Friday, May 6, 2011

South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk Today!

from Phantom Galleries 


The South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk is an eclectic evening of Arts & Culture in
downtown San Jose's SoFA district (and beyond!) every First Friday of the month

JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk on MAY 6th!
7pm ’til 11pm — ART WALK venues are free and open to the public


KALEID Gallery – 88 South Fourth St.
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Artist’s Reception: RENASCI by Emonic
RENASCI is the Latin word meaning rebirth or to be renewed. The body of work presented will deal with concepts and subject material based on human energy for an upcoming illustrated book called CRETUM due later next year.
On view through May 27th


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Artist’s Reception: The Strip by Katie C. Gutierrez
Intrigued with the notion of distilling a place as visually overwhelming as Las Vegas down into simplified points of bleeding light, Gutierrez encaustically collages her own photos with iconic vintage Vegas imagery to create her own brilliant yet hazy version of this place she loves to hate.
On view through May 27th


Phantom Galleries – art exhibits in vacant storefronts and alternative spaces
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66 South First St: Connections by Lacey Bryant
Bryant is interested in the disconnect between humans and nature and sets out to examine and reconcile that divide. The subjects of these paintings interact with creatures, sharing messages, fruit, freedom. The relationships they share are on equal footing. However, as with much of her work there are things left a mystery. We don’t know what message was shared or what the recipient’s reaction will be. Some of the questions left are more tenebrous-is the fruit being offered or stolen? This lingering tension encourages a dialogue, and a way to look at ourselves through a different lens.


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386 South First St: The Palette Knife Dance… paintings by Ruthy Gold
A series of paintings (acrylic on canvas using a pallet knife only) capturing the movement and flow of real life moments.


Caffé Trieste – 315 South First St.
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Opening Reception: Barbarians and Beauties by Sandi Billingsley
A series of work inspired by the conflict Billingsley has felt and witnessed in some women: the desire to be a hard competitor in the workplace and the desire to be a gentle object of desire. On view through June 25th.
First Fridays are Opera Night! at Caffé Trieste with some of the Bay Area’s best opera singers performing your favorite arias and duets.


Good Karma Vegan Café – 37 South First St.
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Opening Reception: Alviso Slough photography Josh Marcotte
A forgotten portal to the bay perched on the edge of the city, once crowded with steamboats and stagecoaches, Alviso sits eclipsed in the sun. Forgotten waterways and abandoned buildings litter a town swallowed up by San Jose annexation. “Alone, I wander the streets with a camera in my hand, in a place that is truly lost in San Jose.”


Pho69 – 321 South First St.
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On View: Janice Kirkpatrick (nee MEYER) Visionary Reflections
Kirkpatrick’s work combines strong colors with unique inner visions of universal symbolism. Her paintings and drawings often reflect dream imagery, with a lyrical musical influence. The imagery and forms she creates depict a strong sense of intuitive knowing and a deeper understanding of the magic in the natural world. She is able to transmit this to us in color, energy and form to change us on a deep inner level. Even though she had her start in Africa, she is heavily influenced by many world cultures and spirituality. She has a special affinity for the Native American culture, India, Hawaii and long gone cultures such as Atlantis and Lemuria.
Pho69 also features live contemporary music on First Fridays. Come check out local bands performing favorite covers and original music.

All this plus new exhibits at Anno Domini, MACLA, Higher Fire Clayspace, SLG Artboutiki, Downtown Yoga Shala, METRO, the Art Ark and San Jose Jazz at Eulipia.
For full listing of events and information: please visit www.SouthFirstFridays.com or call 408-271-5155


Media Sponsor: Metro Newspapers
Enjoy FREE PEDICAB RIDES between art venues courtesy of South First Fridays and Eco City Cycles!


The South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk event is produced by Two Fish Design with additional support provided by the San Jose Downtown Association, the San Jose Redevelopment Agency and 1st ACT Silicon Valley.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Cinco De Mayo Guide

SanJose.com has a handy guide about what's happening in Downtown San Jose tonight for Cinco de Mayo. To see the list, just click over here.

April Dishcrawl Recap


May 3, 2011 5:17 pm

San Jose Dishcrawl: Restaurant Row Here We Go

This is our biggest turn out yet with 150 food lovers converging in San Jose on Restaurant Row! We are so excited to see that so many neighbors near and far come together to experience the food adventure around San Fernando Street. We hit five delicious stops for this outing of Dishcrawl discovery, starting at The 88 for a wine reception and tours of the residences and sweeping views of San Jose.
The entertainment lounge at The 88 was a sweet way to start off; especially with tasty treats offered by Color Me Sweet and Li’l Puffs! There were delectable marshmallows in various flavors from Linda at Li’l Puffs. The dessert bar from Color Me Sweet included dark chocolate and strawberries & cream macaroonsas well as mini lemon bars, brownie bites, raspberry truffle fudge and cookies & cream fudge.
The night was young as we all gathered in the lobby of The 88 and split up into three different groups to begin our dining adventure. The rotations of groups started in different places but we all got to taste the same great food. We begun atOaxacan Kitchen food truck which serves authentic Mexican cuisine. Chef Ron served tamale verde and mole negro with mild and fresh flavors that make taste buds yearn for more. To top it off, a light and fluffy churro that just melts in your mouth.
 
Off to Whipps Frozen Fruit and Frozen Fruits and Desserts to see Illya for a palate cleanser! Samples of whipped frozen fruit were passed out as we were told that these creamy dreamy treats were made with no cream and no added sugar. What a refreshing and healthy delight!
 
Next we moseyed across the street to talk with the owner of Fahrenheit Restaurant and Lounge, Danny. With the menu featuring modern global cuisine, Chef Christopher gave Dishcrawlers a great sampling experience by not only letting us taste but also see demonstrations of the food. A beautiful orchid caprese salad, flavorful wild herb crusted mahi, and tasty lamb tagine really satisfied all the senses to heighten the dining experience in the lounge.
Loft Bar and Bistro was the last stop of our restaurant row journey. Manager Armando set out a buffet of pickings on the second floor patio for us to enjoy. There were many items we got to try and among the stand-outs were calamari, Chinese chicken salad, and vegetable stir-fry. The group seating and open air stirred up great conversations to end the night!
We started off with sweets and ended on a sweet note by spending the evening with new and old friends.
If you missed this Dishcrawl, don’t worry. We have our next adventure in San Jose already planned! Check it out here!
Here are some of our other upcoming Dishcrawls:
Don’t forget to check out all the photos and don’t forget to add us on Facebook andTwitter!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Wednesday Wishlist: For SJ to Host the Best Food Truck Events Ever

While it may have started out as some sort of fad, I think it's pretty clear that gourmet food trucks are here to stay. These trucks allows restauranteurs to keep their overhead low and bring their food to any location with street access. By removing many of the price and location barriers of setting up a restaurant, what you essentially get are true entrepreneurs putting out some of the most creative food experiences out there... all on wheels. Entrepreneurship and creativity is what San Jose thrives on, so what better place to host the ultimate food truck experience?

Thankfully, this is one wish that I think will happen in 2011. SJ Eats 1.0 last month was a learning experience that proved there is a market for food truck events in San Jose. This Saturday, brace yourself for SJ Eats 2.0. More trucks, more space, local music, and maybe even a sneak peak at what San Pedro Square will be like after the Urban Market opens up. Below is the list of food trucks that have been announced so far:

LUNCH (11a-3p) More to come!
Babaloo - Organic Cuban
Bill's Beer Steamed Hot Dog Cart
Cabana Dave's - Globally Inspired
Curry Up Now - Indian Street Food
Hapa SF - Organic Filipino
Iz It - Hawaiianese
Louisiana Territory - Cajun
MoBowl - Rice Bowls
MoGo BBQ - Korean Mexican
Rib Whip
Seoul on Wheels - Nontraditional Korean
Treatbot - Karaoke Ice Cream
Wow - Filipino Silogs

DINNER (5p-9p) More to come!
Curry Up Now - Indian Street Food
Kara's Cupcakes - Dessert
Little Green Cyclo - Vietnamese
Louisiana Territory - Cajun
MoGo BBQ - Korean Mexican
No Way Jose - Mexican
Senor Sisig - Filipino Fusion
Southern Sandwich - Southern BBQ
Tikka Bytes - Custom Indian
Treatbot - Karaoke Ice Cream
Quick Dog - Hot Dogs
Wow - Filipino Silogs
House of Siam
Toasty Melts

For more info, check out their Facebook page right over here