Sprouts & Shutters: What's Opening Around Town

It's been a cool summer here in San Ramon, and that includes the restaurant and retail scene. But we dug around and found some new eateries, a few closings and some unusual changes. Here's your Patch roundup of what's sprouting and shuttering around San Ramon:

Thyme to Eat, the family-owned eatery on San Ramon Boulevard next to Madras, officially reopened this week after a month-long closure for renovation. You'll feel you're in New Orleans when you try the Cajun dishes recently added to the menu of mainly American comfort food. The new "Bourbon Street" décor features new carriage lights, flower boxes, faux windows with shutters, and a festive picture of the famous street. Thyme to Eat celebrates its reopening with a special lunch deal:  Get a sandwich, side dish, and beverage for $4.99 for the month of August when you mention you saw this on San Ramon Patch.

If you're one of the dozen people in San Ramon who hasn't shopped at Target lately, this may surprise you: Beginning September 12, you'll soon be able to toss fresh bananas and lettuce in your bright red shopping cart. "Our guests will find new food additions including items that are on their shopping list every week, such as basic pre-packaged fresh produce (bananas, seasonal fruit, berries, baby carrots and bagged lettuce), a limited assortment of fresh packaged meat (ground beef, chicken and pork) and pre-packaged baked goods," said Tammy Robertson of Target Communications.

San Ramon's only wine tasting bar is packing up and moving to Danville. PG's Crow Canyon Wine Lounge, which opened last fall, is set to close its San Ramon location on September 1 and will open up in the Livery on October 1, says owner Parag Gandhi. Ready for the new wine bar score? San Ramon: 0, Danville: 4.

Just two years ago, San Ramon had no Vietnamese restaurant. Now, with the opening of Pho Sam Restaurant, our city has three. This small family-owned Vietnamese eatery on San Ramon Valley Boulevard (across from the theater and next to Saladz 'n More) joins Pho Saigon Noodle House (in the Country Club Village Shopping Center) and Pho Monsoon (in the Market Place) serving pho, the popular Vietnamese soup, and other dishes like barbeque rice plates and and sandwiches.

Basant, the Indian restaurant on Crow Canyon Place next to Big 5, closed in July--just one year after it opened. Owner Sy Kamal said he is "aggressively trying to find a new location in San Ramon or Danville" to reopen Basant, serving the same Indian subcontinent cuisine like Tandoori Lah Jheenga (tiger prawns) and Dal Lukhnawi (garlic roasted lentils).

More Indian restaurant news: Favorite Indian Restaurant, originally scheduled to open in June in Back Forty Texas BBQ's old spot, should be opening this month, says owner Bikram Jit Singh. You can read more about Favorite Indian and get a menu preview here in our last Sprouts & Shutters column.

Pinkberry Yogurt, the trendy tart yogurt shop previewed in our last Sprouts & Shutters, still hasn't opened. The leasing manager and the popular franchise's own web site says Pinkberry is scheduled to open this month in Dogout's old spot on Crow Canyon Place. But the construction crew still has a lot of work to do: We saw stripped floors and walls and boxes of tile piled on the floor. Stay tuned.

Know of another shop or restaurant that's coming soon or recently opened? Please share here in the comment box below or e-mail Patch a news tip.