Three Lafayette restaurants earned their way into the highly-coveted pages of the 2010 edition of the Michelin Guide. Metro Lafayette, Artisan Bistro and Chevalier were all honored in one of the premier restaurant guides in the world.

Restaurants are selected for the guide based on a variety of factors including their food, ambiance and service. Michelin has inspectors assigned to different regions where they spend the year canvassing their region’s restaurants looking for the absolute best all-around restaurants.

For more information or to make reservations at the restaurants mentioned, visit their websites:
Metro Lafayette - http://www.metrolafayette.com
Artisan Bistro - http://www.artisanlafayette.com
Chevalier - http://www.chevalierrestaurant.com

The 2009 Orinda Restaurant Tour will take place this Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. This is the second happening of the annual event.

From 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., hors d’oeuvres will be available in Theater Square. A San Francisco trolley will then take participants on a tour of Orinda’s restaurants from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Dessert will be available from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. Each restaurant on the tour will offer particpants a small portion of food representing their restaurant.

To purchase a ticket ahead of time, visit http://www.orindachamber.org/OrindaRestaurantTour2009.htm#Reservations. Tickets reserved online before the event are $30, while tickets at the door will cost $35. One glass of wine is included with all adult tickets purchased.

For those who participate in Lafayette’s “nightlife,” Diamond Dave is a legend. Every Wednesday through Saturday night, he performs at Petar’s Restaurant in Lafayette, starting at 9:00 p.m.

Diamond Dave Hosley can play more songs than a jukebox and is always open to playing requests. With his keyboard and microphone ready, he plays a variety of music ranging from the classics to contemporary rap music.

The atmosphere at Petar’s is always a lively one when he’s playing. Many people go to Petar’s just to see him play.

To get a preview of what Diamond Dave is about, visit his website: www.davehosley.com. Petar’s is located at 32 Lafayette Circle. Visit www.petars.com for more information.

Metro Lafayette recently hired Kirk Bruderer as their new executive chef. Bruderer, who grew up in Lafayette, has worked at some of the top restaurants in the area including French Laundry in Yountville and Oliveto in Oakland. He also spent time cooking in a high-class restaurant in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Bruderer comes in ready to work and not afraid to make changes. He has already started making changes to the menu, adding some of his specialties.

Metro Lafayette consistently receives positive reviews from critics and diners alike.

Metro Lafayette is located at 3524 Mt. Diablo Blvd. For more information or to make reservations, visit their website ( http://metrolafayette.com ) or call (925) 284-4422.

Knoxx Restaurant, located at 3576 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette, is up for sale by owner Gary Singh. Knoxx took over the space previously occupied by Pasta Per Tutti a year and a half ago and has been a favorite restaurant of locals ever since.

“Personal issues” were the reason Singh is forced to sell his restaurant, according to the writers at The East Bay Daze blog (http://eastbaydaze.blogspot.com).

Knoxx specializes in Italian “comfort” food and has a large selection of wines.

If you haven’t had the chance to visit this restaurant before, it is worth making a visit before it is sold.

The “Taste of Lafayette” event, sponsored by the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and the Lafayette Community Foundation, will take place Tuesday, May 19, starting at 5:30 p.m. in Lafayette Plaza.

After checking in for the event, there will be live music, wine, appetizers and a raffle in Lafayette Plaza.

Around 20 different restaurants along Lafayette’s “Restaurant Row” will be offering samples to those participating in the restaurant walk. There will also be a shuttle available.

After the restaurant walk, there will be dessert and coffee available in Lafayette Plaza.

To buy tickets for this event, visit www.lafayettechamber.org, call 925-284-7404, or visit the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, located at 100 Lafayette Circle, Suite 103.

A new restaurant, Artisan Bistro, opened in Lafayette on March 10 in the location formerly occupied by Gigi’s, 1005 Brown Ave.

Although the restaurant leans toward a more modern feel, the owner of Artisan Bistro, John Marquez, has made it a point to honor the location’s history as well. Marquez started out by freshening up the building that has stood in Lafayette since 1922, by painting the walls and cleaning up the patio. The menu also features funnel cake, the most popular desert at Gigi’s.

For more information about Artisan Bistro, check out their website, which includes the menu and an option to make reservations: http://artisanlafayette.com/

One of Lafayette’s top places to eat a meal will close its doors February 14. Gigi’s, located at 1005 Brown Ave., is a small restaurant that has been a favorite among local diners.

Owner Jeffrey Amber sold the restaurant to a new owner, as Amber plans to open a new restaurant in a larger location. While he plans to keep his new location in the Bay Area, the new restaurant will likely be on the other side of the Caldecott Tunnel.

Gigi’s will offer a special Valentine’s Day dinner menu the last night before their doors close. If you haven’t been there before, it is worth making the effort to eat a meal there before it closes.

In his column this week , Mike Zampa says a doomsday struggle for global supremacy continues between the cities of Lafayette and Walnut Creek. At stake: the title of coolest place to live.

“Why should we care?’ he asks. “Because our children are being drawn into the maelstrom.

“(We) first published details of the bitter feud between the neighboring towns three months ago. Actually, it created the feud. It called Walnut Creek smug, trendy and “just like the mall, only without Cinnabon.” It also said that Walnut Creek’s mother wears combat boots.

“Consistent with its smugness, Walnut Creek failed to take the bait. There has been not a word of rebuttal since the expose ran.

“This kind of aloofness is what we’d expect from an economic superpower (defined by The World Bank as “any place with piles of sales tax and its own Restoration Hardware”).

“But here’s something we didn’t anticipate from Walnut Creek – covert manipulation of our youth. Unnamed and nefarious operatives have gotten to Lafayette youngsters. They’ve convinced them that the best sandwich in creation is in Walnut Creek.”

In Friday’s upcoming Sun, columnist Mike Zampa finds he’s an outcast in his own hometown because he doesn’t drink wine.