Apple Bagels has painted its windows in a Halloween theme. Holiday creep begins.

P.S. Is there interest among regular readers in a Castro Valley Boulevardier Facebook presence?

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.

On The Surface

It's said that every aphorism has a mirror image -- that is, another adage that is equally accepted as truth, but that has the exact opposite meaning. "Look before you leap" has "He who hesitates is lost." "Out of sight, out of mind" has "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." "Beauty is only skin deep" can be matched with "Put your best foot forward."

Regarding this last pithy pairing, several Castro Valley structures are clearly taking the second saying to heart. Your Boulevardier can name four:

1) The Castro Valley Post Office is getting a new floor in its retail area. And given the condition of the carpet, and the fact that children are often left to crawl about on it, this is a good thing.

2) A section of Castro Village is getting a new roof. Specifically, the portion of the center on Santa Maria, just opposite Swiss Delices; the construction vehicles were blocking a lane of traffic today. (This poor little bakery has had a string of construction operations impairing patron access, starting with an underground project immediately in front of the shop during its grand opening week. The proprietress should earn an award for perseverance.)

3) The building housing Worthington Photography and the Ice Creamery has attractive new paint and a sheathing of slate tiles on its facade.

4) The older portion of JD's has been stripped to the studs. A conversation with the contractor revealed that the building will get a coat of stucco to match the in-progress addition on the back of the restaurant. This business, and its customers, should also have their fortitude recognized.

National Doughnut Day

Your Boulevardier has learned, belatedly, that yesterday was National Doughnut Day.

The origins of the holiday can be found here.

Coincidentally, Your Boulevardier paid a visit to Rudy's yesterday. The holiday was not being celebrated in any particular way that he could discern; the place was busy, but that's not unusual for a Friday morning at 7:45 a.m.

A few weeks ago this photo was taken of the lovely hand-painted espresso sign at Rudy's; the paint is failing in a most attractive way. One hopes, probably in vain, that they won't paint it over.

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.)

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.

Baker's Square Out, Shari's In

Your Boulevardier notes a news item in the Daily Review saying that the Baker's Square restaurant in Castro Village will become a Shari's. Having not heard of the latter, he did some homework. It's a chain of 100 or so restaurants, headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon but owned by a private investment company out of New York. It will be open 24 hours a day and seems to have a menu not unlike that of Baker's Square -- eggy breakfasts, skillet dinners, salads, pies. Reviews on Yelp range from 2.5 to 4.5 stars. Service seems to be an ongoing challenge. It will be interesting to see how the new establishment does in our town.

Build It Up, Tear It Down

Your Boulevardier walked around the neighborhood just east of the BART station yesterday afternoon. This area is choked with trucks and workers right now because of two big projects.

First is the new Castro Valley Library. The building is crawling with workers who are attaching bright yellow gypsum board exterior siding to its metal skeleton. It looks like roofing panels are stacked on the building's top, but are not yet attached. It still remains very difficult for Your Boulevardier to envision the finished building based upon the construction to date and compared with the artist's rendering that appears on the billboard on Norbridge Avenue. Perhaps it's just a matter of where the front of the building is.

Speaking of the library, Your Boulevardier notes that Don Jose's Restaurant in Castro Village will donate ten percent of its sales during the week of April 13-19 to the library. (It's not clear from the flyer posted on Don Jose's door whether the funds will go toward library construction or to the Friends organization.)

The second project that is clogging the neighborhood just east of the BART station is the reworking of the I-580 interchange with Redwood Road. When completed, there will be a full set of on- and off-ramps here, eastbound and westbound. Yesterday, workers were breaking down the soundwall and ripping out trees along the highway's north side. This is the neighborhood along Juniper Street, behind the Jess C. Spencer Mortuary. (Where, it is noted, Madame Boulevardier was cremated.) Several homes have been demolished, but a few remain defiantly standing -- though it's not sure if they're occupied. It's assumed that Spencer's will lose a good portion of its parking lot to the project as well. Progress is visible on the other side of the freeway as well, with the former professional building having been demolished a few weeks ago. A fairly clear aerial representation of the project can be found here.

It seems the hangup in government budgets has not put either of these projects on hold, which is a good thing because they seem like they would be quite disruptive to the residents of the neighborhood.

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.

Delicious Irony

Your Boulevardier walked past the McDonald's construction site on Castro Valley's Fast Food Island today. The forms for the foundation are up. And a pile of Wendy's wrappers and cups could be seen on the lot. Construction workers can be big eaters.

(More posts are coming, and Your Boulevardier hopes soon. However, the holidays have interfered with the writing and reporting, if not the exploring. One other bit of news to be shared at this time: the Trusty BoulevarDog had her stitches out on December 26 and is well on the mend.)

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?

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.

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.

Exercises in Transitions

Your Boulevardier, accompanied by the Trusty BoulevarDog, walked the Main Drag this morning from Castro Valley Boulevard's West End to Midtown. Some random observations, cleverly strung together:

Canine and human noses were pressed to the glass at Le Saigon Bistro, which by appearances is soon to open. The new restaurant, across from Pete's Hardware, features high-backed leather chairs, a dramatic red back wall with a pass-through to a gleaming kitchen, and a feng-shui friendly fountain just inside the door.

Speaking of fountains, the water feature outside of El Rancho Steak House has once again been soaped by bubbly vandals.

Speaking of ranches (ah, now one sees how this transition business works), a cowboy in full Western regalia -- broad-brimmed hat, slim jeans, knee-high snakeskin boots, and, for goodness sake, spurs -- was noted at the Post Office this morning.

Speaking of the Post Office, Your Boulevardier notes belatedly that the coin-operated stamp machine has been removed. With it goes the last place in town to get shiny gold dollar coins for gifts, not to mention postage for personal communications.

Speaking of personal communications, an Alameda County Sheriff's officer (I don't believe she was a deputy sheriff, because she was driving a dark blue department pickup truck and not a cruiser) was seen talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device as she drove down The Boulevard this morning. Grabbing that one final opportunity before the laws change, one supposes.

Speaking of final opportunities, this is the last tortured transition for today. Your Boulevardier thanks you for reading!

Comings and Goings

Your Boulevardier got his hair cut on Friday and picked up a bit of news from around the town.

• The price of a haircut at the Village Barber Shop will soon rise to $18. The cost of just about everything is on the rise, it seems. One wonders how this increase will affect the barbers' tips.
• The Peking Village restaurant closed on Father's Day. The storefront has a thank you note in the window.
• The former Primrose Bakery site in Castro Village will become an Indian restaurant.
• The El Rancho Supermercado (across from Trader Joe's) is back in business after having their building largely redone. (The reconstruction was a result of the fire at the next-door antique store, which now sits vacant.)
• EBMUD's Stanton Property has been taken off the market. (This was confirmed by the Daily Review.)

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?