Time again for the tasty Tri-Valley Restaurant Week
Ten days. Five cities. Nearly 40 restaurants, breweries and wineries.
Want to do a deep dive into the restaurant scene that stretches from Danville to Livermore? The week-and-ahalf between Friday and March 5 is the time to do it. That's when the third annual Taste Tri-Valley Restaurant Week rolls into the region to showcase restaurants, wineries and breweries in Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, Danville and San Ramon's City Center Bishop Ranch.
This year's 10-day “week” features a wide variety of cuisines, from Burmese to Italian and Southwestern. Some 32 restaurants are confirmed with five more on the horizon. Among them: Much Ado About Pizza (Pleasanton), Bridges Restaurant & Bar (Danville), Zephyr Grill (Livermore), Sabio on Main (Pleasanton), LB Steak (San Ramon), Burma! Burma! (Dublin), Posada (Livermore) and Bamboo Sushi (San Ramon), as well as Wente Vineyards, Las Positas Vineyards and Rosa Fierro Cellars.
In addition to prix fixe tiers ($25 and up), you'll find plenty of deals, such as 10% off food at San Ramon's buzzy new Dumpling Time or 25% off your check at Strizzi's in Pleasanton and Livermore.
Looking for a designated driver? You can ride the Livermore Wine Trolley for a Taste of the Tri-Valley Food Tour ($100), which includes three courses at each of three restaurants. The March 2 ride has sold out, but tickets for Feb. 28 are still available.
Also new for 2023: A ticketed, five-course Sunday Supper ($150) on March 5 at Locanda Amalfi in Pleasanton.
Festivities kick off Thursday with a Chef Collaboration Dinner at Wente Vineyards featuring bites from Wente chef Tony Glanville, followed by winepaired courses from high-profile chefs, including Francis Hogan (Sabio on Main), Roland Passot (LB Steak), Lindsay Kruljac (Republic of Cake) and Sean Baker, consulting chef for Danville's forthcoming Blossom & Root. Tickets are $185 and can be purchased at www. wentevineyards.com.
A portion of the proceeds from the Sunday Supper and Collaboration Dinner will benefit Open Heart Kitchen, the largest hot meal program of its kind in the Tri-Valley area. Find more information at visittrivalley.com/restaurantweek.
Mountain Mike's expands with new Santa Clara, San Jose locations
The Bay Area-born Mountain Mike's Pizza group — which boasts close to 270 locations, including more than 100 in California alone — now has two more in the Bay Area. And another on the way.
The newest have opened at Santa Clara Square and San Jose's River Oaks Plaza. Both offer patio seating and lunchtime pizza-andsalad buffets. The Santa Clara location, just over a mile from Levi's Stadium, also has 12 large-screen TVs and a private room. These are the second and third locations opened by longtime local franchisee Sam Singh.
Coming soon is a pizzeria in East Palo Alto on Bayshore Road. Mountain Mike's, which was founded in Palo Alto in 1978, uses housemade dough (gluten-free available) for its pizzas, which bear names like Everest, McKinley and Pike's Peak. The eateries also offer original, barbecue and spicy hot boneless and bone-in chicken wings, garlic sticks, a dessert pizza and pizza-shaped cookie.
DETAILS >> Open daily until 10 p.m. (11 p.m. Friday-Saturday). The new locations are at 2510 Augustine Drive in Santa Clara and 670 River Oaks Parkway in San Jose; www. mountainmikespizza.com.
Pizzahacker alum's new pizzeria heads for Castro Valley
Another Pizzahacker alum has forged ahead with his own spot devoted to pizzas made with sourdough crust, much to the delight of Castro Valley pie fans.
Pizzaiolo Amrafel Tomas has just opened Pizza the Bay, an artisanal pie shop inside the Castro Valley Marketplace at 3295 Castro Valley
Blvd. Together with co-founder Shimei Burgueno, they offer 14 artisanal pizzas ($17-$22) alongside a menu of calzones, chicken wings, salads and sandwiches. The duo spent six months perfecting their menu in a San Mateo ghost kitchen before opening next to Oculto, the fine dining restaurant on the upper level of the Castro Valley Marketplace.
At Pizza the Bay, you'll find light, crispy sourdough crusts made with Central Milling flour and topped with everything from Canadian bacon, onions, pineapple, mozzarella and jalapeños (the Mount Diablo) to a spring-centric medley of zucchini, sweet onion, basil and Fresno chile (the Cinque Terre). The beverage menu features Italian wines by the glass ($9$12), local beers on draft ($8) and both spiritforward and spirit-free cocktails ($8-$12).
Pizza the Bay is currently in its soft opening, with hours from noon to 9 p.m. SundayThursday and until 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. A grand opening is slated for Feb. 24. Follow them on Instagram @pizzathebay and online at www.pizzathebay.com.