Thursday, September 1, 2011

South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk Sept. 2nd!

from Phantom Galleries 
Join us for the First Friday Art Walk & Street Mrkt this Friday, Sept. 2nd!

Two new solo exhibitions by Leslie Ann Rice and Sara Tomasello
KALEID Gallery, 88 So. Fourth St.
Rice_KSept.jpg

Circus Act sculptures by Leslie Ann Rice
A mutt-ley crew of characters explore the circus of popular culture, touching upon the freakish tendencies of human nature.

lady macbeth_SaraT.jpg
Looking through the Glass paintings by Sara Tomasello
Through her paintings, Sara Tomasello builds on themes of intimacy and the unity of opposites. Her characters are symbols for the light and dark aspects of human nature. Using a vibrant color palette and inspired by universal mythological themes, Sara portrays the emotional impact of the world she sees and experiences it in her acrylic paintings. There is a story behind each piece and it begins; Once upon time. Viewers are invited to look through the glass that Sara views the world and reflect on your own experiences of the world.



The Peculiar Pageant new paintings and installation by Lacey Bryant
Good Karma Vegan Cafe, 37 So. First Street
Theatrically posed and surrounded by lush, illusory environments, the subjects of Lacey’s newest works are like pictures in a storybook written in an unknown language. The images are somewhat familiar but certain elements remains foreign. Like a hazy dream of an imagined childhood long forgotten, the images strive to make you feel as if you just might have been there once, maybe. As is common in Lacey’s work, there is a subtle tension between beautiful and unsettling elements. This contrast creates a sense of mystery and invites the viewer to construct their own interpretation of the scenes. In the safety of a world poised between reality and imagination where common symbols mingle with strange ones, Lacey’s characters expose their fears, doubts, despairs and longings.



Folie à Deux Family Tree Monotypes and Glass Statues by Curt Schauer
Phantom Galleries, 95 So. Market St:
In this exhibit, Curt traces the origins and family history of the Folie a Deux series. From the image on the original sign in Tokyo that inspired the figurative images and the early acrylic ink monotype studies, digital drawings and oil based monotypes to the final five piece monotype series and blown glass statues that defined Curt’s work from 2008 to today. Folie a Deux explores the duality of extremes and conflict in human nature and between the art and the viewer in figurative and expressionist styles. Not satisfied with a single medium to express his vision,
Curt furthered the duality theme by recreating the series in colorful 3D blown glass with hand etched graal images. This is the first exhibit to display the family tree in life (glass) and in portrait (monotypes) and displays the use of color, light, movement and dimension in Curt’s art.

The First Friday Art Walk includes 20 participating venues and STREET MRKT will have 40 indie artists booths &3 live bands out on South First St. 7pm-11pm, FREE
Check out the full South FIRST FRIDAYS event lineup http://www.SouthFIRSTFRIDAYS.com

Veggielution's Annual Fundraiser Dinner

PRESS RELEASE
Bounty of Heart's Delight
www.bountyofheartsdelight.org

Saturday, September 10, 2011, 4 to 9:30 p.m.
Emma Prusch Park
647 South King Road
San Jose CA 95116

——Sumptuous, four-course feast features Veggielution's local produce——
A benefit to support our community programs

Veggielution's Bounty of Heart's Delight fundraiser dinner will be an evening of fine dining focused on the fresh and the local, with a menu crafted by San Jose native Chef Jess Krause. It will be a delightful evening on the farm, dining among the crops that grew our dinner, then kicking up our heels to live music at a barn dance under the stars.

Please help us get the word out that dinner tickets are on sale now at www.bountyofheartsdelight.org for $100. We hope you'll introduce your readers to our mission and programs, and give them a chance to support this truly unique gem of sustainable agriculture in the heart of Silicon Valley.

We can arrange interviews with Amie Frisch, Executive Director, and Jess Krause, the Chef who will be cooking the dinner.

About Veggielution
In the low-income communities of San Jose, families simply cannot afford the fresh, healthy vegetables that enable a healthy diet. Tight budgets lead many to fast food, where calories are abundant but nutrients are not. Veggielution changes the game by operating a community farm embedded in the neighborhoods that need it the most. Elementary school youth learn in the school gardens we are building at 2 local elementary schools, high school students learn farming and leadership in paid jobs in our Dig Crew program, parents learn cooking and nutrition our Cooking Matters classes, and volunteers from all walks of life work together to grow food at our workdays. This year so far we have grown over 10,000 lbs of food, most of which we have sold at low cost or given away. Here in the Valley of Heart's Delight, or wherever we are from, our agricultural roots run deep. We are honoring the skills and knowledge of the past by bringing them into the future as we build the world we want to live in for ourselves and our children.

Veggielution is a nonprofit community farm seeking to create a sustainable food system in San Jose. We currently farm 2.5 acres at Emma Prusch Park in East San Jose. Our volunteer workdays, youth programs, low-cost Farmstand, and free workshops give people a chance to get their hands dirty growing veggies, and learn the importance of eating healthy food and knowing where it came from.

About the Chef: Jess Krause
Jess was born into the kitchen. Her father and grandfather were both cooks, and she fell in love with the craft at an early age. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Jess loves to bring out the beauty and simplicity of food in her cooking. She has worked in Cleveland, Aspen, and locally as the Pastry Chef at Restaurant James Randall in Los Gatos.  She is currently in charge of the charcuterie program at Alexander’s Steak House in Cupertino.

Jess prides herself on using local and sustainable ingredients in her cooking, which is what drew her to working with Veggielution. “The freshest ingredients always taste best, but knowing and respecting where the food came from is that extra spark,” she says.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Nothing Bundt Cakes Contest is LIVE!

Alright guys, up for grabs is a gift card for FREE CAKE FOR A YEAR! This comes courtesy of the new Nothing Bundt Cakes in Willow Glen at 1702 Meridian Avenue. Each month for 12 months, the winner will receive a surprise ranging from a dozen Bundtinis, Bundtlets, or a traditional 8-10 inch bundt cake! This is the sweetest contest prize we've ever had (I need to stop doing that).

To participate, email the best story you have involving a cake to josh@thesanjoseblog.com!  Extra bonus if it's a bundt cake. Double extra bonus if you have a photo that goes with the story.

There is no length requirement for the story, it could be a sentence or several paragraphs. The winner will be judged on the entertainment value of the story. The contest is open ALL day today! This weekend we'll announce who the winner is and post some of the best stories. Have fun and good luck!

"Fine Print" - To participate you must be at least 18 years old, not affiliated with the San Jose blog, and have an address in the Bay Area. Gift Card is only valid in the Willow Glen location of Nothing Bundt Cakes and the cakes must be picked up in person.



Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Nothing Bundt Cakes Contest!

Tomorrow we'll be hosting our latest contest courtesy of the brand new Nothing Bundt Cakes in Willow Glen (1702 Meridian Ave)! We have had a lot of great prizes in the past, but this one takes the cake--yes, I had to say it.

The winner will receive a gift card good for FREE CAKE FOR A YEAR.

More specifically, the winner will receive a free cake each month for a 12 month period. The best part is that the prize will vary from month to month. One month it might be a traditional 8-10 inch bundt cake, the next month could be a Bundtlet, and the next might even be a dozen Bundtinis. Each month will be a different surprise!

The contest will start Wednesday at 1pm and will be open all day. The winner will be announced over the weekend. Best of luck and please visit Nothing Bundt Cakes to thank them for doing this great promotion! =)




Downtown Gems

The San Jose Downtown Association has added a new page to their website called "Downtown Gems" that highlights some of the places Downtown that you may have never heard of, but are worth checking out. Best of all, you can add your own Gems right at the bottom of the page!

Click here to access the page.


Monday, August 29, 2011

New Contest This Wednesday!

Our latest contest is happening Wednesday afternoon and has the best prize yet! More details are coming very soon. I won't say what the prize will be yet, but the photo below may provide a hint.


Zombie-O-Rama III

Downtown San Jose will once again be infested with zombies come August 31st! The 3rd annual Zombie-O-Rama will start at SLG Art Boutiki & Gallery (577 S. Market) at 6pm and will feature an outdoor screening of FIDO, live music, a zombie fashion show, face painting, and of course... a zombie crawl throughout Downtown! More details below or at the Zombie-O-Rama blog over here.

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  Zombie Walk Benefits Second Harvest Food Bank
You can run but you can't hide. Zombie-O-Rama returns to downtown San Jose as we strive to liven the streets of theDowntoan San Jose

Walk through the town then gather back for entertainment and a showing of the feature film FIDO.

A savage satire of American society (but to be honest isn't that ALL zombie movies) Timmy Robinson's best friend in the is a six-foot tall rotting zombie named Fido. But when FIDO eats the next-door neighbor, Mom and Dad hit the roof, and Timmy has to go to the ends of the earth to keep Fido a part of the family. A boy-and-his-dog movie for grown ups, "FIDO" will rip your heart out

Plus live music, Zombie Fashion Show and of course the now infamous ZOMBIE CRAWL through the streets of downtown San Jose.
And be sure to bring a canned food item as Zombie-O-Rama is also a food drive benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank.
And it's all FREE!
Keep an eye open at www.zombieorama.com for more details.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Dishcrawlin' The Fairmont San Jose

First off, I have to say hello to the readers of The San Jose Blog! My name is Jennifer and I’m a blogger/photographer/San Jose resident. I’ll be blogging about random events, shindigs, places to be.. who knows -- but here I am! Hello to all!

SO....

Last Tuesday, I attended my third Dishcrawl, this time in downtown at the Fairmont San Jose. If you don’t know what Dishcrawl is then you are missing out. During a Dishcrawl, you get a chance to sample 4-5 different dishes of food; tasting food you may have never had before -- or perhaps going to venues you only thought you’d check out someday. Oh and a fun kicker - you won’t know what you get to try until a few days before the event. Mystery meals are fun!

Around 7pm I showed up at The Fairmont and the only area I was familiar with was the lobby. I looked around and saw a lot of hungry people, most with beverages from the lobby lounge in their hand.

I see buttons! Green, blue and red buttons. Everyone is ready to crawl, ready to EAT. I’m Team Green. Team Blue was the most rambunctious. Those crazies.

It’s time to start the eating. Green Team gets to eat Sushi from the Lobby first.

Now in no way am I a proper food critic - I just know when something tastes good to me or not so much. So these are my very-uneducated opinions in food cuisine.

My first dish: Fresh Tuna and Salmon Nigiri Sushi, Spider and Unagi-Hamachi Roll. The tuna and salmon literally melted in my mouth. I’ve had sushi that is a little chewy - THIS WAS NOT. I am not a big raw fish-sushi eater. However, I LOVED this sushi.

Sushi Time!


After some delightful conversation, our group moved on to Pagoda for some Wok Fried Mango and Mint Chicken and Dungeness Crag Egg Drop Soup, Honey Walnut Prawns (NOM!), and Steamed Jasmine Rice. My fiance and I have been to Pagoda before and have had the Honey Walnut Prawns but not the other stuff. Oh so delicious!

Pagoda Goods


After Pagoda, it is time to hit up The Fountain. I honestly had no idea The Fountain was there. I only knew of Pagoda.

At the Fountain we were served House Hickory Smoked Salmon Blinis with Caviar and Creme fraiche, Heirloom Tomato Shooter, and Dungeness Crake Cake with Basil Aioli. I’m not a big fan of tomato soups or bloody marys, but with a quick taste of the shooter I noted it was pretty flavorful and had that zest kick to it. My favorite was the smoked salmon blinis with caviar and creme fraiche.

Goodies from The Fountain


Tracy Lee, the creator of Dishcrawl sat down with us and chatted a bit. Did you know that there is essentially a Dishcrawl happening somewhere (within the 23 cities listed on the website) everyday? They’re becoming more and more popular too - I hear Portland sold out of their tickets for their first event in two days flat.

After some discussion about downtown San Jose and all the wonderful little spots to try out, someone with Tracy’s team came up to her and announced that IT WAS TIME.

Time for what?

The grand finale! On to the SWEETS!

Sea of sweets


The Fairmont opened three of its suites - The Presidential, The Fairmont, and The International and put out a spread of sweets: chocolate fountain with assorted fruits and nibbles, truffles, macaroons, mango-fennel panna cotta, assorted french pastries, and assorted fruit sorbet with super cute little cones. While there was no way I could try them all, I grabbed a plate of mixed goodies and sat down to nosh away.

I simply cannot pick a favorite as everything I tried was delicious, The Fairmont San Jose’s award-winning Pastry Chef Fernando Arreola is amazing.

Next upcoming San Jose Dishcrawl is “Taste San Jose’s Night Air” on Tuesday, September 20th at 7pm for $26. As of writing this blog post there were only 5 tickets left. Get yours before they run out!


San Jose Jazz SummerFest Encore Video!

New Blog In Town

The San Jose Citizen is a new local blog focused around law enforcement and fire fighting topics. You can find it right over here.