Three Hundred Thousand Square Feet of Joy
The doors and public square are open! The city of San Ramon welcomed its visionary new dining, entertainment, and shopping addition last Thursday with the official opening of City Center Bishop Ranch (CCBR) at Bollinger Canyon Road between Sunset Drive and Camino Ramon.
“We are thrilled to welcome East Bay residents and visitors to the first phase of City Center Bishop Ranch, said Alex Mehran, Jr., president and chief operating officer of Sunset Development Company. “The center has been a dream of ours for many years, and we’re proud to welcome everyone to what we believe will become the heart of San Ramon, and one of America’s most beautiful and innovative lifestyle-destination centers.”
The center offers a palate of experiences and tastes for all ages with an innovative approach for suburban living. CCBR was designed by internationally renowned architect Renzo Piano whose acclaimed works include the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, The Shard in London, and the Whitney Museum in New York, among others. His refreshing vision and world-class appeal offers a contemporary slice of life from the moment you set foot on its grounds. The exterior becomes an ever-changing “Slate” to showcase an array of celebrated local talent. To kick off the center, each side features great artists of the East Bay – Joan Brown, Richard Diebenkorn, Raymond Saunders, and Paul Wonner.
Designed with the area’s natural beauty and personality in mind, the one-acre Square is the hub for its surrounding mix of restaurant, cinema and shopping choices. “It’s perfectly designed for events of all kinds or just hanging out on the grass near the fountain and having a good time,” said Jeff Dodd, senior vice president of retail. “There are so many reasons to come here. There are layers of things that you can do – a workout, a meal, a shopping trip.”
Tonight The Lot, a spectacular luxury cinema and dining destination, officially opens. Moviegoers and diners are in for a unique experience. The Lot will open at 7 a.m. offering breakfast at its café and continues throughout the day. The inviting open lobby is designed to attract the community with its socially-inspired bar, restaurant and outside patio. The ten-screen movie theatre features 800 automated luxury leather recliners equipped with a call button for in-seat food service that offers a full range of food, drinks and snacks. Memberships and online reserved seating is available at thelotent.com.
The sixth location of Fieldwork Brewing Company is also busy pouring its unique beers in its 2,400 square foot indoor taproom and 2,700 square foot outdoor beer garden. “I grew up in the valley and we have been searching for the ideal place to expand our presence in the East Bay,” says Barry Braden, co-founder and owner. “We are pleased to be joining so many complementary merchants.” Customers can take a Crowler home with them too! What’s a Crowler? Two pints of beer, canned for you right on the spot. “We sell about 15,000 of these a month,” Braden shared. Visit fieldworkbrewing.com.
Currently, shoppers will find such notables as Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, and West Elm alongside local favorites such as the piece. store and newcomers Candle Delirium, Monokrome, and M by Maggie Rizer, a high fashion boutique by the famed supermodel, to name a few.
Next month, nationally acclaimed Vietnamese-inspired restaurant The Slanted Door joins the line-up. “I have many customers who live and work in the Tri-Valley area who are excited that we will be opening at City Center Bishop Ranch,” said owner Charles Phan. “Renzo Piano’s contemporary design is what attracted me to City Center and we are creating a unique space that will draw customers in from all sides.”
CCBR’s additional anchor Equinox, a luxury whole-body personal fitness, training and yoga center, opens in December as well.
“Stay tuned, because today’s openings are just the first wave in a steady succession of store and restaurant openings planned over the next year,” added Mehran. “There will be many more reasons for visitors to make City Center a regular part of their itineraries.”
For more details and coming attractions like CCBR’s “pop up” locations, follow this space and visit citycenterbishopranch.com. See you at The Square!
WEEKEND SCENE: Joel Dorham and His Latin Jazz Octet Saturday at The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Drive in Berkeley, backroommusic.com … Arturo Sandoval Friday-Sunday, Fifth Annual Bay Area Harmonica Convergence Monday at Yoshi’s Jack London Square Oakland, yoshis.com … Jim Cordiss Friday,
Saturday at Zio Fraedo’s Pleasant Hill, www.ziofraedos.com … Geoffrey Keezer Trio featuring Gillian Margot Friday, Edgar Pantoja and The Afro-Cuban Tribe Saturday, SFEMS – Trio Ignacio: Boccherini Meets Zappa, Electric Squeezebox Orchestra Sunday at California Jazz Conservatory Berkeley, cjc.edu … Macy Blackman and The Mighty Fines Friday, Native Elements Saturday, Hillbilly Hootenanny Sunday at Armando’s Martinez, armandosmartinez.com.
TAHOE SPOTLIGHT: Sammy: Celebrate the Legend at the Montbleu Showroom this Saturday, November 17 followed by True Willie (Willie Nelson Salute) November 24 at the MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa (www.montbleuresort.com, 1-800-BE-LUCKY) … Todd Rundgren appears Saturday with Abbacadabra: The Ultimate Abba Tribute, November 23-24 in the South Shore Room at Harrah’s Tahoe, (www.harrahstahoe.com, 1-800-427-7247) … Marty O-Reilly and the Old Soul Orchestra Friday, DJ Loveknuckle, DJ Dragon Bear Saturday at the Crystal Bay Club Casino (www.crystalbaycasino.com, 1-775-833-6333).
Published in the East Bay Time's TimeOut entertainment section Thursday, November 15, 2018.
FEATURED PHOTO: City Center Bishop Ranch. PHOTO BY VANTAGE POINT PHOTOGRAPHY