The inland Tri-Valley area is about to get a refreshing sea breeze with Alora, an upscale coastal-Mediterranean restaurant whose owners have Michelin cred.

Alora is expected to open as early as this weekend at San Ramon’s City Center Bishop Ranch. This will be the second Alora location; the original opened last year on San Francisco’s Pier 3.

The East Bay’s Alora “will offer a more casual and laid-back vibe while maintaining the signature flavors and hospitality” of the flagship, according to the group AVB Hospitality. That “AVB” stands for owners Anu and Vikram Bhambri, former techies who’ve been on a restaurant-building streak. They’re behind four locations of ROOH Progressive Indian — which the Michelin Guide recognized as one of the “Best Indian Restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area” — Pippal in Emeryville, and the Indian grill-lounges Fitoor in San Jose and Santa Monica.

The kitchen at Alora is helmed by Nicholas Peters, a Culinary Institute of America veteran who’s worked at Walnut Creek’s Lita as well as Grace at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. A chef who’s cooked in kitchens in Italy, Peters was selected for this departure from AVB Hospitality’s wheelhouse of Indian cuisine. The menu will draw from Mediterranean cultures, the group said, with small plates — think mezze — as well as housemade pasta, seafood and skewers.

On the S.F. menu are dishes such as Spanish Adobo Shrimp cooked over a Turkish charcoal grill, Smoked Rabbit Cannelloni and Pistachio-Crusted Rack of Lamb. There are wines from California and across Europe and cocktails that incorporate ingredients from the Mediterranean, like olive oil and Turkish tea.

Details >> 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road, Suite 1100, San Ramon; visitalora.com.

Upscale Eylan restaurant opens in Menlo Park

A 148-seat California-Indian restaurant has opened in Menlo Park. Eylan — which means “proclamation” in Hindi — specializes in live-fire cooking and regional Indian specialties.

Leading the restaurant are business partners Ayesha Thapar and Chef Srijith Gopinathan, the team behind Ettan in Palo Alto, Copra in San Francisco and Little Blue Door in Los Altos. The focus at this location will be its wood grill, serving up an array of fire-licked proteins alongside traditional breads from regions throughout India.

Look for small plates, such as taro root chaat with winter vegetables and cured hamachi with a roasted red pepper sauce with lime and whipped masala buttermilk. Highlighted mains include pomegranate chicken kebab and a whole sea bream grilled in a spiced scallion crust. Indian breads are also on offer, including two types of mutabar, one filled with sweet potatoes and the other with Dungeness crab.

Dessert highlights include a masala chai “sundae” featuring toasted ghee cake, whipped bourbon milk, cardamom-soaked cherries and a spiced crumble.

The libations menu includes an extensive wine list, craft cocktails and mocktails, such as Weak in the Knees, a milk punch with spiced tamarind syrup, lemon, demerara syrup and Pathfinder Amaro. Cocktails include a Bazaar Paloma, featuring mezcal, tamarind, grapefruit and warm spices.

Extra effort was put into developing the bar program’s low and no-ABV options, says bar director Christopher Longoria. “We know that guests can taste the difference when their beverage is crafted with care, and the same should be true regardless of whether they are choosing to drink alcohol.”

Details >> Open from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday beginning Jan. 15 at 500 El Camino Real, Menlo Park; eylanrestaurant.com.

Send restaurant news tips to Linda Zavoral at lzavoral@bayareanewsgroup.com, Kate Bradshaw at kbradshaw@bayareanewsgroup.com or John Metcalfe at jmetcalfe@bayareanewsgroup.com.