We occasionally drive through the Caldecott Tunnel (hurray for the fourth bore!) and eat in Contra Costa County. This tab also includes any restaurants east of the Oakland Hills, all the way out to Nevada.

Double-click the active links for the full review, then use the back arrow to return:

We love to eat at :

Agora Bistro, Pleasanton - CLOSED
Artisan Bistro, Lafayette - More CA than French, but as close as it gets out here. Weekend brunch and weekday lunches are simple but excellent. One issue we've had in the last year: entrees are a full level below what they were before.
Black Angus Steakhouse, Dublin - Okay, it's a chain. But it's got good service, comfortable seating, and more-than-decent food, at great prices. A solid reliable restaurant, and sometimes that's a perfect fit.
Casa Orinda, Orinda - Sweetbreads. Need we say more? And the fried chicken's good. The prime rib is good although we give the edge to Townhouse/Emeryville. You can get all dark meat on the chicken, too. Parking can be very difficult.
Coco Cabana, Pleasanton - sister to Oasis Grille but small plates. Skip the salads and regular entrees, though, and stick to the small plates they do best. Service remains a little under what it should be, except on weekends when it's four-bell noisy.
Forno Vecchio, Pleasanton - Some lovely Cal-Italian food, especially the rack of lamb with roasted vegetables, and the rum cake with caramelized bananas. Service could use some fine-tuning, though.

India Garden, Pleasanton - super-tiny but amazing Indian food. Even the buffet is good, the first time we've ever said that!
Lokanta, Pleasanton - Wonderful little Turkish restaurant took over from Agora Bistro, and the food is even better. A definite winner!
Oasis Grill, Pleasanton - The food has dropped a level; perhaps the owners are paying more attention to Coco Cabana, which gets all the buzz these days.
Pamir Afghan, Dublin - Small, clean, great service, very nice food.
Rustic Tavern, Lafayette - Nice local hang-out, open all day from lunch onwards (which is rare); the comfort food is well done and tasty.
Wente Winery restaurant, Livermore - A popular fav, just overlook that industrial white stucco compound it's in. Dining room is lovely once you're inside, patio is beautiful, summer concert series is famous. Big portions, excellent service. Don't miss the pork chop, it was amazing - but the chef just left Jan 2015.

Not perfect, but good:
Chevalier, Lafayette – Inconspicuous but loved by locals. Food is rather heavy for summer weather, though, and they could use better service and a lighter touch in the kitchen. Cost-cutting has taken a toll on some dishes, and there's a high salt level here. It's the French version of Oliveto/Oakland. Lovely outdoor patio for summer dining.
De La Torre's Trattoria, Pleasanton - An old-fashioned Italian that has some good dishes. Not a gourmet dining experience, just good honest two-star food with the type of four-star service these restaurants have always offered.
DJ's Bistro, Concord - Tiny German restaurant in-between high-rise office buildings with a whopping big schnitzel. Even we can't finish more than a half-portion of it!
Duck Club @Lafayette Park Hotel, Lafayette (note: Now called the Park Bistro) - Long-time chef left and the new one let us down. Both service and food have suffered a severe drop. There's talent, but not careful execution any longer. We have not returned since the reopening into the new Park Bistro.
Ancient Szechuan, El Cerrito  - The cook has skill but the customers won't support higher prices/better quality. Frustrating, but the winter melon vegetable dish (rarely seen) is outstanding.
Fleming's Steakhouse, Walnut Creek - Clearly our first visit's great rib-eye steak was a fluke. Filet isn't aged and the prime rib had too much thyme in the rub - it's okay, but no better than Townhouse Grill/Emeryville. After three visits, we're over them and looking elsewhere for a great steak. Here it's good, but nothing more than that, and Ruth's Chris has better service and a quieter dining room.

Jim's, Pleasanton - Small, old fashioned breakfast hang-out in a strip mall, that does a nice little chicken-fried steak. We were pleasantly surprised; not a destination but worth it if you're in the area and a CFS fan like we are.
Katy's Kreek, Walnut Creek - A pleasant European-style bistro with some nice lunch items. We'll come back to try breakfast soon.
Koi Palace, Dublin - A branch of the Daly City dim sum star, we found it good at different dim sum than Lee Garden. But the crowds are massive, the ordering awkward, the service perfunctory Asian. Haven't tried the cafe, though, and there's some interesting dishes on that menu. Better than Mayflower/Dublin.
Korean Village, Pleasanton - A pleasant little Korean spot, comfortable with decent food. That pancake looked massive; we need to return to try it.
La Sen Bistro, Concord - This Viet/French fusion bistro has some cooking, but it's small and can be noisy. Easy to overlook; their signage is so discreet it's invisible.
Las Fuentes, Pleasanton - Small and simple, worth a visit if you're in the area.
Lee Garden Seafood, Pleasanton (formerly Tri-Valley Seafood) – (look for the Cost Plus; restaurant is at opposite end). Service has gotten very perfunctory. Worse, variety now extremely limited except Fri-Sun, and even then a number of dim sum aren't available on Fridays, just Sat/Sun. The dim sum is great, but why even be open weekdays if you can't be bothered to do your best?
Luna, Concord - Pleasant little Italian if you're around Fry's or 99 Ranch; off Todos Sante plaza. 
Nonni's Bistro, Pleasanton - A couple of good things on the menu, an interesting blend of Scandinavian and Continental.

Mayflower, Dublin - Mini-EBay chain but we found only the XLB to be worthwhile for dim sum. 
Metro Lafayette, Lafayette – Large rooms with a sunny outdoor patio. New chef is pushing them in the right direction, lunch was very good so we'll return and try dinner again.
Ottavio Osteria, Walnut Creek - Not perfect, and with these prices it should be - so far the best in downtown WC out of a bad bunch. Very good salads, but the entrees slipped a little on the sides, and dessert was good but too sweet.
Outback Steakhouse, Pleasanton - A little more erratic than Black Angus and not quite as good, but their tilapia is nicely done.
Pasta's Trattoria, Pleasanton - Despite the name, a surprisingly decent steakhouse. Giant lobster tail was good value, too. A little sloppy but a decent choice for downtown Main St.
Peasant & Pear, Danville - Lunch was pleasant but only a couple of dishes really zinged. Sandwiches are the massive, bread-heavy type. Not bad, but there's better places for lunch in the area.
Ruth’s Chris Steak, Concord – Good service, excellent starters, traditional chain steakhouse. Beef isn't as good as Fleming's, but it's quieter and more relaxed.
Sauced, Livermore - A crowd pleaser; we'd rank it below KC BBQ in Berkeley but above Smoke/Berkeley. Erratic service undermines good intentions, but the chicken wings were amazing.

Skip:
Sichuan House, Walnut Creek - Another where cook has skill but customers are too cheap to support good quality. A few items were good, but worthwhile only if you're in the immediate area and desperate for a Chinese fix.
Black Bear Diner, Manteca - Giant platters of leaden food. They claim to use transfat-free ingredients, but it sits in your stomach like an indigestible basketball. Only for those who prefer quantity over quality.

Dickey's BBQ, Pleasanton - Good chopped brisket but everything else was typical Bay Area - mediocre BBQ reigns in CA.

Isadore's, Manteca - Mediocre inland valley food

Kee Wah Bakery, Dublin - Typical Chinese bakery: all looks but oversugared and fake flavors. People go there because it's cheap, not because it's good.

McCovey's, Walnut Creek - A terrible meal. Awful BBQ. Even the hamburger and nachos were bad!

Min's Kitchen, Concord - An old fashioned place for breakfast/lunch, cost-cutting has taken its toll and it's now no better than adequate.

Va de Vi, Walnut Creek - Nice outside, noisy inside. Despite the Chron Top 100 raves, we found it too salty/sugary for the $$$ they charge. New chef started Dec 2012, but doubt we'll see any changes.