UBER First Friday Tomorrow ! ! !

What happens when South First Fridays meets the 3rd annual SubZERO? A true San Jose enthusiast's playground! I liken it to walking into the flagship Chuck E. Cheese off Tully when you're 8 years old. If you have never been to a SubZERO-supercharged First Friday, tomorrow is your lucky day. From 6pm to midnight+ you'll have the everything that makes First Fridays awesome PLUS live performances by 6 artists, a SJ Bike Party, Dr. Sketchy Anti-Art School, Museum Proper (a 12-foot-tall monster puppet), SJ FAM, SJ Yarn Bombers, The Summer Film Initiative, The Usuals, Veggielution, Barefoot Coffee, Treatbot, etc., etc., etc. There are literally a hundred reasons to swing by SoFA tomorrow. A shocking majority of the uniquely-San Jose cultural events, artists, and vendors we've been promoting for the past year will all culminate on South First Street... Tomorrow... 6pm! More SubZERO details below:

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3rd Annual SubZERO Festival June 4, 2010

South FIRST FRIDAYS presents the 3rd Annual SubZERO Festival

Kick off summer with SubZERO, a diy, artistically bent, hi/lo-techno mashup where street meets geek. Come downtown on June 4th to San Jose’s SoFA District from 6pm ‘til midnight for an inspired evening of arts & culture. In addition to the South FIRST FRIDAYS monthly art walk you’ll find an outdor stage of entertainment plus artists, performers & musicians celebrating the indie creative spirit!

FRIDAY JUNE 4, 2010 from 6pm-midnight
SoFA district in downtown San Jose
(on South First Street between San Carlos & Reed Streets)

Be sure to follow @subzerofestival on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to keep up with the latest news as the festival approaches.

Here are some images from the 2nd Annual SubZERO Festival in 2009.

The mosaic above includes photos from: Brian Eder, Fenchurch, Cherri Lakey, and Paul Robinson. See more in the SubZERO Festival Flickr Pool. Come out this year and add a few of your own!

City Bites Walking Map

Today you have a rare lunchtime opportunity to walk around and sample delicacies from 30 different restaurants Downtown! Thankfully the SJDA put together a handy walking map to show you the most efficient way to hit up all of them =)  Click the image below to enlarge:

Final List of 2010 Dine Downtown Participants

Below is the final list of restaurants participating in the 2010 Dine Downtown event... all 32 of them! This is a great way to sample full 3-course meals at the top restaurants downtown without breaking the bank. There are MANY amazing restaurants on the list like Morocco's, Arcadia, and 71 St. Peter. One I'm going to highlight in particular this year as I did last is the Silicon Valley Capital Club. 3 reasons:

1.) You typically need to be a member to access this restaurant. Dine Downtown is the ONLY time you can get up there without being invited to a special event or knowing/being a member. Don't miss out on this once a year opportunity!
2.) The best views of any restaurant in Silicon Valley hands down. There are 2 massive balconies allowing for a 360 degree degree view of Downtown and Silicon Valley... outdoors... from the 17th floor of the Knight Ridder building. I can't think of anything comparable in the Bay Area.
3.) There is a new head chef formerly of Traverse, a Michelin star restaurant. A 3 course meal for $40 by a Michelin star chef is pretty much unheard of.

Full list of the 32 participating restaurants below.  Happy Dining!!!

Downloads:

Save the Date Reminder for City Bites Sampler Day

Download City Bites Map

2010 Dine Downtown Participants

City Bites

Chef Profiles

Our Sponsors

Volunteer

Become ourFAN

2010 Dine Downtown Participants
Click on a restaurant to see their special Dine Downtown Menu

• 19Market Restaurant - 19 N. Market St.; 280-6111
• 71 Saint Peter Mediterranean Grill - 71 N. San Pedro St.; 971-8523
• Affinity - in the Downtown Hilton, 300 Almaden Blvd.; 287-2100
• Agenda Restaurant - 399 S. First St.; 287-3991
• Arcadia Modern American Steakhouse - in the San Jose Marriott, 100 W. San Carlos St.; 278-4555
• Azucar - 71 E. San Fernando St.; 293-8482
• Bella Mia Restaurant & Bar - 58 S. First St.; 280-1993
• Billy Berk's - 99 S. First St.; 292-4300
• Britannia Arms Downtown - 173 W. Santa Clara St.; 278-1400
• E&O Trading Company - 96 S. First St.; 938-4100
• Emile's - 545 S. Second St.; 289-1960
• Eulipia Restaurant & Bar - 374 S. First St.; 280-6161
  
• Fahrenheit Restaurant & Lounge - 99 E. San Fernando St.; 998-9998
• The Grill on the Alley - in the Fairmont Hotel, 172 S. Market St.; 294-2244
  
• Gumbo Jumbo Cajun Fusion - 80 N. Market St.; 294-8626
• Habana Cuba Restaurant - 238 Race St.; 998-2822
  
• Hanuman Thai Cuisine - 1 E. San Fernando St; 286-2482
  
• Hawgs Seafood Bar - 150 S. Second Street; 287-9955
  
• Il Fornaio - in the Sainte Claire Hotel, 302 S. Market St.; 271-3366
  
• La Pastaia Ristorante & Enoteca - in the Hotel De Anza; 233 W. Santa Clara St.; 286-8686
• Loft Bar and Bistro - 90 S. 2nd St.; 291-0677
• Mezcal Restaurant - 25 W. San Fernando St.; 283-9595
• Morocco's Restaurant - 86 N. Market St.; 998-1509
• Morton's The Steakhouse - 177 Park Ave.; 947-7000
• Mosaic Restaurant & Lounge - in the Four Points by Sheraton, 211 S. First St.; 282-8888
• Motif Restaurant and Club - 389 S. First St.; 279-1888
  
• P.F. Chang's China Bistro - 98 S. Second St.; 961-5250
  
• Pagoda Restaurant - in the Fairmont San Jose, 170 S. Market St.; 998-1900
• Paolo’s Restaurant - 333 W. San Carlos St. # 150; 294-2558
• San Pedro Square Bistro & Wine Bar - 20 N. Almaden Ave.; 298-9463
• Silicon Valley Capital Club - 50 W. San Fernando St. #1700; 971-9300
  
• Sonoma Chicken - 31 N. Market St.; 287-4098

Tons of Downtown Events Kicking Off Soon!

It's time for another round of summer events in Downtown San Jose, and this year's lineup is as strong as ever! Even the sluggish economy and late-blooming summer weather isn't enough to slow us down. With high-rise condos starting to fill up and the word getting out that Downtown is a safe, dynamic, and exciting place to be, I wouldn't be surprised if attendance records are broken this year. Here is some info straight from the SJDA on what to look forward to over the next couple weeks:

• Dine Downtown June 2 - 12, with the wonderful "City Bites" sampler kickoff, June 2 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
• Music in the Park June 3, with Cold War Kids kicking off the series
• Downtown Doors reception, June 4, 5 p.m.
• SubZero, June 4 - special 'First Fridays' - the SJDA is working on this in conjunction with their friends at Anno Domini and the SoFA committee
• Starlight Cinemas, June 9 - First movie will be "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in San Pedro Square; series will move throughout downtown Wednesdays through the summer
• The Farmers' Market on San Pedro Square will continue as well!

Tomorrow I'll have the final list of restaurants participating in the Dine Downtown event kicking off on Wednesday. I know at least one new one has been added to the list since the last time I posted!

Still the #1 Tourist Attraction in San Jose

"A taste of Vegas in Silicon Valley?"

DLO from SJ21 found a great article in the Merc about a major casino development where Garden City would move to a new location less than a mile away from Bay 101. However, the new building would be much more than a casino (or card-club technically). It would be a $100m+ project featuring a 600-room upscale hotel, a theater for live acts, and several restaurants including one tied to a celebrity chef crowning a 15-story glass tower. Definitely an interesting read. Click here for the full article!

Last Chance to Get a Little Italy San Jose Brick!

Want to preserver your family legacy and contribute to one of the most exciting projects in San Jose right now? There is only one week left where you can purchase a Little Italy brick engraved with your information or a message of your choosing. The bricks will be placed in Piazza Piccola Italia, which is the centerpiece of the Little Italy project. Picture a beautiful courtyard trellis featuring olive trees, lemon trees, and a fountain all surrounded by historic Victorian homes. This is the place where musicians, singers, and wine tastings occur according to the Little Italy website.

$100 really is a very reasonable amount to pay for something like this, especially considering where the bricks are going to be located. That amount is also tax deductible, so really you're looking at a net $50-70 cost... that's pretty much what you'll pay for a single dinner for two. To order your brick, click here!

Sante Grill!

I finally got to chance to try out Downtown's newest restaurant (twice actually). Located between Starbucks and what will soon be an expanded La Vic's, Sante Grill fills an important retail gap on Santa Clara Street at the entrance of San Pedro Square.

Sante Grill is a quick food concept focused on healthy eats. There's no fryer in the back as even the French fries are air baked. The first thing I noticed when walking in was a nutritional guide on the wall listing the calorie/fat/sodium content of the entire menu. Many of the numbers were shockingly low. In fact they have an entire set of complete meals under 360 calories. Even more shocking was that the food actually tastes good despite being in the "healthy" category. The wraps and salads we tried were delicious, as were the sides of fries, mashed yams, and crispy string beans (tastes like tempura, but they're baked and something like 130 calories). Next time I think I'll try the portabella sliders.

The icing on the (lowfat) cake is that they are open until midnight on Fri and Sat. While this is their first and only location, there is also a rumor that they are planning to open a second store in Palo Alto. Will this continue the legacy of Downtown San Jose launching new chains? (Togo's, Sonoma Chicken, Iguana's, and I'm sure there are more).