Shop Notes: Le Creuset Closed, Yogurtland Open, Buckhorn Grill Still Closed for Repairs

A tipster alerted me to the fact that the Le Creuset cookware shop in Olympia Place was closed.  Indeed, a for lease sign hangs on its storefront along Mt. Diablo Boulevard.  I put in a call to Kimco Realty, the leasing agent for Olympia Place, to find out if they have any other tenants lined up to fill up that shop.

Actually, I can't say I'm surprised. Are you? I never saw too many people browsing in that shop, which sold high-end French cookware in distinctive bright colors.

But that stretch of Olympia Place along Mt. Diablo Boulevard won't be marked by empty storefront after empty storefront for long--as has been the case for several years since the start of the economic downturn in 2008. Remember how Bombay & Co. closed, followed by Johnny Rockets and La Salsa restaurants.

But now, we're about to get two new restaurants in Olympia Place that represent two different extremes of cuisine. Oakland's Home of Chicken and Waffles, with its Southern-style menu and retro theme, is due to location in Olympia Place. Hmm. Word was that Chicken and Waffles was supposed to open in the fall. Well, delays in the restaurant biz can happen. 

Kacha Thai Bistro, which is taking over the space formerly occupied by La Salsa, is expected to open this month, according to Diablo. The magazine reported that Ing Laongsuwan, who with her husband Jicko, owns Similan Thai in Danville, will serve traditional Thai cuisine in the new 3,200-square-foot space. 

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The next round in Walnut Creek's fro-yo wars can begin in earnest now that  Yogurtland has opened in Centre Place on South California Boulevard, two doors down from The Habit Burger. 

Like Coco Swirl, a couple blocks away near the Century 14 Downtown Walnut Creek movie theater, Yogurtland uses the self-serve concept. That is, cup in hand, you pump the yogurt from dispensers and add the toppings.  

Anaheim-based Yogurtland, which also has a shop in Pleasant Hill, offers a variety of flavors, with such enticing names as peanut butter cup, Madagascar vanilla and chocolate coconut truffle. 

Also in Centre Place, is planning to move from its currently location at the rear of the parking lot into the storefront, with South California Boulevard frontage, between the Habit Burger and Yogurtland. The Mexican fast-food restaurant last month received approval from the Design Review Commission for a new wall sign to hang over the front entrance. 

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Over in Plaza Escuela, I checked in at , whose interior was damaged in early February started by a grease flare-up while chefs were cooking on the grill. A sign in the window says that the restaurant, which has been undergoing repairs and renovations, will re-open at the end of April.