Walnut Creek, California Restaurant Review

Walnut Creek Restaurant Review

My two friends and I are on the search for the BEST restaurant. Planning to create our own Top 100 Restaurants here in our San Francisco East Bay with a focus on the East Bay, more specifically central Contra Costa County, we have visited yet another well thought of Walnut Creek dining establishment, San Franciscan, on North Main Street across from Prima and Stadium Pub.

Impressed by the busyness of the restaurant on a Tuesday night, we surely did not enjoy the large group enjoying cocktails, standing about in half the dining room adjoining our table, chatting heartily while we tried to chat over our cocktails. Flooded with relief when they sat down quietly to dine, we settled in perusing the abundant, varied menu. Impressed with the tasty sounding choices, with an emphasis on sea food, though offering many steak, chicken, pasta and other dishes, the array was tempting and sounded wonderful. One friend, craving cracked crab, was served a wonderful large dish of steamed crab (out of Washington? Why?) which she cited as delicious. The overall dinner however was graded down due to a poor side dish of overcooked, flavorless corn on the cob. My other friend said her dinner of Ahi was perfectly cooked but the overall experience was marred by it being over-peppered, leaving her with a burning mouth scattered with crushed peppercorns. My nut crusted sole with crab stuffed artichoke hearts, two creamy side accoutrements, baked potato and fresh steamed green beans was a great attempt at a yummy meal. The servings were generous; I could NOT finish it and did not leave hungry! The sauces were thin rather than thick and creamy, the crab filled artichoke hearts were a bit dry, maybe over cooked, while the baked potato was very overdone. How a fine dining establishment can ruin a wonderful baked potato is beyond me. I wondered if they had their B Team cooking since it was a Tuesday night.



We were surprised at the vibrant crowd enjoying the elegant white table cloth dining room. The tiny bar was full, and crowded against dining tables. The menu offered so many moderately priced enticing dishes I am tempted to go back again, to see if the execution would be better on another night. Dinners were priced in the $20 range while seafood salads were in the high teens. Our Mojito cocktails were delicious for $7.



Grade? All three of us gave it 7 out of 10, with one friend adding in a half point, to 7.5, for the excellent cocktail!



Our prior choices and grades?

Bo's Barbeque of Lafayette offers well cooked, barbequed meats which a cave man might appreciate. Our finer tuned palettes found it a bit much and side dishes wanting. None of us are eager to return to this highly rated barbeque restaurant.

Nibbler's in Pleasant Hill was a delight with all dishes delicious, enjoyed equally by all three of us. Side note: one of us went back since and had a disappointing experience. I look forward to taking Don there some time soon.



We continue our search for a wonderful restaurant; please send in your recommendations!
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