Livermore, CA

Tri Valley Tweetup, hosted and sponsored by Wente Vineyards.

It was an amazing time out at the Estate Tasting Room tonight.

We enjoyed wonderful wine, cheese, crackers and fruit....and that was all BEFORE the stargazing began.

Have you been out to see Jupiter tonight??? Simply incredible!

Location: Wente Vineyards Estate Tasting Room, Livermore

Cathy Lee is owner of C.L. Design Services Home Staging in Danville serving the san Ramon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area. We strive to keep our clients, Realtors and many prospective home buyers best interest in mind with every home staging. Contact Cathy Lee today for your complimentary quote at 925-351-6118.

Kanpai Sushi - Livermore, California (Alameda County, CA)

After many dining experiences searching for the best sushi in the Tri-Valley (San Francisco East Bay, California), Kanpai Sushi is the winner! Kanpai Sushi is at 1510 N. Vasco Road, Livermore, CA and they're just two minutes off the 580 freeway at Vasco Road. They're located in the PW Market shopping center between Starbucks and Carl's Jr.

Kanpai Sushi serves the freshest fish and in generous portions. They also have the most magnificent nigiri sushi I've ever had called "Escolar" which is Japanese for "Butterfish." The servers at Kanpai Sushi even remember our "usual" - 5 orders of escolar! Kanpai Sushi also has excellent "Sake" ("Salmon") and "Hamachi" ("Yellowtail") as well as a variety of sushi rolls. Our favorite sushi roll is called "Snow White" and it's main ingredient is...you guessed it...escolar!

Kanpai Sushi - Hours of Operation:

• Monday - Friday, 11:00am - 3:00pm (Lunch)
• Saturday - Sunday, noon - 3:00pm (Lunch)
• Sunday - Thursday, 5:00pm - 9:30pm (Dinner)
• Friday - Saturday, 5:00pm - 10:00pm (Dinner)

Kanpai Sushi - Price Range:

• Lunch ($8.00 - $9.50)
• Dinner ($10.50 - $16.00)
• Nigiri Sushi ($3.00 - $6.50)
• Sushi Rolls ($3.00 - $13.95)

First Street Ale House - Livermore, California (Alameda County, CA)

First Street Ale House is the busiest restaurant in downtown Livermore...it seems no matter what time of day it is, people are there eating, drinking and/or talking. Their outdoor patio fills up very quickly as Happy Hour approaches and stays packed pretty much for the rest of the night. Service is very friendly, their burgers aren't bad...and their garlic fries are awesome! I'm not a beer drinker, but Bob is and he loved their Pyramid Apricot Ale. First Street Ale House has 20 beers on tap.

First Street Ale House has a variety of pub food items from burgers and sandwiches to salads and all the typical appetizers like chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, nachos, jalapeno poppers and their famous garlic fries. Their prices are also very reasonable and most menu items are between $6 to $8.

First Street Ale House - Hours of Operation:

• Monday - Wednesday, 11:00am - 10:30pm (kitchen closes at 10:00pm)
• Thursday - Saturday, 11:00am - midnight (kitchen closes at 11:00pm)
• Sunday, 11:00am - 10:00pm (kitchen closes at 9:30pm)

First Street Ale House - Specials:

• Happy Hour - $1 off all pints (Monday - Friday, 4:00pm - 6:00pm and all day Tuesday)
• Pint Night Thursday - $5.25/first pint and $3.25/refills (you keep the glass)
• Tootsie Roll Lollipop - free with every meal!

The 8th Annual ArtWalk kicks off Downtown Livermore on October 10, 2009. Livermore’s highly recognized Downtown redevelopment provides the perfect atmosphere for enjoying a leisurely stroll while viewing the work of over 150 local artists.

The event runs from 11 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Artwork includes paintings, photography, pottery, textile art, jewelry and more. One of my personal favorites is my friend and neighbor, Katie Caulk.

You’ll have plenty of restaurants to choose from including Strizzi’s, Harry’s Hofbrau, (The Carvery), Dimitri’s and the newly opened Eddie Pappa’s. Don’t forget to stop by Blacksmith Square to taste some of Livermore’s finest wines.

At day’s end, be sure to go to the Bankhead Plaza, (on First St., right in front of the Bankhead Performing Arts Theater) for an end-of-event featuring live music and the close of the Art Banner Silent Auction.

1st Annual Barrel Tasting Event - Livermore Wine Country, California (Alameda County, CA)

Livermore Valley Wine Country celebrated its first annual barrel tasting event the weekend of March 28-29, 2009. This was the first time we tasted wine from the barrel and it was not only educational but also quite entertaining! We visited 16 different Livermore wineries in two days:

1. Deer Ridge Vineyards
2. Livermore Valley Cellars
3. Steven Kent Winery
4. Cuda Ridge Wines
5. Wood Family Vineyards
6. El Sol Winery
7. Garre Vineyard & Winery
8. Murrieta's Well
9. Bent Creek Winery
10. White Crane Winery
11. Charles R Vineyard
12. Big White House
13. McGrail Vineyards & Winery
14. Eagle Ridge Vineyard
15. Concannon Vineyard
16. Fenestra Winery

Our favorite wineries of the weekend: Deer Ridge Vineyards, Bent Creek Winery, Concannon Vineyard and Fenestra Winery.

For full winery reviews with photos and links to each winery's website (if available), I invite you to visit my review blog at LeilaniSouza.com.