San Jose Murder Mystery Dinners

Last weekend, my wife and I attended "A Dance with Death," a 50's-themed interactive murder mystery dinner in Downtown San Jose. The event was a blast!

The story is told during three acts where the mystery unfolds live. There are actors but some of the guests are also turned into characters in the story. Obviously, one or more people are not going to make it through the night and your goal is to figure out who the murderer (or murderers) are. In between the acts you have time to do investigation and interact with each character to collect clues. Throughout the show you also get a three-course meal and can order drinks to help lubricate your brain.

The Murder Mystery Co. hosts a dinner every Sunday at the Old Spaghetti Factory in San Pedro Square. They have been performing in the Bay Area for the last 3+ years and have a very talented group of actors. There are different themes and stories, but it looks like the two that are alternating right now are "A Dance with Death" and "Midnight at the Masquerade." The also host a Thursday event in Redwood City at another OSF.

Fore more information and for tickets, head over here.

Photos From Morocco's Distance

As described in a previous post, Morocco's restaurant in Downtown San Jose hosted an amazing dinner theater experience called Distance earlier in December. Now that the event has ended, I can post a few photos from the performance. I'm hoping they will bring this show back (or something similar) at some point in the future!

Morocco's Dinner Theater - Raising the Bar for San Jose Dining!

I'm proud to say that I have been to almost every single restaurant in Downtown San Jose (over 90 restaurants, more if you include the ones that no longer exist). Among so many great options, my favorite downtown restaurant by far is Morocco's. The food, ambiance, and service are consistently outstanding. While these 3 criteria are usually how I judge most restaurants, Morocco's add's a 4th dimension that has to be factored in and I think for now I'm going to call it charisma. When you walk into Morocco's you don't feel like you're walking into your everyday eating establishment in San Jose. There is this magnetic charm oozing from every corner of the restaurant that goes beyond the sum of the 3 criteria I mentioned before.  Sure the food is phenomenal, the decorations are hand-selected from Morocco for authenticity, and the owners are passionate about treating you like family... but there is more. It's just difficult to describe, but the event below may shed some light on this 4th element.

Last Sunday, I had the pleasure to attend the opening night of Distance, a dinner theater experience that was put together from scratch by local artists and performers specifically for Morocco's. It was the perfect balance between a delicious 5 course meal and entertainment--basically a continuous flow of good times. There is comedy, professional dancing, and even an element of interactivity in the story (there is more than one ending, how awesome is that). The icing on the cake is that the performance is extremely intimate with only 30 or so seats in the room. This event is a perfect example of what San Jose culture should be like, providing fun in new and unique ways and exploring the talent and innovation that San Joseans have to offer. I have to say this ups the bar for fun in Downtown San Jose restaurants.

There are 6 performances left and you can book by calling Morocco's directly at (408) 998-1509 or by going to http://www.artsopolis.com/event/detail/58757.