New Thai Restaurant Fills Empty Storefront Along Mount Diablo; BART Village Meeting Minutes Released

For a while after the economy went into the crapper, storefronts around town emptied. The vacancies were especially apparent along the stretch of Mount Diablo, between Locust Street and North California Boulevard, which includes the north front of the Olympia Place complex.

In Olympia Place, Bombay & Co. closed, as did Johnny Rockets and La Salsa. Meanwhile, no one was moving into spaces that had never been occupied. Across the street, Viking Home Chef closed in the spring of 2009 and so did Z Gallerie, after the Southern California-based retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In , Mayor Cindy Silva, attempting to strike a positive note over Walnut Creek's economic status, noted that this stretch of Mount Diablo is filling up again with businesses. It no longer feels like a retail echo chamber.  On the north side of Mount Diablo Boulevard, Destination Maternity took over the former Viking Home Chef Space, and Patio World is now open in the former Z Gallerie space. 

In Olympia Place, we're about to get two new restaurants that represent two different extremes of cuisine. I've already written about Oakland's Home of Chicken and Waffles, with its Southern-style menu and retro theme, in Olympia Place. Hmm. Word was that Chicken and Waffles was supposed to open in the fall. Well, delays in the restaurant biz can happen. 

Food from the other side of the Pacific will be served at Kacha Thai Bistro, which is taking over the space formerly occupied by La Salsa. I noticed signs in the window this past week. Diablo magazine has reported that Ing Laongsuwan, who with her husband Jicko, owns Similan Thai in Danville, will serve traditional Thai cuisine in the new 3,200-square-foot space. Diablo says the restaurant, which will also have a full bar, is expected to open in April.

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Some readers have complained that minutes for the Nov. 16 study session for the BART transit village project were not available on the city's website. Now they are, and City Clerk Patrice Olds apologizes for the confusion.  A copy of the minutes is also available with this story. 

"We are aware of the inconsistency to access minutes on the website," Olds said. The city is not only taking steps to remedy this problem, Walnut Creek history buffs are in for a treat, she said: "By late spring we anticipate all minutes—from the city’s incorporation in 1914 forward, in addition to years worth of commission minutes—will be available on our website."