A variety of events are happening in Antioch for you to enjoy. Here are three of them:

HUMPHREY’S ON THE DELTA

Humphrey’s on the Delta invites you to enjoy New Year’s Eve! Come in early and enjoy dinner and then ring in the new year 2012. Party starts at 9 p.m. (D.J. Shaft on the 1’s & 2’s spinning the hits) Champagne toast at midnight. No cover charge.  21 and older. Humphrey’s is located at 1 Marina Plaza, foot of L Street, Antioch. For more information call 778-5800 or visit www.humphreysonthedelta.com

LONE TREE GOLF & EVENT CENTER

Lone Tree Golf  & Event Center is hosting an East Coast New Year’s Eve on West Coast Time on Saturday night, December 31. Watch the Times Square ball drop on two large screen TV’s, and get a jump on the celebration.  The event includes no-host cocktails and hand passed appetizers at 7 p.m., three-course dinner at 7:30 p.m., party favors and a champagne toast at 9 p.m. Price is $35 per person. For reservations and more information, click here or call 706-4232.

SCHOONER’S GRILLE & BREWERY

Enjoy New Year’s Eve at Schooner’s! www.SchoonersBrewery.com

Print, cut and use the coupons!

Kurt Derita will entertain with his singing and accoustic guitar at Humphrey's on the Delta this Thursday

Local singer and guitar player, Kurt Derita, the K in the local and popular TRAK band will entertain at Humphrey’s on the Delta this Thursday night, November 10 beginning at 8:30 p.m.  Enjoy drink and appetizer specials as you listen to the wide variety of music performed by this local legend.  You’ll laugh, you’ll hum, you’ll sing along! So bring a friend and have some fun while watching the Raiders vs. Chargers game on the widescreen in the lounge. Stop by before the music starts for a delicious dinner. Humphrey’s is located at 1 Marina Plaza, at the foot of L Street, overlooking the river, in Antioch’s historic downtown Rivertown.

Participants line up for sandwiches, soup and desserts at Big Kahuna Sandwich Shop.

Nine restaurants enjoyed a stream of 270 visitors during the 2011 Pride of the Delta Restaurant Tour in downtown Antioch. Over the course of four hours on a Sunday afternoon, participants traveled throughout Old Town, enjoying samples at each stop on the tour.

The event, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Antioch, began ten years ago and has since become a tradition. One of the club’s larger annual activities, it brings smiles to participating diners and restaurant owners alike.

“The businesses get people that would never know they’re there,” said Martha Parsons, a member of the Kiwanis organization. Meanwhile, the people are “all having fun eating their way through the city.”

Six of the nine restaurants were tour veterans. Rick’s on Second, one of the new volunteer eateries, treated tour-takers to soft cookies, tuna and turkey avocado sandwiches, and zesty pasta salad. Big Kahuna Sandwich Shop offered roast beef sandwiches with cream of potato soup, chicken sausage gumbo, moist bread pudding and chocolate lava brownies. The third first-time participant, El Porton Azul, appealed to more adventurous diners by offering hot bowls of menudo.

Humphrey’s on the Delta dished up smoked salmon penne alfredo. Carpaccio Ristorante also served pasta — spaghetti, pesto penne, and fusilli marinara — in addition to salads and sandwiches. Some diners at Carpaccio also took advantage of the $5 margaritas.

Celia’s Mexican Restaurant provided tacos, burritos, and two varieties of enchilada, while options at Little Manuel’s included beef Chile Colorado, tortilla soup and a creamy flan. Starbucks provided samples of various dessert breads, lattes and Frappuccinos, and, of course, two blends of hot, steaming coffee. Many participants opted to end their tour at Skipolini’s Pizza with filling slices of barbecue chicken or pasta primavera pizza and drinks of soda or sangria.

The Kiwanis Club uses the restaurant tour as a fundraising event to help sponsor their various charitable activities. The club regularly donates to Relay for Life, the Antioch senior center, and scholarship funds at both Antioch High School and Deer Valley High School. Kay Power, the Kiwanis Club adviser to AHS, shared that the club has also started a recent campaign to eliminate neo-natal tetanus in third-world countries.

Recognizing each other by their yellow tickets, tour participants shared smiles and laughter, chatting about the various foods and joking about how full they felt as the event drew to a close. “This was really fun!” announced a first-time participant at her second-to-last restaurant. “I think it’s wonderful!” The sentiment was echoed by others leaving with happy smiles and full stomachs.

The Pride of the Delta Restaurant Tour occurs every fall in downtown Antioch. The spring Restaurant Tour takes place in April in Southeast Antioch. Tickets are $15 each, and participants who visit every restaurant on the tour may enter a drawing to win prizes.

Bobby D Duncan in front of his restaurant.

Out of Louisiana bringing barbeque Creole and Cajun comes Robert Duncan — chef and owner of Bobby D’s, a carnivorous cornucopia, a get it catered, take it out or eat it there, down home endeavor. He learned cooking from his 102-year-old grandmother. Grandma taught him right. Good ingredients go in and everything comes out right.

T-shirted, simple, dignified Bobby D stands behind the standup counter, writes down a take out order, clips it to the stainless steel wheel for the cook and calls out: “Crab cakes, blackened catfish, half rack pork.”

The crab cakes come covered with a crispy crust. The fork releases the savory flavor of the tasty bits of crab as it is in heaven. The blackened catfish evokes visceral thrills. At one of the simple serviceable tables a skinny kid gets on the outside of five of the seven pork ribs. “Meaty and firm, but easy to chew” is his verdict. Get the barbeque sauce on the meat or on the side. Nice touch.

The place smells like meat. It arrives in big plastic platters. $8 to $16. You get jalapeno or regular corn bread or bread. Choose two sides from many.

“Yams — fried okra — collard greens — red beans and rice — more ….”

No corporation-dispatched, standard-themed cutesy venue here — we’re talking local owned and operated. But the best reason is the food served in this well-fluorescent-lighted clean place with the kitchen open to the dining room.

“Chicken manifestations …”

Get wings, or get it fried, barbequed or grilled or blackened in a salad. Tuesdays Felicia McDaniel and nephew Jamari take out takeout chicken after teaching Zumba at Delta Park. Half chicken for him, quarter for her.

“Pulled pork — tri-tip — Louisiana hot link sandwiches …”

And on and on as the attentive, not gushy waitress brings it on. The windows face Louisiana. Eating is the aesthetic. Check this: no checks and no pay by swipe or blink, but an AnyTimeMoney machine lets you slot your card because it’s cash only.

“Seafood gumbo — blackened shrimp — poh-boys — hush puppies …”

The sugar bowls are the traditional fluted heavy glass with a metal top. Drink from a hefty plastic glass with Coke writ on the side.

“Lemonade — soda pop …”

Get a dessert; pack it if you can’t handle it.

“Sweet potato pie — four layer red velvet cake — peach cobbler …”

Bobby D’s is at 1635 A Street in Antioch. Call them at 925-775-4025. Or better yet, just drop by. It’s open late morning to late evening.

Julio and Connie Garcia recently opened El Porton Azul at 317 E. 18th Street in Antioch.

By Teresa A. Klein

Imagine moving to a new town not knowing a single person. It is a daunting and stressful experience for anyone. Now add in the factor of opening a restaurant – an endeavor you have always dreamt of but never reached – in a part of town that is known as “not the best.” Pretty brave.

In March 2011 that’s just what Julio and Connie Garcia accomplished. They followed their dream, took a leap of faith and opened El Porton Azul, an Italian restaurant at 317 E. 18th Street in Antioch.

“I believe dreams can come true and now we are here,” said Connie. “We moved here not knowing anyone and opened our first restaurant.”

Julio is a trained chef and does all the cooking while Connie runs the front end and shops for supplies, including fresh vegetables daily. “Sometimes I drive all the way to San Jose so we can have things fresh,” said Connie. “You can tell the difference in the taste of our dishes.”

All the meals are created when ordered and made from scratch. It is a classic Italian menu that includes pasta dishes, calzones, sandwiches, pizza and more. They also serve breakfast, opening at 8 a.m. daily. Monday-Thursday they close at 11 p.m.; Friday-Sunday they close at 1:30 a.m.

For about 15 years Julio worked in New York in Italian restaurants, then moved to California, where he met and married Connie. Now, five years later, they have reached a goal a longtime in the planning – opening a place of their own.

But Julio and Connie do want to be clear they are an Italian establishment, not Mexican. The history behind the name is that the business has been owned by Connie’s brother for a few years and was formerly a Mexican restaurant. Since they already had a license and permit they just decided to keep the name. “But we are Italian food,” Connie emphasized.

While Julio is proud of his 20 years of experience as a chef, the Garcias want their place to be more than just a stop-off to eat. “We want to help change the neighborhood with activities and fundraising,” said Julio. “We want to help give back to Antioch, such as raising money to bring back the Fourth of July fireworks.”

“We want El Porton to be a family place where people can come, especially the teenagers to keep them off the streets,” said Connie. “We want it to feel like home.”

The restaurant is decorated with photographs, paintings and other original artwork. Connie and Julio are open to people in the community bringing their artwork to the restaurant. The have set up a corner for poetry readings and karaoke on Sunday night. On Fridays there is live music and Saturdays are Salsa nights. Kids eat free on Tuesdays, and every night from 5-8 p.m. is happy hour in the bar. The Garcias are open to other events as well, so if you have a community idea let them know.

“We have a nice patio too,” said Connie. “I would like to set up free tutoring for the kids after school. We would need volunteers to do that.”

While Julio and Connie did not know anyone when they moved to Antioch just three short months ago, they already have regular customers who know their names. They have big plans to be a cornerstone in the community and making what some consider a not-so-great area of Antioch a bit better. “Antioch is beautiful,” said Connie. “Someone has to be the change, so we will.”

To contact El Porton Azul about catering, events, reservations or activity ideas, call 925-753-1715 or e-mail elportonazul@live.com.