Zanotto's Downgrading to Deli

So the bad news is that the 15,000 sqft Zanotto's grocery store downtown is shutting down. I'm sure few people are surprised as The Market is just down the street. The good news is that they are planning to open a 2,000 sqft deli at 80 S. First Street, which is the old La Nostra Pizza space. I'm sad to see the grocer go but am glad that they will still keep a presence downtown. For more info, click here.

Think Bigger San Jose!

I have some great news! Yesterday a new blog was launched to help promote our city called Think Bigger San Jose. The focus is on new ideas that will help improve San Jose with a historical context. An added bonus, the proprietor is a long time reader of this blog (Mark). Best of luck and thank you for joining the San Jose blogging community!

Here is a direct link to Think Bigger San Jose, and I've also added a handy link to the right in the San Jose Blogs section.

San Jose Greek Festival June 3-5th!

The San Jose Greek Festival is just over a week away! I must admit that I have never attended this one, but the letter from Georgia below sold me on this event. I'm definitely putting this on my calendar and am hoping to get some good pics to share.

Oh, and you can print out the image below for free admission!



Hello Josh!

I hope this email finds you well! I wanted to submit news for the San Jose Greek Festival coming up the first weekend of June, on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of the month. Hopefully if you've been you know what it's like. There's always fresh food at the stands outside, especially the sweets/desserts, but the real and more authentic Greek specialties are found in the community center near the dancing area. People who are first time visitors never seem to remember to go in there since at first glance it seems like it's just an indoor dining area, but is has such great food in there too (a good spot to avoid the sun, or as of late, the rain!). Gyros are considered Greek fast food which were popularized in the late-middle part of the 20th century when there was a tourism boom. The souvlaki, sausages, salads, tzaziki sauce, and roast lamb (both at the main food line/stand and the Evvia booth) are more like every day eatings when you go out, but the dining hall is like Greek comfort food, what your mom makes/the stuff you grew up on.

One of my favorite things to do at the festival is to get some fries, and loukaniko (Greek sausage) or the souvlaki that has been bbq'd, drizzled in olive oil, oregano and lemon juice and sip on a glass of Retsina, a specialty wine from Greece. It's an acquired taste since it's made in pine barrels (the wine absorbs some of the flavors to give it a unmistakably unique taste), but best and usually only enjoyed ice cold under the hot sun.

The inner courtyard has umbrealla tables and a coffee shop set up as well where people can get a frappe, a modern coffee drink that everyone drinks in Greece. And I mean EVERYONE. It's truly something I miss from Greece: sitting outside a cafe with my parea (my group of friends) while sipping my frappe as long as I want and people watching.

A lot of people say it's hard to enjoy the festival if you are young, that it's for an older set of people or people who are more laid back, but the food is fantastic, the people are so welcoming, and with the right friends and attitude it's a great way to start off the summer in San Jose.

I've uploaded a flyer here which can be printed and used for free admission: http://i54.tinypic.com/140lj6.jpg It's usually $3 for students, $5 for adults. There's plenty of free parking and free shuttle service that drops off right at the entrance.

I'd advise that pets aren't allowed, however!

Best regards,
Georgia

Sharks Lose Game 5 and Series in Second OT

All Sharks fans alike watched in disbelief. While many in San Jose had likely been gearing up for Game 6, either looking on Craigslist to find the first available tickets for sale or looking contently at their already obtained stubs, the Vancouver Canucks tied the game with only ten seconds left in the third period to send the game into overtime. (This, of course, being made possible by a controversial icing call that tipped off of a Canucks player and should have been waved off.)

The Sharks, then with a perfect 5-0 overtime record in the 2010-2011 playoff season, looked to have the edge, even as the overtime period began as the Sharks dominated with puck control and putting massive pressure on the Canucks’ defensive line, especially their goaltender Roberto Luongo.

Unfortunately, even with the Sharks’ offensive effort, a weird bounce during the second overtime gave the Canucks’ defenseman Kevin Bieksa a grand opportunity to take a slapshot from the point, which he did – the shot careening past a stunned Antti Niemi for the game and series win, pushing his team to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they are to face either the Boston Bruins or the Tampa Bay Lightning from the Eastern Conference.

Even though the result was unsatisfactory, the Sharks arguably played a very strong series against a very hot team. In an unusual series of events, the Sharks entered the series as the underdogs, having been seeded lower than the Canucks in the regular season. While I can point out the Sharks’ difficulties of getting players well positioned to get quality shots on net and positioning the defense to watch for open members of the opposing team in the defensive zone, the Sharks undoubtedly worked extremely hard in their forechecking, puck possession, and takeaways (most of the time while applying a physical style of play).

I want to congratulate the Sharks for a wonderful season, and hopefully they may regroup, train hard, and give us fans a heck of a 2011-2012 season, and hopefully a successful post season push.

As for now, we fans must continue our hardened and enthusiastic support for our great local team: the San Jose Sharks!

Onward to next season. Get some rest, boys. You will need it!

GO SHARKS!

Dishcrawl - S'Mores Tea Party with Satori and Li'l Puffs - Jun 5th

Dishcrawl is starting to bring some slightly different events to Downtown San Jose than the usual 4-5 meal food-fest. They're bringing together Satori--probably the best tea shop in Silicon Valley--and the marshmallow artisans over at Li'l Puffs to create a S'Mores and Tea event on June 5th. I'm sure this will sell out, so if you are interested it would be good to buy tickets sooner rather than later! The ticket link is right over here.

************

Imagine a fantasy land where artisan marshmallow meets hand blended teas.  Celebrate the coming of summer with a S’mores Tea Party!

Satori Tea Company, a personalized and artsy tea bar and Li'l Puffs, gourmet artisan marshmallows, team up for an experience in the heart of Downtown San Jose.

Satori Tea and Li’l Puffs will dazzle you with an array of deliciousness to "create your own" s’mores. Among the treats will be Li’l Puffs gourmet vanilla and fruit flavored marshmallows, premium chocolates, and Satori tea blends to accompany your s’more creations.

S’mores and tea lovers can expect a fun, engaging evening creating and savoring their own creations with enthusiasts. This event is family friendly, and open to all ages. To reserve your seats, please register quickly before the event sells out.

For those of you lucky to get in, see you soon for an evening of fun!


**TO NOTE***

We're sorry, but cancellations are only taken if done 48H in advance. Thanks for understanding!

Visit dishcrawl.com for more info or email hi@dishcrawl.com with questions.

About Li’l Puffs

Li’l Puffs is a San Jose local food company offering the highest quality, all natural, and great tasting artisan marshmallows in a variety of fruit flavors and chocolate. Li’l Puffs marshmallows are made in small batches and without any flavor enhancers, coloring, or preservatives to bring you the freshest and purest products possible.

About Satori  Tea Company
Satori Tea Company offers the world's most popular drink without the fuss or pageantry , serving inspired teas blended and brewed by the discriminating palate of a world-traveled tea mistress. The Satori Tea Company specializes in bringing organic, fair trade loose leaf tea to tea drinkers and enthusiasts. Our teas are always fresh and packed with flavor.

KGB Deals: San Jose

Today I ran across a deal for one of the retail stores downtown, Bronze Beachwear & Tanning. To check out the deal click here. I didn't even realize there was a place that sold swimwear downtown.

2011 San Jose Jazz Festival!

Our good friends over at WMS Media have provided us with a little preview of the San Jose Jazz Festival, which is happening from August 12-14. This is one of the largest Jazz festivals on the west coast and is definitely worth checking out!

San Jose Has the Best Wages on the West!

You can get all of the details from this San Jose Business Journal article, but I'm going to ruin the suspense and post the best part:

"The following are the 10 Western metros with the highest annual average pay for all occupations:

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif., $66,780
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif., $61,940
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, Calif., $54,590
Boulder, Colo., $53,640
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash., $53,240
Anchorage, Alaska, $49,730
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif., $49,010
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif., $48,940
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif., $48,860
Denver-Aurora, Colo., $48,560"

Fresco World Market is Coming to Eastridge

Eastridge mall is getting a new anchor tenant in September! Fresco World Market will feature 34,000 sqft of fresh produce, seafood, and a deli. It's even going to have aquarium tanks with live fish and shellfish. However, what really excites me about this tenant is how eclectic the selection is going to be. There will be imported brands from South America, Mexico, India, and all over Asia. It's a market well catered to the South Bay, one of, if not the most diverse place on the planet.

For more details, just head over to the San Jose Business Journal.

Saturday Stats: Largest Public Companies in San Jose

Earlier this month the San Jose Business Journal published a list of the largest public companies in Silicon Valley based on revenue. I've pulled out the ones from San Jose along with their rank and latest fiscal year revenues:

• Cisco Systems (#4) - $40.04 billion
• eBay (#8) - $9.6 billion
• Sanmina-SCI Corp (#13) - $6.32 billion
• Adobe (#21) - $3.8 billion
• SunPower (#29) - $2.22 billion
• Brocade Communications (#32) - $2.09 billion
• Altera (#34) - $1.95 billion
• Xilinx (#35) - $1.83 billion
• Atmel (#38) - $1.64 billion
• Fairchild Semiconductor (#39) - $1.60 billion
• Novellus Systems (#44) - $135 billion
• Verifone (#50) - $1 billion
• Cadence (#51) - $935.95 million
• Atheros (#52) - $926.83 million
• Netgear (#53) - $902.05 million
• Cypress Semiconductor (#54) - $877.53 million
• Super Micro Computer (#57) - $721.44 million
• Quantum (#58) - $681.43 million
• Integrated Device Technology (#69) - $535.91 million
• California Water Services (#74) - $460.40 million
• Harmonic (#75) - $423.34 million
• Oclaro (#80) - $392.55 million
• Tessera (#91) - $301.39 million
• Micrel (#92) - $297.37 million
• Integrated Silicon Solution (#95) - $252.46 million
• DSP Group (#98) - $225.48 million

You can also find a filterable version of this data right over here. Of the 100 companies in Silicon Valley (including Santa Cruz County, San Mateo County, and parts of Alameda County), 26% of the companies were based in San Jose. The total revenue from just the San Jose companies exceeded $81 billion!