Sprouts & Shutters: Wine Bars, Boutiques, a Bakery and More

Recession? What recession? We found plenty of new openings in Danville's lively retail and restaurant scene. Here's a roundup of what's sprouting and shuttering in town.

Danville clearly loves its wine. Following Stomp and the Vine at Bridges comes the Wild Vine Hideaway, a wine lounge and bistro that opened earlier this summer on Prospect Avenue. In addition to Panini and Pinot, the lounge also serves up plenty of live entertainment, including comedy nights and local band performances.

That Bar is set to open in August on Prospect Avenue (in the spot vacated by the wine lounge Vinoteca). Get the full scoop in Patch's First Dueling Piano Bar This Side of the Caldecott Coming Soon.

Sorry, but we're not quite done with wine yet: Also weaving its way into the wine scene is PG's Crow Canyon Wine Lounge. The wine lounge and wine store plans to ditch its San Ramon spot next to Max's Diner on September 1 and move into the Livery & Mercantile in early October. It joins other Livery newbies like Jules Thin Crust (see Patch's Jules Thin Crust Brings Unique Pizza Experience to Livery) and the family-owned Stork's Nest which opened in June selling—as you may have guessed—boutique maternity and baby products.

Los Panchos opened on Friday in El Balazo's old spot on San Ramon Valley Boulevard, in the same shopping center as the new Miglet's cupcake shop (see Patch's ). Get a menu preview of the popular Bay Area restaurant chain's "authentic Mexican food" here. Fans rave about the crispy chicken tacos and classic refried beans.

Going into Original Sin's old space on Prospect Avenue later this month is Dandelions, a new children's clothing store. Owner and Danville resident Jennifer Juroff said that her new store will sell unique kids' clothes you won't see in department stores and will include lines by San Francisco designers.

For grown-up fashion, you can soon try The Savvy Shopaholic, which opens in September on Hartz where Corks Wine Store used to be. "The Savvy Shopaholic is an upscale consignment boutique for teens and women featuring contemporary apparel and accessories as well as designer close-outs," says owner Deb Rosenberg. You can bring items to consign on August 27 during a pre-opening consign day. Click here for details.

The French-style La Boulange Bakery, a San Francisco-based chain, opened this month serving up a tempting selection of buttery croissants, fruit turnovers, Danishes and tarts. The shop is next to Lunardi's, which houses a new frozen yogurt place called Le Petit Corner.

Akira Bistro, serving Japanese fare like Chicken Teriyaki, Kobe beef and, of course, sushi, opened in July on San Ramon Valley Boulevard. The new Japanese restaurant, which replaced the large space vacated by Masala Indian Fusion in March, sits across from two other Japanese restaurants: Sushi Yokohama and Koji's Sushi. Have a favorite?

Blackhawk Plaza, which has long struggled with slow traffic, is starting to pick up a bit thanks to a string of new retail and restaurant openings over the past year. The most recent arrivals include the home-and-garden décor store My Back Yard by Tassajara Nursery, Tuttimelon frozen yogurt, and The Little Pear, the casual, family-friendly eatery opened this summer by Danville's popular restaurateur Rodney Worth (read more about Worth in this Patch "Beyond 9 to 5" interview). Babycoo, a boutique selling eco-friendly, nontoxic baby products, is set to open August 18. And Pink Stripes, a store selling "a girl's two favorite indulgences—clothes and sweets" will open later this month. All these tenants join the bookstore Read.booksellers and the upscale dining trio of Stomp Wine Bar, Laurus Bistro and Coa, all of which opened late last year.

Know of another shop or restaurant that's coming soon or recently opened? Please share in the comments or e-mail us a news tip.