Elite Event: Walnut Creek Restaurant Week Kick-Off Party

Unilocal planned a party for all the Unilocalylites and they had a great reason for throwing it: Restaurant Week in Walnut Creek!
Love love love restaurant week — and I totally appreciate all the restaurants that participate in the lunch and dinner meal deals. Especially when a handful of them show up to the Kick-​Off Party to treat us to some appeteasers!
A couple small plates (my favorite being from the new Kanishka’s!), some wine to wash them down, and a sweet dessert were all enjoyed by a roomful of people that we already know all love to dine on, write about, and celebrate food and service.
Massimo’s in Walnut Creek was a wonderful host venue, and when the interior started getting crowded, many of us guests spilled out onto the front porch and enjoyed the nice weather and view of the beautiful Maserati cars on display.
Lots of thanks for all the hard work from the Unilocal staff putting this together, and also thank you to the local businesses both at the party and also participating in Restaurant Week. It was a wonderful way to start the week!

San Francisco, Oakland and Walnut Creek too! We are definitely spoiled in the Bay Area by the sheer abundance of delicious restaurants we have available to us.
Cheers to Walnut Creek’s 2^nd (correct me if I’m wrong) Restaurant Week :)
Topping the list are a few of my favorite things–
Cheese Tortellini from our host Massimo: bite served on a fork, that had me dreaming what it’d be like served in a plate/​bowl full. Pure rich cheesy goodness.
Empanadas from Havana: So good they were the first to run out. These pockets were packed full of flavor with a sauce that gave it an extra kick to boot.
Lamb Wraps from Kaniska’s: the new indian-​gastropub experience got me hot and sweaty. India is known for it’s spices and their tasty offering brought the heat.
Chocolate Bread Pudding w/​Caramel and whipped Cream by Sasa: will satisfy any sweet tooth. I could be wrong but I heard this creative creation is new and only being served for RW…
Thank you Nique, the Unilocal team and all the vendors. Can’t wait to try more during restaurant week!

Kudos to the Love of Walnut creek, The less fancier place were yippies and college kids, Mother-​lovers and Cougars alike love to hang out. It’s okay, as long as any place has cheese tortellinis, Belvedere vodka sippy-​cups and paid-​spokemodels eye candy on a Monday night… then you know your in for a Treat! ;)
My top hat goes out to my fellow Unilocalers you know who you are.
Chocolate Pudding and dry white wines, in which I could’ve done without…
Anyways, One of my fellow Unilocalers kinda passed out, or something
I hope she is okay. other than that catch me At Havana, drinking a pitcher of Mojitos
thanks $ 10 off coupons.
My darling Nique and Sidekick Shirene. Payce

What else can I say that haven’t already been said? Nothing, really. But I would like to say this… again, as everyone that already reviewed this event have said — Monique and Unilocal have done a great job. The food provided by Sasa, Kanishka’s, Havana, Vi de Vi, and of course Massimo were plentiful and delicious. Although, I’m not much of a wine drinker, the Pinot Grigio from Entwine was so good that I had three «wine tasting pour» glasses, so I think that’s probably equivalent to an 8 – 9 oz. worth. It was a great event and I’m glad I got invited this time.

Thank you Nique and Unilocal for giving this side of the tunnel the love it so deserves!
This was my first kick off eventt and the venue and people definitely got things kicked off enough to piqué more of my interests. This was an event that started slow and then amped up. Never hurts to have pretty cars in front and yummy food samplings and wine for those who like it/​tastings of cocktails with Belvedere for those like me who like that.
It has been a while since I have been out and about and it was great seeing some folks I haven’t seen in ages-​Ivy, Ron, Eric, Christine and the list goes on. I made a couple of new connections, was able to put the name to the reviews read over some time and well, this was just what my kind of doctor would order.
The «Creek» is not so daunting but have to do my little PSA. WC has decided to charge $ 2.00 per hour at parking meters 7 days a week from 10am-​8pm. You will still find better parking (for now) at the Lesher Parking Garage (1^st hour free then $.50 thereafter).

As always a very fun event! The food was absolutely delicious and I loved sampling the different restaurants involved in restaurant week. The wine was also good and I’m glad I was able to try the Mambo and the Wente Pinot Grigio because I will most likely be purchasing both in the future now. The only confusing thing was there was no check in like past Unilocal parties which is fine but almost seemed like others were just strolling in from the street. My favorite samplings were the tortellini dish from Massimo and the lamb sampling from Kanishka’s were my favorites. I’ve actually never been to either of these restaurants so I will be definitely coming back! Thank you so much to Max and to Massimo’s for hosting! And as always, it is great to see familiar faces and meet new people! Thank you for another great event Nique! :)

Awesome event, thanks to everyone who set this up!!!
Food was EXCELLENT, and I will just start this and end this by saying the tortellini duo of butternut squash and cheese, with the sun dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar was the absolute star of the show! I’m sure I was not the only person who stalked the tortellini table all night and waited for fresh tortellini to come out! All in all, and excellent event with a good variety of sample bites, that made me pretty excited to go out and try some of the restaraunts that came out!

Strolling into Massimo’s, I noticed the Maseratis. Oops, was I in the right place? I immediately spotted Nique upon arrival and felt at ease. There wasn’t a formal check-​in this time, but she greeted me and showed me the name tags. This may have been cause for confusion because anyone could grab a name tag and walk in (some non-​Yelpers were able to walk in, as said in other reviews).
My favorite appetizers were the mini empanadas (the steak was so tender and the sauce was the perfect compliment) from Havana and the tortellini duo from Massimos (I’m craving them as I write this). I also enjoyed the tuna tartare from Va de Vie and chocolate bread pudding from Sasa. I’m not a fan of lamb, so I skipped the lamb sliders from Kanishka’s.
The wine was split into a white wine and red wine table from TOG and Entwine. I had the pleasure of sampling the Zinfandel and Merlot. Belvedere also offered sample cocktails at the event. Their mango passion cocktail was on the sweeter side.
It was fun a fun addition to see some familiar faces and to be able to take pictures inside the Maseratis. What better way to kick off restaurant week? I will definitely be returning to dine at some of the restaurants I sampled! Thank you to Nique for a great event!

A Unilocal event in my hood? Yes PLEASE!
Restaurant Week in WC started off with a bang thanks to this awesome event! I arrived around 445pm finding no lines and dapperly dressed folks milling around. Thankfully I came from work and didn’t look too shabby. In WC, it’s not uncommon to feel underdressed.
I started off with a glass of Chardonnay by Entwine served by the lovely and always darling Shirene. Just seeing her smile makes me happy. Nique then poured me some delicious Zin from Plunger Wines and since I was driving home I decided to cut myself off but there was several other delicious looking wines begging me to try them!
The butternut squash and 4 cheese tortellinis were superb with their sun-​dried tomato and olive oil dressing with fresh basil on top from Massimo. The other yummies were lamb sliders from Kanishka, bread pudding from Sasa and empanadas from Havana. I was stuffed after I made my second round. The tuna tartare from Va da Vi was a little warm and bland though but I’ve dined with Va Da Vi before and know they serve excellent food in general.
It was a great night hanging out with my good friends, making new friends and filling my tummy with yummy apps and wine. Thanks Nique and East Bay Unilocal staff for letting me start my week off right with such a fabulous event! Cheers!

The Elite event for the kick-​off for the 2014 Restaurant was another great event. The food samplings were all tasty. I guess these restaurants will be the first on my list to try, either during restaurant week of soon after. I always try and go to the places that come to Unilocal events. I can’t say which one I like the best they were all different and all equally good.
Havana: Mini Empanadas
Kanishkas: Lamb Sliders
Massimo’s: Tortellini
Sasa: Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding with heave cream
Va di vie: Tuna Tartar v
Tog: Wine
Entwine: Wine
Belvedere: Mango Passion vodka
Of course the real treat was to say hello to other Unilocalers. Oh, and the chance to dream. The beautiful Maseratis parked in front would sure look nice in my driveway. I guess we would need two, his and hers, both S and I would want to drive and we don’t share well.
S likes being called S in my reviews so much that’s what he put on his name tag and he got to say hello to Nique.

Gayle and I came to the Walnut Creek Restaurant Week Kick-​Off Party to the sight of 3 Maseratis parked in front of her favorite dining establishment within the WC. There were also a few business folks that she knew sprinkled into the mix (including the owner), which added to the social dynamic and a few well placed contacts for Nique.
It was a spendid affair in a really great place. Gayle and I particularly enjoyed the empanadas from Havana, the lamb sliders from Kanishka’s, the Tortellini from Massimo’s, the chocolate bread pudding with heavy cream from Sasa, and the wine from Tog and Entwine. I also go a chance to catch up with a few Unilocal friends I hadn’t seen in awhile, including Tam F., Terry T. and several more at a distance in this bustling set of rooms.
Many thanks to Unilocal,Massimo’s, the represented Walnut Creek dining sponsors, and the City of Walnut Creek for continuing to be a prime destination spot in this part of the East Bay. However, the best highlight was hanging out with my lovely bride Gayle V., who some might argue is Walnut Creek’s own personal ray of sunshine. :)

Kick’n it for real on the opening day of Walnut Creek Restaurant week with all the best Unilocal peeps. Not Easter peeps but for real review writing fools.
We pretty much chilled at the bar and imbibed. While Belvedere was the vodka sponsor it was not open bar. The Cosmo they offered was not the best and since I had to pay for my drinks anyway, I ordered off the Massimo’s custom cocktail menu.
We had the Maxipolitan. Odd name but delicious drink. The bar staff was awesome and friendly.
The food offerings were light but the stand out faves were the Tuna Tare Tare from Vi Da Vie. I think I had six spoons alone.
The Duo of Tortelloni on the fork were delicious. I had four of those. Since my husband is limited on things he can eat, those were great for him. We have to come back to Massimos for food and drinks this week.
Havanas had crispy Steak Empinadas. We love Havana and especially love Empinadas.
The food wasn’t big so we had to go up the street to WC Yacht Club to eat big people food and possibly another cocktail.
I saw all my best Unilocal friends and even a few new ones. Hopefully I’ll be able to attend a few more fun events this year.

It’s been many a year since I’ve attended an Elite Event in The Creek. Not so coincidentally it was another Restaurant Week event. It seems Unilocal has made this an annual tradition of sorts, and with good reason. Walnut Creek is home to many fine dining establishments, and one of a kind eateries.
The last time I was here for Restaurant Week, Cypress was the venue. This year’s event took place at the beautiful Massimo Ristorante. I’m not sure what it is about Walnut Creek, but just dining here makes you feel classy, if only for a moment.
Sebastian Janikowsi’s favorite Polish beverage, Belvedere Vodka came through by providing the tasty base to several concoctions being carried around by the Belvedere ladies. The small taster shots made waking up early this morning a whole lot easier than I had planned on before the event.
There were several tasty red wines up front to be sampled from The Other Guys. The most popular table in the entire place seemed to be the one manned by the always effervescent Shirene N, pouring Wente Vineyard’s entwine.
Since not only is it Walnut Creek Restaurant Week, but also US VegWeek, I was a little surprised to see none of the vendors brought a little Vegan somethin’ somethin’. Although it being affluent Walnut Creek, I wasn’t really expecting anything in that regard. These rich folks didn’t slither their way to the top of the food chain to eat lowly «rabbit food», darn it.
The best part was that everywhere I turned, I was bumping into Unilocalers I either knew on Unilocal or am friends with. Who knew so many Unilocalers lived in the Contra Costa Area?
My only gripe of the event? Everyone kept trying to touch my white convertible out front. If you’re gonna touch it, the least you could do is feed the meter! haha But seriously, thanks to Maserati for allowing me to be so close to their luxury automobiles, if only for a few minutes.
Thank you Dominique for not only pulling off another fantastic event, but doing it all with a flair that makes it look so damn easy.

I was excited when I got into this event. I jumped into my Whip Blue Thunder and rolled to Walnut Creek and Massimo’s. I stashed my Whip at the parking garage across the street .
I walked across the street and Ms Nique had 3 Maseratis parked in front of Massimo’s. I’m a car guy and this reminded me of Joe Walsh’s Maserati song. Maserati is also co sponsoring Walnut Creeks Restaurants Week.
Out front the very lovely Shira Ms Niques new Intern was scanning Party Passes as we were making entry .
Inside there were 2 very lovely Belvedere Vodka Spokesmodels passing out samples of their new flavor Mango.
The owner of Massimo’s has good taste. His servers are very attractive.
The Small bites were Delish
Havana. Had Mini Empanadas yummy
Kanishkas Had Lamb Sliders Delish
Massimo’s Had Tortellini Yum
Sasa Had Chocolate Bread Pudding Yummy
Va di vie Had Tuna Tar Tar very yummy
Tog and Entwine were pouring wine samplings.
Lots of lovely Unilocal Elite Ladies in Attendance.
Massimo’s is a Upper Class Swanky Establishment. It was a great choice to kick off Walnut Creeks Restaurants Week.
Thanks Nique, Shira, Massimo’s and Maserati for a great Unilocal Elite Event.
2014 The Year Of Opportunity and New Beginnings.

Walking up to Massimo’s, the first thing I see are Maserati’s and I immediately think Britney, «You wanna Maserati??? You better work b*tch!» lol I knew this was going to be fun!
I stalked the cheese tortellini/​Massimo table like a fierce tiger pacing in a cage! They were delicious!!! I, along with some darling Unilocalers, feasted on these and joked what pigs we were (ahem, Michael R:)! Bravo to the chef:)! And hail to Havana for the incredible empanadas – absolutely delish.
Everything about this event was fun! Um hello, belvedere Cosmo taster! Yummy!!! The only thing that stressed me out was that the crowd thinned out fast. Why did that stress me out? I don’t know, but it did! Lol It was all good and I still had a completely fun time!
Thanks Nique!!! Xoxo

Another great Unilocal event! Loved the food and wines — everything was fabulous. Thanks Unilocal

It’s that time of the year again! Yes, it is restaurant week in Walnut Creek. I’m a big fan of restaurant week due to their unique prix fixe menus at competitive prices. Since it’s a complete meal with appetizer, entrée, dessert and/​or drink, it’s a favorite amongst any consumer Unilocaler or not.
This is my first Unilocal Elite event this year so I have no basis for 2014 but comparing with events in previous years, I’d say this is the best or amongst the best of the best. I arrived towards the tail end of the party so I’m unsure if I tried everything there. Here’s what I did try though:
Kanishka’s lamb wraps: This barely won over the 2^nd place entrée (see below). Kanishka’s is a new bad boy in town offering neo-​indian cuisines. My apologies for not knowing the official names so I’ll improvise. Imagine an Indian version of a tortilla with chopped lamb meat drizzled with this minty green sauce. That is the awesome package that comes with every bite.
Massimo’s tortellini: This is my 2^nd favorite but it only lost by a nanosecond. Stuffed with four types of cheeses and butternut squash, this will be your favorite during the week. Elegantly presented, it sparks the fine in fine dining.
Sasa’s dessert: It looked like a brownie with a side of melted marshmellow but my spider senses tell me that it’s actually a chocolate shortbread with cream. You may not want to eat this before seeing your dentist the next day because it’s pretty decadent.
Entwine: Very nice wines I’d say. I loved the Merlot but my wife loved the Pinot Grigio. She said it was smooth and easy to drink (she’s not a big wine drinker due to the acquired taste). Wente Vineyards partnered with The Food Network to bring this wine to every dining table in America (or the world).

It’s the 3^rd year for Walnut Creek Restaurant Week and that means it’s time for the Kick-​off Party!
Miss Nique is always pret-​a-​partay with nibbles and cocktails to whet our appetites for the local participating restaurants.
Food and drinks and fellow Elites, what could be better?
The favorite by far for the evening were the mouth-​watering four cheese and butternut squash tortellini from Massimo.
Also featured were mini empanadas from Havana, tuna tartare from Va de Vie, chocolate shortbread and whipped cream from Sasa, and Indian lamb wraps from Kanishka’s.
Belvedere Vodka was on hand pouring their new flavor — Mango Passion.
Entwine was pouring reds and whites, as was another winery.
To top it all off, Maserati, the official car of Walnut Creek Restaurant Week, was there with four cars on display in front of Massimo’s.
Three cheers for being a Unilocal Elite :)

I love Walnut Creek and I love Unilocal so what better way to kick of WC restaurant week than with a swanky Unilocal party?
Sophisticated atmosphere made Massimo’s the perfect location for this event, not having been here before I can definitely see myself returning for a romantic meal with Hubby.
As promised, we got small bites from restaurant week participants:
* Kanishka’s — Lamb Sliders with lightly dressed Salad and Raita dipping sauce. (
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* Havana — Mini Empanada’s. (
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* Massimos — Tortellini Duo. Four Cheese and Roasted Butternut Squash with Sun Dried Tomato Brown Butter, Balsamic Syrup and Fresh Basil. I wouldn’t mind returning for a ”Dinner” sized portion of either of these! (
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* Sasa — At first glance this Dessert looked like a Brownie with Whipped Cream but it sure didn’t taste like it,. I was then told it was Chocolate Bread Pudding. Hhmm. it sure didn’t taste like that either. (
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* Va de Vie — Tuna Tartare which not being a Fish fan I choose to skip.
Drinks were also available with small sample sips from Entwine and Belvedere Vodka. I did enjoy their new ”Mango Passion” Cocktail and the small sample was enough for me as it was quite sweet.
Maserati were also in attendance showing off 4 of their models as they are the official car of Restaurant Week here in Walnut Creek.
I spotted a lot of familiar Unilocalers as well as some new ones which is always nice. But was a little disappointed that very few paid attention to the event memo about ”Dressing in your Walnut Creek best”. This classy joint deserves more than the shorts and flips flips combo.
Not sure if this was intended to be an exclusive Unilocal party either as there was a lot of non Unilocalers. One person I tried making conversation with admitted he joined the party when he ”saw someone giving out free drinks”. Uumm… Ok. Nice event nonetheless and I’m looking forward to checking out a couple of restaurants in the weeks line up.

Another excellent event! I just totally dig participating in Walnut Creek Restaurant Week! There are so many good eats to choose from and try.
Upon arrival, (outside) I wasn’t expecting Maserati to be the somewhat headliner in this event! But everyone had the opportunity to check out, sit in one, and take a photo opp with the cars out on display! The owner and staff seemed very nice and helpful.
Cruisin’ on inside and checking in, there were a couple of good wine sellers and a few restaurants representing WC Restaurant Week. Sample came from Havana, Kanishka’s Neo-​Indian, Sasa, Vi De Vi, and the host themselves Massimo. Sample beverages came from TOG (The Other Guys), Entwine or Wente Wines, and the non-​wine choice with Belvedere Vodka. Note: I no longer drink hard liquor. So I did not try the new flavor, but I heard it was good :)
Near the entrance
~ TOG served up a few good choices:
Pennywise — petite sirah. Dry and tart. I enjoyed it!
Plungerhead — zinfandel. Well refreshing and smooth.
~ Havana served some very tasty empanadas that were simply appetizing. With or with out the sauce, these were very satisfying!
~ Vi De Vi had spoon samples of Tuna Tartare. It’s funny how Unilocalers would grab one, then another, then another. I think it just paired well with the wine choices out there.
~ Massimo’s shared some of their Four-​cheese Butternut Squash Tortellini. Now this was something different that I did not expect. But for me to go to Massimo’s for pasta would be a hard sell. Only because they’ve got a lot to choose from on the menu, and I just love their steak!
~ Kaniska’s — A place I gotta bookmark and try! They served lamb wraps with the excellent mint chutney sauce. Superb!

~Sasa provided the dessert! They had a Chocolate Bread Pudding with Caramel and whipped cream. Also an excellent sample that ended up pairing well with the reds out there.
~ Also loved the Entwines. The Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Merlot were ALL light and relaxing. A great everyday or summer time wines.
Although the event went smoothly, I was sort of shocked that it somewhat started then ended quick. It seemed like Unilocalers just came and went. Oh well, no biggie. Still, it was yet another fantastic, uNique production! Cheers everyone!