Staggered Openings Coming As 1500 Lights Its Kitchen Fires

Renderings accompanying the soon-to-open “1500” project at Main and Mt. Diablo in Walnut Creek paint it as something of a Millennials Magnet, with fetching 20-somethings and swarthy-but-professional looking computer-generated hipsters playing among the building’s three levels, eating at its restaurants and, essentially, providing set decoration for what is inarguably an architecturally advanced and innovative structure in the heart of downtown.

People known to frequent the area already – including at least two barstool-hugging NEWS24/680 staffers – have noted its location, location, location, tony neighbors and promising architecture and wondered how our neighbors will receive building owner Brian Hirahara’s latest effort to bring an ultra-cool urban space to Walnut Creek.

We think they’re going to like it, even if they don’t all look like those CGI’d darlings, and Hirahara says we’re going to find out soon as 1500 cranks open its bi-fold windows and lights its ovens in a series of staggered openings starting next month and into early 2016.

The space affords an interesting blend of retail and restaurants with an urban industrial – yet Green – look and feel. On the ground floor, local Tony Maneros can strut into Tony Gemignani’s Slice House for, well, a slice and more as the San Francisco pizza maker opens his first East Bay location at the Mt. Diablo and Commercial Lane end of the building.

“Tony’s a culinary legend in the city, so we’re excited to be able to help bring such a celebrated chef to WC,” Hirahara writes about 1500’s latest culinary addition. “… we feel it will fill a niche of high quality quick-serve, non-chain food that is not being filled currently. And to boot, he’ll be open breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night… which is a huge plus.”

Gemignani won’t be alone, either, as his authentic Italian fare will be complimented one flight above by Xavier Padrosa, the family-designated representative of Telefèric – a restaurant group from Barcelona, Spain, here to introduce authentic tapas and pintxos (tapas on a toothpick) to the locals.

If you can make it past the Second-Floor charm of Catalonian chefs and all that Sangria a local favorite awaits the adventurous in search of sea food on 1500’s largely open rooftop, with Residual Sugar’s Jim Telford calling the shots at Lighthouse – a 100-seat restaurant offering diners open sight lines of the surrounding hills, the pleasures afforded by a full bar and fresh seafood.

It’s clear no one is going to leave hungry. We’ll check in to see if crowds look anything like those CGI-generated multitudes when the doors – and windows – open:

Opening Dates (Per Brian Hirahara)

• Vineyard Vines (corner retail)-  11/13/15
• Telefèric Barcelona – late Nov. / early Dec. ‘15
• Tony’s Slice House – Jan / Feb ‘16
• Rooftop Bar & Restaurant – Jan. / Feb ‘16