How Most Restaurants Work
As one of Walnut Creek’s newset restaurants we wanted to bring something unique to the area. While most restaurants utilize nationwide distributors we go the extra mile to source locally.
Our Seafood Comes from Local Bay Area Distributors
Our Seafood Comes from Local Bay Area Distributors who provide us with wild caught steelhead trout, Scallops and hamachi (yellowtail) imported from Hokkaido, Japan, and yellow fin tuna all of which are broken down daily in house to maintain freshness in all the offerings at our Walnut Creek Restaurant; you taste it immediately at the raw bar, Royal Pacific Miyagi Oysters from the BC and Washington Coast lines served three ways — habanero and shallot, tomato water and lime, chojang and sudachi mignonettes compliment the crisp texture and sweet and creamy flavor of the oysters.
From the grill, a wild caught Thai Snapper arrives to your table canoe cut and deboned smothered with red chermoula, citrus, and herbs. At lunch, grilled Steelhead trout anchors our build-your-own bowls, salads, and wraps. The seafood platter; oysters, hamachi, tuna, and gulf prawns is the full picture in one order.
Fresh fish does not need to announce itself. It just tastes right.
Seasonal Produce from Regional Growers
We work directly with local producers for our fruits and vegetables. What arrives that week shapes what goes on the plate. When the menu says “market vegetables,” that is not filler; it is whatever our growers brought in.
Beets in our carpaccio with pomegranate molasses and goat cheese. Radicchio in our salad with whipped burrata and seasonal fruits from local farms, pomegranate seeds, and almonds. Pickled figs paired with halloumi, locally sourced honey, and sesame. Sweet potato in tempura with harissa honey and tahini. Freshly picked herbs in our shawarma wraps grilled to perfection in za’atar infused olive oil. Fresh market sourced seasonal produce permeates every section of the menu.
Executive Chef Jonathan Delatorre takes his experience working in kitchens like Mourad, Nopa, Quince, Gordon Ramsay and applies it to every element of your dining experience.
This is what seasonal California produce tastes like.
Spices Imported Directly from North Africa and the Levant
This is where the kitchen at our Walnut Creek restaurant separates itself most clearly.
Sourced for the specific flavor profiles that define our seasonal California cooking. You will not find these in a food distributor’s warehouse and you will taste the difference.
Zaatar — dried thyme, oregano, sesame, and sumac. Earthy, nutty, a little citrusy. On our tuna tartare with crispy rice, tomatillo, and pumpkin seeds. On our baked brie with honey, almond, and jam, served with sourdough pita.
Harissa — roasted peppers, garlic, caraway, and coriander. Layered heat, not a wall of it. In our lunch wraps it provides a depth of flavor and mild to medium heat to the shawarma. On our sweet potato tempura with honey and sesame.
Red Chermoula — fresh cilantro parsley, chopped, garlic, minced, smoked paprika and cumin, oil, citrus and seasoning. A Moroccan marinade that becomes the foundation for one of our best grill dishes: the whole Thai Snapper, with citrus and fresh herbs.
Zhug — fresh green chilies, cilantro, garlic, cardamom. Bright, herbaceous, sharp. It meets our charcoal-grilled lamb chops with pickled turnip. One bite and you understand why this one is not optional.
Sumac — tangy, almost citrusy, ground from dried berries. A finishing touch across North Africa and the Mediterranean. Here, it lands on our brunch avocado toast with sourdough, pistachio, radish, and sesame.
Aleppo pepper — fruity, moderately hot, with an almost sun-dried quality. We use it on our halloumi kebab with fig, honey, and sesame.
Pomegranate molasses — thick, tart, unmistakable. The backbone of our beet carpaccio with goat cheese and pecan. The thread running through both our beef karaz and lamb karaz with sour cherry, pine nuts, and red tea.
Muhammara — roasted red pepper and walnut spread, seasoned with pomegranate molasses, cumin, and Aleppo pepper. It anchors the Stereo mezze platter alongside miso hummus, fromage blanc, and seasonal crudité. Order this first.
Tahini — sesame paste that does more than you expect. With our cauliflower shawarma, herbs, and pickled turnip. With our nori falafel, lemon, and chickpeas.
Labneh — strained yogurt, thick, tangy, cool. In our chicory salad with marmalade, pomegranate seeds, and almonds.
You Will Taste the Difference
You will never see the name of our seafood distributor on the menu. You will not know which producer brought in this week’s beets. But you will notice that the food at Stereo 41 does not taste like the food at most restaurants in Walnut Creek — or anywhere else.
That is not an accident. When a restaurant controls its ingredients at the source, it controls flavor at the plate. Premium quality seafood, seasonal California produce, and spices imported directly from Africa and the Mediterranean. That is what makes this seasonal California restaurant in the East Bay worth the trip, whether you are here for a Tuesday lunch bowl or a Saturday night date.