In 1985, when Chris and Lesley Warnshuis established City Lights at 415 Virginia St. in downtown Vallejo, it was a European-style espresso bar/lunch counter. It soon evolved, by popular demand, to offering full-service lunch and dinner, private banquets, and off-site catering, all the while maintaining its reputation for progressive, seasonally-fresh, and creatively-presented dishes. Since 2008 when City Lights moved to its current location at 1515 Tennessee St., its focus has been exclusively on catering, but the owners are excited to announce the opening of a storefront café, returning to their original concept inspired by the European style of fast food, or Snack Bars as they are known in Italy. Chris, the hands-on owner/operator/executive chef ever since City Lights opened about 30 years ago, still shops almost daily for the freshest locally-grown produce, grabbing his orders from Acme Bread and the Pasta Shop along the way. On a rotating basis, he prepares many of the old favorites from among City Lights’ healthy soups, low-fat salads, and signature sandwiches, changing the menu daily to ensure variety for the “regulars.” Because he also limits the number of items in order to keep the menu fresh and interesting, sometimes the more popular items are gone fast, so if you’re craving that grilled chicken sandwich that you had last week, call or email in the morning and he’ll put one aside for you. So come by at lunchtime--currently Monday through Thursday—and grab that chicken sandwich to take back to work and maybe a tequila pasta to take home for dinner, or relax for a bit in the café over a bowl of butternut squash soup with a good friend or a good book!
