Alberto's Cantina - Pleasanton, CA

Alberto's Cantina
435 Main St.
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 462-2316
albertoscantina.com



Alberto's Cantina is Mexican restaurant and tequila bar in the heart of downtown Pleasanton. This is a rare occasion in which I'm reviewing a restaurant that I have not eaten at...but we had some delicious mango margaritas here and felt it worthy of a spot on my blog!

A mango margarita at Alberto's Cantina in Pleasanton normally costs $8 or you can get a whole pitcher for $32, which is what we ordered. We were thirsty and in need of a refreshing beverage! ;) Their chips were pretty good, but their salsa could use a little help. Service was friendly and attentive, so we would definitely go back to Alberto's Cantina in Pleasanton for their margaritas...and perhaps even their food!

Yogofina Frozen Yogurt - Pleasanton, CA

Yogofina Frozen Yogurt
350 Main St.
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 484-9646
yogofina.com



Yogofina Frozen Yogurt is located on W. Angela at Main Street in downtown Pleasanton, next to Panda Mandarin Cuisine. They have a few tables outside and a few inside as well (the indoor capacity says 17) and what I like most about this place is that they have 14 terrific flavors!

Dark Chocolate / Cookies & Cream
Cappuccino / Peanut Butter
Vanilla / Dulce de Leche
Blueberry / Cheesecake
Passion Fruit / Strawberry
Key Lime / Coconut
Mango / Original Plain Tart

Yogofina Frozen Yogurt in Pleasanton was so busy this evening with people of all ages coming through door, one after another...and no wonder, because their yogurt is really fantastic! I tried tropical flavors, a combination of Passion Fruit, Coconut and Mango with fresh Mango topping plus I couldn't resist getting a tiny dabble of sweet red beans (to eat first by itself) and tonight's experience puts Yogofina Frozen Yogurt in Pleasanton on the top of my fro-yo list!

Yogoholic Frozen Yogurt - Pleasanton, CA

yogoholic
3500 Bernal Ave. #145
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 417-2213



Yogoholic is a brand new frozen yogurt shop located on Bernal Avenue at Vineyard Avenue in Pleasanton. I believe they are the only tenant of the shopping center besides a sushi restaurant, but at least that means there is abundant parking! They're open from 10am to 10pm so it's a wonderful after-dinner destination...since many frozen yogurt shops close at 9pm.



I'm impressed with the selection of flavors they have at yogoholic frozen yogurt in Pleasanton:

- Tahitian Vanilla
- Dreamy Dark Chocolate
- California Tart
- Espresso
- Mango Sorbet
- Wild Strawberry
- Peanut Butter
- Cookies & Cream

Since I'm a peanut butter and chocolate fanatic, you can probably guess what I had...yep, peanut butter and just a dollop of chocolate...topped with Reese's peanut butter cups! Pure heaven!

That said, even though I'm perfectly happy with the Reese's topping, yogoholic in Pleasanton doesn't offer as large a variety of dry toppings as other fro-yo places. I'm not sure if that will be a hinderance to some people, if yogoholic doesn't carry their favorite topping(s) but to me it's not an issue. :)

High Tech Burrito - Pleasanton, CA

High Tech Burrito
349 Main St. #120
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 462-2323
hightechburrito.com

High Tech Burrito is located on Main Street in downtown Pleasanton between Cold Stone Creamery and Tully's Coffee. They have the best "fast food Tex-Mex burritos" among their competitors, such as Baja Fresh, Una Mas, etc. Although they have quite an eclectic burrito menu with such ingredients as pineapple salsa (Hawaiian Teriyaki), peanut sauce (Thai Chicken), tomato pesto (Tuscan Pesto), BBQ chicken (Ya-Hoo BBQ), tofu (Braised Tofu) and curry (Yellow Curry Shrimp), they also offer the traditional classics of chicken, steak and pork.



My favorite (actually, it's the only one I've ever ordered!) is their gourmet Surf and Turf "steak and shrimp sauteed in salsa, onions and garlic with black beans and spanish rice in a grilled flour tortilla" because you just can't go wrong with that!



High Tech Burritos can stand up on their own! Their gourmet burritos are all $6.95 and for an extra $1.50 you can get a combo meal that also includes a drink and chips & salsa or guacamole. If you're ordering for two, sharing one combo is perfect unless you're really hungry!

Simply Greek - Pleasanton, CA

Simply Greek
4220-C Rosewood Dr
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(925) 463-8801
simply-greek.com

Simply Greek is located on Rosewood Drive behind TGI Friday's near Santa Rita Road and I-580. They have a few outdoor tables, but most of their seating is indoor. We always dine in, but we see people getting to-go orders all the time. Very nice and friendly owner and even though we don't see him there all the time, his staff does a good job in his absence.



We had another gyros at Simply Greek for a late lunch today and as always, they accommodated my request for extra tzatziki sauce and no onions...and they're still the BEST in the Tri-Valley! We've been coming here for almost a year now and there is no other Greek restaurant in the entire East Bay that compares with the quality you get at Simply Greek. Their souvlaki is simply fabulous, as well!



Just remember...Simply Greek is closed on Sundays and they're only open till 8pm Monday to Thursday, 9pm on Friday and Saturday. We have tried two different Greek restaurants in Livermore when Simply Greek was closed and we'd NEVER go back to either one...it's either Simply Greek or nothing from now on!

Taco Del Mar - Pleasanton, CA

Taco Del Mar
3550 Stanley Blvd.
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 846-8337
tacodelmar.com

This Taco Del Mar is located on Stanley Boulevard at Bernal Avenue in Pleasanton, near the Livermore border. It's behind the McDonald's and ARCO Gas Station, next to Subway. We ate here once with a coupon and neither one of us liked their food...it reminded us too much of Una Mas quality, horrible Tex-Mex tasteless food. Needless to say, we've never been back...and after driving by a couple of weeks ago, it looked like they were closed and out of business.

Chevys Fresh Mex - Pleasanton, CA

Chevys Fresh Mex
5877 Owens Dr.
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(925) 416-0451
chevys.com

This Chevys is located off I-580 and Hopyard, next to the Mercedes-Benz dealer. It's one of those restaurants that's one big open room, so it can seem quite noisy when it's busy. I like Chevys during happy hour (M-F, 3-7) when you can get delicious chicken flautas and steak fajita nachos appetizers...and of course margaritas for $3!

P.S. If you get a receipt that has a customer service feedback survey and call it in, you can get a free appetizer on your next visit! Check out the free appetizer sampler platter we got in the bottom pic...

Subway - Pleasanton, CA

Subway
3550 Stanley Blvd.
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 461-7474
subway.com

This Subway is located on Stanley Boulevard at Bernal Avenue in Pleasanton near the Livermore border. It is located behind the McDonald's and ARCO Gas Station, next to a Chinese restaurant and a recently-closed Taco Del Mar. I ordered a tuna sandwich to go from this Subway and was disappointed in the quality. The wheat bread wasn't fresh (the ends were hard) and there wasn't as much tuna as normal. After that not-so-good first experience, I haven't been back to this location...and probably won't.

T.G.I. Friday's - Pleasanton, CA

T.G.I. Friday's
3999 Santa Rita Rd.
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(925) 225-1995
fridays.com

Friday's has a "Mango Mayhem" special they're running right now...$5 Absolut Mango Cocktails. I couldn't resist trying one, so at the server's recommendation, I ordered the "Go Go Mango" (strawberry, Cointreau, Absolut Mango Vodka, soda and sweet & sour) and it was FABULOUS!!!

We shared the Jack Daniels Sampler Appetizer and the Sesame Chicken Strips was my favorite, followed by the shrimp and the baby back ribs suprisingly came in last. They're usually better...at least when you order them in a meal.





Go Go Mango ($5)


Jack Daniels Sampler Platter Appetizer ($13.99)

Baci Cafe - Pleasanton, CA

Baci Cafe
500 Main Street
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 600-0600
bacimainstreet.com

Baci Cafe (sometimes known as Baci Restaurant) is in a terrific location in Downtown Pleasanton on the corner of Main Street and Neal. We first sat at one of their outside tables, but we decided to sit inside when the person next to us started smoking (she got up from the table and was standing right next to the table while smoking...like that made a difference!)

Anyway, if you are lucky enough to be served from a pitcher that has let the fruit steep into the water, their fruit water is delightful! They put a variety of fruits in their water pitchers such as oranges, lemons, apples, strawberries, etc.

We ordered their "Grilled Bone-In Pork Chop, Herb and Pancetta Crusted" and their "Grilled Salmon with Citrus Beurre Blanc". First, they brought out a Rack of Lamb instead of the Pork Chop, but the Pork Chop turned out to be quite bland as they forgot the "Pancetta Crusted" part. My Salmon was very tasty, thanks to the Citrus Beurre Blanc...I found it to be a perfect compliment to the salmon.

Although this dining experience wasn't 5-star, we appreciate the fact that the server took the Pork Chop off the bill before presenting it to us. That was gracious of her and she told us it was because she wanted us to return...smart girl! We look forward to our next visit to Baci Cafe. :)







Dinner Menu


Fruit Water


Rack of Lamb ($29)


Pork Chop ($21)


Grilled Salmon ($21)


Dessert Menu

T.G.I. Friday's - Pleasanton, CA

T.G.I. Friday's
3999 Santa Rita Rd.
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(925) 225-1995
fridays.com

We had an $8 coupon from TGI Friday's "Give Me More Stripes" program, so tonight we tried their California Grilled Chicken Sandwich and the Dragonfire Chicken, then shared a Red Velvet Cake for dessert (which neither one of us has ever tried before).

Service was pretty good, but the food was quite average...and none that I would really order again. The Jack Daniels Baby Back Ribs are MUCH better. :)



California Grilled Chicken Sandwich ($8.99)


Dragonfire Chicken ($9.49)


Red Velvet Cake a la mode ($5.79)

The Cheesecake Factory - Pleasanton, CA

The Cheesecake Factory
1350 Stoneridge Mall Rd
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(925) 463-1311
thecheesecakefactory.com

The Chopped Salad (romaine, chicken, tomato, avocado, corn, bacon, apple and blue cheese) at The Cheesecake Factory is one of my all-time favorite salads...and they have a perfect-sized petite version for $4.50 during Happy Hour (bar/lounge area only) Monday to Friday from 4-6pm.





Bar & Lounge


Bar Menu (Happy Hour, M-F, 4-6pm)


Bread Basket


Chopped Salad $4.50 (Happy Hour price)