I'm going in May to the Livermore (CA) Valley to visit the 26 wineries in the area. It is sort of an anniversary trip for Mrs. doctall41 and myself.
We are going to dine one night at Wente Vineyards. I'd like to hear suggestions for a great place to eat in the area, Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton metropolis.
Thanks in advance for your help.

Try Claude and Dominique's Bistro, 210 Rose St., Pleasanton.

There are quite a lot of restaurants on Main Street in Pleasanton, none I'd go out of my way to recommend, but if the weather's nice you can pick a place and sit outside. There are a lot of antique shops along Main so it's not a bad street to walk.

If you come further north to Walnut Creek there are quite a lot of good restaurants, but if you're staying in Livermore that does become a long drive. I'd ask for recommendations at some of the wineries. You shouldn't have a problem with same day or one day's notice for reservations.

It's been many years (and a few different chefs) since I've ate at Wente. I hope you enjoy it. If you're around on a Sunday you might try their brunch.

It's been 6 years for me, but if it's still half as good, Wente Bros. is better than most of what you'll get anywhere else. If it's still on the menu, try the pork chop - it was a signature dish. I was skeptical when the waiter recommended it. My sister-in-law ordered it and gave me a bite. I tasted only regret.

I'm actually staying at the Crowne Plaza in Pleasanton, so that should be convenient. Thank you for the help.

If you are visiting all the Wineries, you probably will find this, if not here it is:

Stony Ridge Winery. They also have a great restuarant on premises. The desserts are to die for and they also have very good dessert wines.

BTW, don't even try to get on the 680/580 freeways during the following hours: 6a - 9a and 2p - 6p, because the traffic is horrible.

Thanks for the Stony Ridge Winery advice. I'll look into it.

*arriving in Oakland at 4:10 pm, then getting on 580 to Pleasanton*

Danville is not too far to go from Pleasanton and has some good restaurants. Try Bridges (don't know why it's on a website for San Jose as it's no where close) http://www.sanjose.com/restaurants/3...estaurant.html. Bridges is where the restaurant scene in Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed, but it is a very good restaurant.

A few of the other restaurants listed on the left side there are good too - Cafe Esin in San Ramon, Faz in Danville.
Va di Ve is the current place to be, but that's in Walnut Creek.

I'm curious why you picked Livermore over Sonoma or Napa - just seems so few people are familiar with that area even though they may be familiar with Wente and Concannon. Livermore Valley Cellers is a fun stop, BTW, as owner Chris Lagiss, a retired Lawrence Livermore Lab scientist, is a kick.

BTW, as to traffic, yes it stinks, but on 680 two in a car = carpool lane at peak times. ^ And there are back ways to Livermore from Pleasanton.

I have flown into OAK a couple of times and driven over to Stockton. One such time, I had some time to kill, saw the signs for Livermore Wineries, so drove around for awhile, stopped at a couple of them, and thought how nice it would be to bring the wife.
I've also visited the Temecula area wineries once, not as enchanting. Haven't been to Napa. Where exactly is that area located?

I was just curious because it seems so few people from out of the area know about the Livermore wineries. Napa is north - about 60-90 minutes from Pleasanton.

There's one other winery you may or may not know about that's close to Pleasanton - it's Elliston Vineyards in Sunol, a quaint little town just south of Pleasanton (people in Sunol pride themselves on being a little off-beat - they once elected a dog for their mayor). They also have a restaurant with a fixed-price menu. I've never ate there so don't know about the food.

The nice thing about the Livermore wineries is they are pretty low key and you have a good chance of meeting the winemakers and vineyard owners. When I was growing up Carolyn Wente and members of the Concannon family always made themselves available for school projects I was doing.

I used to live in Tracy and work in Fremont. I prefered the back roads and canyons through Livermore and Sunol for my commute (on days when mudslides were not an issue). One of our favorite things to do on a Sunday afternoon was drive over those same back roads of Livermore stopping at small wineries. I met quite a few folks with a barn full of wine and lots of time to talk with visitors. We always tasted and bought a couple bottles of what we liked best. Great fun and never crowded 6 years ago.

My sister raves about the Yellow House . Never been there. Google ?

doctall41: Timing can be perfect sometimes ... the latest issue of Diablo magazine just arrived and there's a story on the best of the Livermore wineries. The magazine also has restaurant reviews for places in Livermore in Pleasanton. PM me with your address and I'll send you both.

Letiole,
Have you ever been to the Pleasanton Hotel? It looks like a nice, upscale restaurant. The reviews are good, from what I've seen.

Yes, but chefs change so quickly it's hard to keep up and I believe there's a new chef since I was last there for a food and wine pairing featuring Chateau St. Jean. In general, over the years it's been hit and miss, but here's a current review from Diablo Magazine that should be helpful. They gave it a ^

http://archive.diablomag.com/0502/diningframe.htm

I just checked the San Francisco Chronicle's restaurant review page and here are the restaurants they've most recently reviewed that are in Pleasanton.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/listin...23&button.y=12

doctall41: You didn't mention how long you'll be visiting, but if you plan to see 26 wineries I'm guesing it's more than a day or two. My favorite place for Sunday brunch is The Duck Club at the Lafayette Park Hotel. It's not in the immediate area--on a Sunday about a 30 minute drive north on 680 then a couple of exits off the 24. Definitely worth the drive! Your order a main course from the menu, but there's a buffet of all the outstanding accompaniments. My favorite brunch place. The Pleasanton Hotel is good for lunch or dinner (or a more standard Sunday brunch). Sadly, there aren't a lot of unique restaurants in our area--mostly chains--probably because it's a very family-oriented population. If you like Mexican food, try Casa Orozca which is straight down San Ramon Road in Dublin on the corner of Amador Valley (about half a mile from the Crowne Plaza). Again, it's not fancy but good food (and you'll definitely have to wait during prime times). If you're walking around Main Street in Pleasanton and are looking for a good breakfast or lunch place, try Rising Loafer--delicious homemade bread and food. There's also a farmers market every Saturday on Main Street in Pleasanton until 1:00 p.m.