Top Dog to Open in Berkeley Pool Hall<\/p>\n
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Top Dog<\/p>\n
Yelp, Kelvin L.<\/p>\n
After years of downsizing, iconic Berkeley hot dog destination Top Dog is making moves. Down to just one location after shuttering its longtime Oakland outpost last year, the 60-year-old East Bay institution announced it would be partnering with downtown Berkeley\u2019s BreakRoom. The arrangement will essentially be a franchise, according to Berkeleyside Nosh,<\/a> with BreakRoom\u2019s fourth-generation Berkeley owner, August Wagele, working with founders Renie and Richard Riemann to recreate an authentic Top Dog experience inside his bar and pool hall. Scheduled to debut by the end of this month, Top Dog Downtown will grill up the familiar menu of dogs and sausages to order with a few added benefits\u2014a full bar, seating, and eventually, delivery. May it live long and prosper.<\/p>\n Foodie Events Coming Up in the East Bay<\/p>\n The 15th annual Gourmet Gallop<\/a> takes place this Thursday. Hosted by Diablo Ballet, the food and wine walk through downtown Walnut Creek delivers sweet and savory bites with wine pairings from dozens of local restaurants and wineries from 6 to 8:30 p.m.<\/p>\n You can also sip and nosh on Saturday the 12th at downtown Pleasanton\u2019s annual Forkful.<\/a> Sabio on Main, Union Jack, and Bocado are among the ten-plus participating restaurants offering bites with drink pairings from 2\u20135 p.m.<\/p>\n For the first time as part of Dublin\u2019s annual Splatter festival on the 12th, the Prisma Lounge<\/a> will provide an upscale foodie experience with interactive food stations highlighting the city\u2019s diverse culinary options, plus curated wine and beer tastings next to the main stage.<\/p>\n Gourmet Gallop<\/p>\n Facebook<\/p>\n Who says no? The Oakland Margarita Festival<\/a> is happening Sunday the 13th at Drake\u2019s Dealership in Uptown. Your ticket includes ten 3.5-ounce margarita samples and a chance to vote for the winner. The event will also feature a live DJ, food vendors, a beer garden, and a trip giveaway.<\/p>\n The booming restaurant, bar, and wine scene in downtown Livermore will get a deserved spotlight with Bites & Vines Taste of Downtown.<\/a> Happening on the evening of Thursday the 17th, the inaugural event lets participants stroll downtown while enjoying samples from more than a dozen restaurants and around 20 local wineries and breweries (with people\u2019s and judges\u2019 choice winners). Downtown retail shops will also offer specials.<\/p>\n From the 18-27th, the impressive collection of restaurants at City Center San Ramon (newbies Meyhouse and Rico Rico Taco among them) will offer ten days of special prix fixe menus, limited-time dishes, and curated pairings for Taste of City Center.<\/a><\/p>\n Sip your way through Berkeley\u2019s quaint Elmwood district on Saturday the 19th, when more than 25 small-production wines from all over the globe will be poured for Elmwood Wine Walk.<\/a><\/p>\n Wayside Social Now Open in Moraga<\/p>\n The replacement for white-tablecloth Italian destination La Finestra has arrived in Moraga\u2014and it\u2019s decidedly more family-friendly. Wayside Social held its soft launch last week at 1419 Moraga Way with the fast-casual eatery\u2019s opening menu consisting entirely of burgers, hot dogs, and fries. Owner Ben Rojas, who runs nearby La Chamba Taqueria and has been posting<\/a> an amusing and honest rundown on the ups and downs of Wayside\u2019s opening week (\u201cWe lost a cook!\u201d), has promised to eventually introduce beer and wine and a kids\u2019 arcade area.<\/p>\n Top Dog<\/p>\n Yelp, Kelvin L.<\/p>\n Two Tri-Valley Mainstays Closing<\/p>\n This week brought sad news for two Tri-Valley family favorites. First up is Rigatoni\u2019s, which closed its prominent Dublin location last week after 27 years on Dublin Boulevard. A sign posted on the door thanked customers for the casual Italian eatery\u2019s nearly three-decade run and directed them to the group\u2019s three sister Strizzi\u2019s restaurants and its last remaining Rigatoni\u2019s location in Castro Valley.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to express our sincerest thanks for your support over these past 27 years here in Dublin. Please know that while we are no longer located here in Dublin, you can continue to dine with us or order take-out and party pans at any of our other locations.\u201d<\/p>\n Owner Ray Bartolomucci Jr. told the Pleasanton Weekly that the decision to close was \u201cnot taken lightly,\u201d but that the management team decided to focus on its four other locations while exploring other opportunities \u201cin the greater Bay Area.\u201d He pointed out that Dublin employees had been reassigned to positions at other locations.<\/p>\n Second, word is that\u00a0Brick Caf\u00e9\u00a0in Livermore near the corner of East Stanley and Murrieta boulevards will be closing after nine years. A longtime employee confirmed over the phone that this Sunday will be the breakfast\/brunch staple\u2019s last day in business.<\/p>\n No word yet on what, if anything, will replace those two restaurants.<\/p>\n Small Bites from Around the East Bay<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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