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Sprouts & Shutters: Izzy’s Steaks Closing, Mike’s Bikes Coming, Blackhawk Eateries Opening and More

Here's the latest roundup of retail, restaurant and other business news in the Tri-Valley area.

Wondering what’s moving into your neighborhood shopping center? Our weekly Sprouts & Shutters column highlights the latest Tri-Valley restaurant, retail and other business news.

Celebrate the opening of the Summer Olympics in downtown Livermore with Tiaras, Tutus, Top Hats & Tails. Enjoy wine and beer "cocktail" concoctions prepared by downtown mixologists on July 11 from 6 – 9 p.m. And, of course, you’re encouraged to outclass the Brits by dressing up in your favorite tails, tiara, top hat or tutu. Those 21 and older can purchase a tasting pass for $25 (or $20 if you have your official 2012 Livermore Downtown glass). Get to by 8 p.m. to view the opening ceremonies. Tickets cost $5 and the event includes a royal hat contest and royal family member look-a-like contest. Learn more and see a list of participating merchants offering special event shopping specials at livermoredowntown.com.


Opening Update: Livermore’s new French bakery Casse-Croute, previewed in an , opened June 28 on South Livermore Avenue. “The mixer has been spinning, the oven has been steaming and the coffee is brewing. Come enjoy our bread and pastries in a French-country atmosphere,” say owners Lenore and Richard Denoixe.

Opening Update: Her Secret Hair Extensions, covered in a , is now open in its new salon on First Street.

Mike's Bikes will soon open its first Tri-Valley bicycle retail shop in Pleasanton. The popular regional cycling store, which runs 10 Bay Area stores, opens later this summer in Pleasanton's Gateway Square shopping center on Bernal. Learn more about Mike's Bikes, including its Mike's Bikes Africa Bike Drive, at mikesbikes.com. For more on the new store opening, see Patch’s .

This just in from Diablo Dish: Kudos to Pleasanton’s , named “small business of the year” by Senator Ellen Corbett. Celebrate with an orange-vanilla swirl soft serve on a hot summer day.

Opening Update: Lavandu Face & Body, previewed in a recent , is now open in Pleasanton’s Mission Plaza shopping Center.

A bunch of new businesses open this summer in Danville’s :

After an and concept overhaul, was set to open last weekend and will celebrate its grand opening July 11.

Rodney Worthy’s new Ferrari’s Cucina Italiana, the casual Italian restaurant highlighted in our , is set to open in early July in Stomp's old space.

Blue Gingko, previewed in last summer, is finally getting ready to open and should be serving sushi by late July. The new Japanese restaurant replaces Yotaka Sushi Grill, which closed last July.

Other new Blackhawk Plaza businesses include Tribez Salon (covered in May’s ) which opened June 26. And Opus Bank, which opened June 25.

closed June 30 and will be replaced later this year by national chain eatery Buffalo Wild Wings. Get the full story and see readers’ reactions in .

Yoga Fusion, located in the San Ramon Square shopping center, celebrates its one-year anniversary with a party for the community on July 14 from 4 – 7 p.m. The free event features Native American drumming, cultural dance, healing massage and food from the new yoga studio’s neighboring eateries, including Bourbon Street Deli Café, Three Brothers from China, Café Attila, Best Donuts, Hyderabad Biryani House and European Deli. To learn more, visit theyogafusion.com.

is no longer running its comedy shows at the Willow Tree restaurant. Owner John DeKoven says he’s looking for a hip, lively venue in the Tri-Valley to move Bunjo’s and welcomes suggestions on the comedy club’s facebook page. Meanwhile Bunjo’s Comedy Club will be hosting shows at the New Rheem in Moraga. See the schedule at bunjoscomedy.com.

Did you miss Patch's last retail and restaurant roundup? Read about these and more in our last Sprouts & Shutters column:  

  • and in Danville
  • and in San Ramon
  • in Dublin
  • and in Pleasanton 
  • and in Livermore

Know of a restaurant or shop opening or closing in the Tri-Valley? Please send me a news tip at patchsprouts@gmail.com.

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Smitty May 22, 2013 at 10:23 pm
Comments have taken a severe nosedive since the new Patch layout arrived a few days ago, and thoseRead More comments were always evidence that Patch blogs and stories were being read. The new format is extremely busy on the screen and the sequence from story to the comments section on each story makes no sense. Look at the sequence above. End of story. Next Story. Related Stories scrolling across the screen (totally UNrelated stories I might add.). Finally, the Comments section. Even within a story, there are lists of Popular Stories and links across the screen that interrupt the sequence. For me, every screen and every click on a story produces flickering delayed results on the screen. There is too much to load. I never had this problem before. All of this, along with lots of filler fluff pieces, is burying Patch Livermore. I hope Patch personnel are taking note that people are giving up and rightly so.
Autumn Johnson (Editor) May 22, 2013 at 06:07 pm
Thanks for your input. There is also a link at the bottom of the page to send feedback about the newRead More site.
Livermore Bulb
Autumn Johnson (Editor) May 21, 2013 at 08:27 pm
i love the passion people show in Livermore! Thanks for posting. Luckily, it was not burnt out.Read More http://livermore.patch.com/groups/breaking-news/p/worlds-longest-burning-light-bulb-out-but-only-overnight
John Marchand May 21, 2013 at 06:31 pm
The light bulb is back on. Ironically, it was a device that was installed to protect the bulb fromRead More power surges that failed. When the bulb was reconnected to unfiltered power, it came back on.
Californicated1 May 22, 2013 at 03:21 pm
About the only electric vehicle I would consider buying is one that did not require charging off ofRead More any other sources other than its own--meaning that it charges its own batteries, either thorough motion while it's on the road or through something like solar cells charging up the batteries and keeping them charged, even when the car is parked and it's sitting in a parking lot on a sunny day--until that happens, no electric vehicle is going to be practical outside of anything other than short trips or the commute. And as for how you got your vehicle, are there any other "carrots" out there that can be dangled in front of you so you can follow them, even into the oblivion known as electric vehicles that require charging from a source that is not part of your vehicle--because that sounds stupid and foolish to me. It sounds more like it is somebody's Pavlovian experiment to change our behavior if we buy the electric cars being marketed out there instead of waiting for the next generation of technology out there, the kind that won't require charging up the batteries or keeping them charged with plugging into an external electricity source. Before I would consider purchasing an electric vehicle, it should be self-charging so that a trans-continental driving trip could be sustained and made without worrying about running the batteries down and taking extra time to charge them up.
Sean McMenamin May 21, 2013 at 10:59 am
as well take advantage of it. What I'm talking about is a reasonable rate for charging that isRead More within going rates, not the usurious rates charged by certain companies. I always love the hundred yard heroes who hide behind a false screen name
Sean McMenamin May 21, 2013 at 10:56 am
I'm not a greenie.....the only reason we leased one is, because of the tax loophole on the taxes weRead More already pay, we have an essentially free car for a couple of years. Maybe you're just upset because you weren't smart enough to figure that out and take advantage of it. Just like everyone with their solar panels; if we're all forced to pay for it, you may
Annie May 19, 2013 at 01:18 pm
Seriously? AFGAHN food? Why can't we just get a Red Lobster or something?
Scanner guy May 18, 2013 at 02:05 pm
its going to be an afghan restaurant
Eric Plummer May 18, 2013 at 09:57 am
Rafael and his crew do great work, and not just lawn service. He replaced our sprinkler system andRead More sodded two new lawns when we moved into our house. He and his crew have trimmed trees, planted flowers, and even built a new fence and gate. All at a fair price. I can't recommend his services enough.
chris fleckner May 15, 2013 at 08:50 am
Thank you D! We couldn't be happier to have a program like this in our community. We couldn't agreeRead More with you more that giving back is the whole purpose of the program; to make our community a stronger more musical one for our youth!
DRevier May 15, 2013 at 07:50 am
Kevin and Chris are good guys. They genuinely want to give back and care about introducing as manyRead More kids (young and old) as possible to the incredibly rewarding world of music. I am fortunate enough to have had somebody similar to these guys motivate me to get involved in music when I was a kid. 31 years later, I am still beatin’ on my drums every day. Great job Kev and Chris. Keep it up!