Restaurant help, Walnut Creek and vicinity.

andrea3122

Happy weekend!

I have one last thing on my holiday shopping list and I need some help. I want to give my parents a gift card for a nice dinner out while we're in town and can babysit. They don't get out much (actually ever) and I'd like to send them somewhere nicer than where they normally treat themselves. Can anyone suggest a place in WC or close by that would be a nice treat? I'm not looking to spend a mint but want something nicer than Applebees or Chilis.

Thanks!

 

hannikan

The only reason we ever went here is because we got a gift card for them. They're pretty fancy to me and we liked them. http://www.massimoristorante.com/

Mrs.BoomBoom

Lark Creek

Lorita

What kind of food do they like? 

If they are meat eaters, I would suggest Vic Stewart's http://www.vicstewarts.com/

If they wine and small plates, I would recommend Va Di Vi which was also named one of the top restaurants in the bay area by the Chronicle  http://web.mac.com/vadevi/Va_de_Vi/Va_de_Vi_Home.html

IL Forniao is also good (DH proposed there!)  http://www.ilfornaio.com/

There's also PF Chang's, Primo (pricey side but good), and Lark Creek, and the one that Hannah mentioned. 

andrea3122

I totally forgot about Lark Creek...thanks for the advice!

Beezo23

1515 is good, too.  We got a gift certificate there a couple years ago-nice ambiance, good food.

 http://1515wc.com/

1krazykitty

Lorita:

If they wine and small plates, I would recommend Va Di Vi which was also named one of the top restaurants in the bay area by the Chronicle  http://web.mac.com/vadevi/Va_de_Vi/Va_de_Vi_Home.html

 

I'm a Va Di Vi fan too

honey&badger

I think you already decided, but I also like Postino in Lafayette.

sm23

Prima (Italian with good wine) has a good reputation though I haven't been there in years. Check their prices  -- they may or may not be more than you want to spend.

I also love Salvatore on Broadway. It's a family-owned, nice Italian place. Excellent food and nice atmosphere.

We went to Lark Creek a couple of years ago and it was good though it is a bit pricey. Il Fornaio is decent too, though they stopped serving our favorite dessert so we're kind of mad at them :-P  Not too impressed with 1515 myself, but it's pretty trendy, as is Va de Vi (a wine bar). If they like steak, Ruth's Chris would probably make them happy too. Vic Stewart is supposed to be an excellent steakhouse though pricey. There's also that Vanessa's place near Tomatina...?

pink.dutch.tulips

i'll just ditto a few here

prima's, vic stewart's, ruth chris', pf chang's, maria maria (carlos santana's place formerly the Cantina)

 

angelabbf

I prefer non-chain restaurants, so I'm going to recommend Prima.

hannikan

Aside from PF Chang's and Ruth Chris', I don't think anything else mentioned was a chain.

andrea3122

Thanks ladies! I know they like lark Creek but maybe I'll definitely look into some of the other suggestions.

Lorita

You also might want to check Costco in Concord for the gift cards.  Sometimes I've seen Lark Creek 4-$25 gift cards for $75.  A great deal...  Lots of other restaurant gift cards available there as well...