2022 has started out pretty quiet for us in Moraga. Back to school, back to work. But we have been trying to shake it up a little bit by trying out a few new (to us) East Bay restaurants. It’s been a pretty rough two years for restaurants all over the US, and we should all do our part to keep them in business. Or we are going to be pretty sad when the only place left to eat is Chipotle in a year!
Kate gets out to the new restaurants in Santa Barbara than I do in our Bay Area spot. But it was so fun to try three new East Bay restaurants, and I think we will make it an annual tradition from now on.
The Star on Grand
The Star‘s main attraction is the Chicago-style deep dish pizza. This is Dear Husband’s favorite pizza, and he is a Zacharys loyalist. But in the spirit of the new year, he was willing to give The Star a try. I would say he thought it was ok, but I don’t think he will opt for The Star over his old favorite in the future.
The Fall salad with cranberries, walnuts and blue cheese was good but a bit overdressed and vinegary. Sophie enjoyed her chicken sandwich- no complaints there. My favorite bit about the restaurant was our table near the front area. I could watch the very numerous Door Dash people pick up food over and over again. It was sort of amazing to see the volume of food going out the door, frankly.
Will we return? Meh, probably not.
The Star on Grand, 3425 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610
Postino’s
Postino’s is really a classic in the Lamorinda area- one of those few “fancy” places where your parents might go. And indeed, it was not exactly filled with young people during our recent lunch. The restaurant had the feeling of “sort of” being open- some sections of the space appeared to be closed off. And I get that it doesn’t make sense to open up the entire restaurant when there’s limited demand (or availability?)- maybe we should have sat outside? But I saw a family struggling to get their space heater to work, so maybe not…
The food was good, despite there being a fairly limited menu. I liked the mushroom fries, and Dear Husband felt that the salmon was a decent value. My favorite part was sitting by the fireplace, which made our little table cozy and warm. I asked Sophie if she would be interested in having her graduation dinner at the restaurant and she declined. It just doesn’t have a lot of “energy” in its current iteration.
Will we return? Again, probably not.
Postino’s, 3565 Mt Diablo Blvd, Lafayette, CA 94549
Social Bird Kitchen & Bar
Social Bird is relatively new to the Lafayette dining scene and it’s gotten a lot of positive buzz. They describe themselves as a “highbrow gastropub” (I think “highbrow” goes without saying when using the word “gastropub” :)) and the energy level is markedly different than that of Postino’s just a block away. The restaurant was completely full, and there was a pleasant buzz as people enjoyed their food and dining companions.
Between the three of us, we ordered the hamburger, fries, pasta with shrimp, and chicken sliders.
Dear Husband enjoyed his food, and he was super happy to see the butterscotch pudding on the menu- a carryover from the previous restaurant on the spot, Yankee Pier. (I actually found the recipe here, so now I have no excuse for not making it for him!)
Will we return? Yep, in fact it is probably the spot for Sophie’s graduation dinner in May!
Social Bird Kitchen & Bar, 3593 Mt Diablo Blvd, Lafayette, CA 94549
