Sprouts & Shutters: New McCaulou’s Home Store, Ike’s Lair Now Open and More

The regional McCaulou’s department store chain will be opening a home goods store called McCaulou's Home next to Elegant Clutter in the Danville Livery in late October or early November. The new store will specialize in kitchen appliances, home accessories and gift items. Danville’s original McCaulou's department store, which focuses on apparel, will remain open next to the Livery in the Town & Country Shopping Center.

Danville’s La Boulange now offers catering. Learn more here on Patch.
 
Opening Update: Ike’s Lair, the quirky and hugely popular San Francisco-based sandwich joint previewed here early last month, opened Oct. 24 in Danville near Trader Joe’s.

Eye Level Learning Center will open in mid December at the San Ramon Marketplace near Digby's Donuts. The international franchise Eye Level (formerly Enopi) is a supplemental education program in math and reading for kids in preschool through high school. Learn more at eyelevelsanramon.com.

Did you crack your iPhone screen? Or accidentally drench your smart phone? Dublin’s new Mobile Device Repair specializes in repairing iPhones, iPads, iPods and other smart phones and tablets. The new store opened last month in Dublin’s The Shops at Tralee next to Extreme Pizza. Learn more at mdrservice.com.

In Patch's exclusive recent interview with Guy Fieri, learn what the Food Network's celebrity chef says about his Johnny Garlic's restaurant in Dublin.

New Leaf Community Market, previewed here last year, will open in mid 2013 in Pleasanton’s Vintage Hills Shopping Center on Bernal. According to a recent company press release, the 19,000 square-foot grocery store will feature “a deli, fresh salad bar, antipasto bar, hot bar, and juice bar, sushi, gourmet cheeses, and local wines.” The Bay Area-based natural foods grocer will also donate 10 percent of profits annually to local nonprofits. Learn more about the New Leaf Community Market at newleaf.com and follow the progress of the new Pleasanton store on its new facebook page.

Fresh Choice closed at the end of September in Pleasanton’s Stoneridge Shopping Center. The casual buffet-style eatery offered all-you-can-eat salads, pasta and baked goods. We’ll keep you posted on what new restaurant moves into that space.

Opening Update: Little Shoppers, previewed in an August Sprouts, is now open in the Stoneridge Shopping Center.

Wingstop opened Oct. 17 in Livermore, returning to its former location on Las Positas near Target (but under different ownership). Wingstop specializes in chicken wings tossed with flavors like Cajun, lemon pepper and Teriyaki. Fun fact of the day: The Wingstop chain has served more than two billion wings. Learn more at wingstop.com.

Less than two years after opening, Denny’s Café closed its “fast-casual” Livermore eatery on Sept. 30. The national Denny’s restaurant chain launched its new “Denny’s Café” concept in 2010, selecting Livermore for its second national location. A corporate spokeswoman said the closure was likely due to insufficient business.

Diablo magazine just released its 2012 Diablo Foood Awards and several Tri-Valley restaurants won in these award categories:

The Perennials: Esin Restaurant & Bar in Danville and The Restaurant at Wente in Livermore
Signature Dishes: “Sonoma Lamb Shank Slow Braised in Chianti” at The Peasant & The Pear in Danville
New Restaurants: Lokanta in Pleasanton and Sauced BBQ & Spirits in Livermore
Dining Destinations: Blackhawk Plaza for Ferrari’s, Blackhawk Grille, Blue Gingko and Chocolatier Blue and Downtown Livermore for Winemaker’s Pour House, El Sacromonte, Sauced and Double Barrel Wine Bar. See the full list of East Bay award winners at Diablomag.com.

Want to find out what else is opening in the East Bay? Sprouts & Shutters now covers 21 cities on 18 Patch sites. Read the latest columns for the Central Contra Costa, Berkeley/Oakland and Fremont/Tri-Cities communities.

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

• Thai House award and Roti8 closure in Danville
• Rubs BBQ Bistro and Diablo Dark in San Ramon
• Discover Dublin for the Holidays in Dublin
• Leslie's Pool Supplies and Dollar Tree in Pleasanton 
• Main Street Designs Christmas Shop and El Sacromonte Lounge in Livermore

Know of a business opening or closing in the Tri-Valley? Please tell Patch about it for a future Sprouts & Shutters column. Simply add it to this short form. Or send me a news tip at patchsprouts@gmail.com.

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