Good news for brisket-loving Lamorindans and East-of-the-Caldecott foodies: Matt Horn just opened his new Horn Barbecue in Lafayette.

Horn has taken over the Mt. Diablo Boulevard digs formerly occupied by the much-loved Bo’s Barbecue (and later, Boneheads and All the Smoke). It’s a location with ‘cue in its DNA.

It has been a long, wild journey for Horn, who opened his original location in West Oakland in 2020 and soon rose to national acclaim with even the Michelin Guide calling him a “local sensation.” The original eatery was destroyed by a 2023 fire still under investigation. He relaunched Horn Barbecue in Oakland last April in his former Matty’s Old Fashioned location. (And spent the better part of the year embroiled in legal trouble that includes allegations of unpaid wages and two lawsuits.)

The new restaurant will bring Horn’s signature “West Coast barbecue” to Lafayette’s buzzy downtown for the first time, offering up brisket, beef and pork ribs, smoked turkey, wings and Horn-style Burnt Ends and the full lineup of sides, from mac and cheese to collard greens, cornbread and slaw.

Details >> Open from noon to 9:30 p.m. (or until they sell out) Wednesday through Sunday at 3422 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette; hornbarbecue.com.

Starbird alights in Cupertino

Locally based Starbird, the chicken restaurant group, has opened its fourth new Bay Area location in a year — and first ever in Cupertino — just before the holidays.

Starbird’s concept was developed by the innovators at Culinary Edge, who started experimenting with chicken after deciding there were too many burger players in the marketplace. The result was a fresh, antibiotic-free bird that’s marinated in a signature brine before being fried in rice bran oil. The brand made its debut in 2014 in Sunnyvale.

The signature Starbird 2.0 sandwich is topped with rainbow slaw and avocado. Other sandwiches include the new seasonal Cali Gold BBQ, with bacon and barbecue sauce; the Seoul Star, with a Korean sauce, sweet soy glaze and veggies; and the Nashville HotBird, with a Greek yogurt ranch dressing and dill pickles.

The full lineup features half a dozen salads — including an Elote Chop Salad, Miso Caesar, Green Goddess Cobb — plus chicken tenders, nuggets and wings, all served with housemade sauces and dressings.

Besides Cupertino, Starbird opened locations in Pleasanton, Palo Alto and South San Francisco in 2024, and plans to add more locations in NorCal and SoCal in 2025.

Details >> Open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, until 9 p.m. Sunday. 20080 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 100, Cupertino; www.starbirdchicken.com

Book Society is a good place to read while enjoying some wine

For those who enjoy the feeling of a book in one hand and a glass of merlot in the other, a bookstore-cum-wine lounge just landed in Berkeley.

Book Society opened last month in the tony Elmwood district, adding to the block’s already-rich stock of books (Mrs. Dalloway’s) and wine (Vintage Berkeley). The Art Deco-style lounge serves wine by the glass, on tap and in tastings and features a curated selection of books for sale, which customers can peruse while enjoying their vino. And the lounge offers a menu of savory “nibbles” to enjoy while sitting on comfy furniture or at a diminutive bar in the back. (Warning to work squatters: A sign states it’s a “Laptop Free Zone.”)

Book Society has a sort-of (ahem) novel thing where it pairs featured books with featured wines. “This isn’t just about books or wine — it’s about the stories they tell together,” the society writes on Instagram. “We pair eight handpicked books with wines that complement their stories, making wine tasting fun, approachable and a total conversation starter. This changes every month, so there’s always something new to discover.”

Though new, the lounge already has a lineup of special events planned, including hosted book clubs, author talks and literature-inspired yoga, mimosas and meditation.

Book Society’s founder is Laura Guzman, who has a background in marketing and communications and who conceived of the lounge during the social isolation of the pandemic.

“I had a real desire to create a new kind of community space — a nurturing, comfortable environment where people could connect and rediscover the magic of learning something new,” Guzman says.

Details >> Open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, until 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday at 2945 College Ave., Berkeley; booksociety.social/.

Willow Glen’s groundbreaking Cider Junction shuts doors

Last month, owners Claudia Derp and Tracy Smith closed their Cider Junction taproom, Silicon Valley’s first and only restaurant devoted to hard cider. Both certified cider professionals, Smith and Derp had tasted ciders around the world but decided to showcase the efforts of others instead of making their own. Their selection ran the gamut from traditional craft ciders to experimental brew, complemented with a menu of small bites and often live music.

“We’ve had a good run — seven years,” Derp says. “And we’ve made some good friends. We still want to preach the gospel of cider.” To that end, the owners and their loyal customers will gather in the future on social media and perhaps for some meet-ups.

Send restaurant tips to lzavoral@bayareanewsgroup.com, jmetcalfe@bayareanewsgroup.com, jmastrodonato@bayareanewsgroup.com or kbradshaw@bayareanewsgroup.com.