Casual One South Market Groundbreaking Party for The San Jose Blog Readers!

I promised that when the next Downtown High-Rise broke ground, I would have a little celebration for our readers and buy a round of beers. That is exactly what is happening this Saturday, June 1st at the Market Beer Co. (in the San Pedro Square Market) at 3 PM. 

Originally, I was going to get a keg, but I think I have a much better idea... craft beer tasting! I'm going to buy at least 10 bomber bottles of a wide variety of phenomenal craft beers (IPAs, Porters, Lambics, etc). All you need to do is grab a glass and sample as many as you'd like. Just look for the bench or table covered in bottles. Hope to see you guys there!

EXCLUSIVE: San Pedro Square Market Confirmed Tenants!

I'll start off by saying that I think The San Pedro Square Market is the most exciting project underway in Downtown San Jose right now. If you happened to be at SJ Eats 2.0 over the weekend, you got a sneak preview of what San Pedro Square will be like after the Market is open--especially if you were eating some Treatbot ice cream next to the Peralta adobe (they will be one of the permanent tenants).

What I have for you today is a list of signed leases that will be moving into the Urban Market this year. Some names I can't share yet, but I can at least tell you what they will be selling. So far we have:

• Naples-Style Wood Fired Pizza
• A Wine Bar also featuring Cheese, Charcuterie & Panini
• A Full Service Bar in the El Dorado Building
• Vietnamese Sandwiches and Spring Rolls
• San Pedro Square Newsstand & Gift Shop
• Treatbot Karaoke Ice Cream
• The Usuals, San Jose's own Clothing Shop
• Veggiebox
• La Fina Cocina, Latin Kitchen Products
• Glo, Handmade Jewelry
• Crewners, Classic Single Chair Barbershop 

There are also a number of leases that are in process right now, and I'll provide juicy details as soon as I get a green light! More news (and interviews) to come later this month.

EXCLUSIVE: The Mmoon Mission Statement & Photos

If you didn't catch it yet, please take a look at yesterday's post regarding the latest restaurant prepping for launch in Downtown San Jose, The Mmoon Empanadas. Below is their official mission statement as well as photos of their food (the open empanada is a vegetarian version) and Michael Mendez, the proprietor behind The Mmoon.

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The Mmoon Mission

We believe that empanadas made at The Mmoon are out of this world. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand it's simple quality that makes each empanada special.

Our mission at The Mmoon is to prove to the community that quick service and quality food are not mutually exclusive. Our food is fresh. We are passionate about how the food we source is produced and how far it is shipped before it lands at The Mmoon. Close partnerships with our suppliers allow us to ensure that their standards and values are consistent with ours.

Our menu is simple and we designed it that way so we can focus on providing quality over quantity. Our menu consists of nine kinds of baked-to-order empanadas, two salads, house-made dressings and sauces; and a selection of beverages.

The Mmoon provides a dining environment equal to the quality of its food. When customers walk through the door, they are greeted by staff who are proud to welcome them into a space that is sparkling clean, visually cool and eclectic; and filled with good music.

Conservation awareness is an integral part of our company and is reflected in many of aspects of The Mmoon's practices. We source food locally wherever possible, the major component of the art on our walls is recycled, we use green building materials when we can and our daily operations are focused on saving energy.

At the Mmoon, we value integrity, honesty, and creativity. And we respect our relationships with each other, our customers, and the planet at large.

Welcome to The Mmoon.

EXCLUSIVE: San Jose Going to The Mmoon

The San Jose Blog has an exclusive scoop on the next major restaurant to grace Downtown San Jose! Situated on the highly-trafficked corner of Santa Clara St. and Almaden--below the Irish Innovation Center and next to The Brit--The Mmoon is gearing up to blow your mind with delicious empanadas. For those of you who have never had empanadas before, they are essentially stuffed bread or pastry turnovers similar to Calzones or Samosas.

The Mmoon will have 9 different types of empanadas, such as Tri-tip, chicken sun-dried tomato, sausage, and even a banana apple dessert creation. The empanadas themselves will be made from scratch on-site using fresh local ingredients and baked to order. Despite the effort involved to make each empanada, The Mmoon will still be in the quick-service category thanks to a high-powered oven, and what makes it even more appealing is that it will be affordable--around $9 for a complete meal (unless you can put down a half dozen empanadas like me).

Argentinian-born proprietor and chef Michael Mendez could have located his unique restaurant anywhere he wanted, and he choose Downtown San Jose for his first and flagship location. That already makes this a special restaurant for me without tasting a single empanada.  However, what really pulls on my heartstrings is his plans to make a restaurant befitting of Silicon Valley's Capital. The ambiance will be eclectic with video projections making you feel like you're on the moon, "recycled" art on the walls, great music, an amazing outdoor patio with seating for 90 and built-in heat lamps, free WiFi, an interactive art program featuring local artists, utilization of social media, and a lot of interesting ideas using Twitter that I probably can't mention yet. Sure, it would have been substantially less expensive to create a generic environment like a Quizno's or Togo's (ironic example), but Michael is doing what entrepreneurs do best and that's shoot for the moon.

Tomorrow I'll give you the official press release along with photos! I'll also disburse additional information as The Mmoon gets closer to launch time (June/July).