What's Opening in the Tri-Valley

Wondering what's moving into your neighborhood shopping center? Our biweekly Sprouts & Shutters column highlights the latest Tri-Valley retail and restaurant news.

Denny's is launching a new line of restaurants called Denny's Café and it chose Livermore as the home for its second location. Set to open on Las Positas Road at the end of December, the "fast-casual restaurant" will be smaller than Denny's regular restaurants and customers will order from a streamlined menu at the counter.

A new casual Mediterranean eatery plans to serve kabobs and other Middle Eastern dishes in downtown Livermore later this month: Casbah Café will open on First Street in Extreme Pizza's old space next to the . "The owner has been an awesome addition to our farmers' market and he has built up a good local following," says Rachael Snedecor, executive director of the Livermore Downtown Association.

Livermore's moved again: After moving from First to Second Street in January, the boutique women's apparel shop moved its trendy threads and Twisted Silver back to First Street on Nov. 28. It takes over the retail space vacated by Brown-Eyed Girl. The new location isn't larger, but owner Tanya Tovar said she prefers the higher visibility and accessibility First Street offers. 

Crave crepes? opened in October, taking over Sushi Q's old spot on Village Parkway in Dublin. The eatery offers an expansive menu of crepes, from the "Sunshine" breakfast crepe with mixed mushrooms and scrambled eggs to dessert crepes served with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and fresh fruit.

It's months away, but Dublin Target fans are looking ahead to October, when a 138,000-square-foot Target is scheduled to open in Fallon Gateway, on the corner of Fallon Road and Dublin Boulevard. We'll have more details as the project develops, but you can get a sneak peak at the shopping center and new Target here.

Dublin is in discussions with a small restaurant chain to fill the Hacienda Crossings restaurant space . Linda Maurer, economic development director for the city, says she hopes to make an announcement in a few weeks. Stay tuned.

Kids are getting another spot at the Pleasanton Stoneridge Shopping Center. On the heels of the new , comes a Toys R Us Express. The store is seasonal and will close after the holidays, but it makes one-stop holiday shopping a bit easier.

Also coming to Stoneridge Shopping Center is Panda Express. The Chinese fast-food restaurant chain will serve its Panda bowls and orange chicken plates in Empress Express's old spot on the lower level near McDonalds starting mid-December.

shoppers won't have far to walk when the sports store moves from 310 to 234 Main St. in February or March. Why the move? Owner Debbie Falls says the new location will be much larger, allowing for more benches to try on running shoes and an expanded inventory of sports footwear, apparel and accessories.

The Prickly Pear Cantina is set to open Monday in , replacing the upscale Mexican restaurant Coa. The casual, family-friendly eatery will serve popular Mexican dishes such as "street style" carne asada or carnitas tacos, chicken verde tamales and grilled mahi-mahi fajitas. It's the fourth restaurant for local restaurateur , who also owns in downtown Danville, The Peasant's Courtyard in Alamo and in Blackhawk Plaza, next to his new cantina.

More Blackhawk Plaza news: gets a new name and face-lift. The casual eatery near the children's playground will be called Junior's Fine Grub and receive a renovated interior in January. Owner Mike Meshkati says the eatery will retain the diner menu and feel.

Hartz Avenue gained another consignment shop. Consignit Couture opened in late October, moving in a few doors down from consignment store , which opened in September. Co-owner Sandy Adamich says her new women's consignment shop sells affordable high-end clothes ranging from Juicy Couture to St. John, as well as shoes, jewelry and accessories.

After 12 years in business, San Ramon's closed its Crow Canyon Commons Shopping Center boutique and moved to . Owner Gail Evans said she relocated her popular children's clothing store because she sought a "better location with more foot traffic." Sweetie Face, temporarily in a smaller shop near Patrick James, will move into a larger space in January.

San Ramon will launch a new campaign to encourage residents to shop locally. Its website, www.shopsanramonfirst.com, goes live this month. You can sign up here to receive an alert when it's up.

The city also released its annual San Ramon Restaurant Guide, updated with new restaurants such as Favorite Indian and Fat Maddie's Grille. The guide accompanies this column (see attached PDF) and you can find it on the city's website.

Did you miss Patch's last retail and restaurant roundup? Read about the in Dublin, in Pleasanton, in Livermore, in San Ramon and in Danville in our last Sprouts & Shutters.