Fitz and the Tantrums coming to The Blank Club on 11/13!

A slick, retro 60s soul band is coming to San Jose this Saturday. Check out a little preview below with their music video for "MoneyGrabber." If you scroll down even further, you can listen to any of the songs on their album to help you make an educated Saturday night partying decision! For tickets, just click right over here.

FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS
11/13 - San Jose, CA @ The Blank Club (44 S Almaden Ave) - 9pm

New Rubio's Now Open in West San Jose + CONTEST

Late last week Rubio's launched a new location near Westgate Mall with a charity event benefiting San Jose non-profits. The doors are now open to all, and they are using this particular location to test a more upscale design direction. I paid them a visit yesterday, and it definitely looks nicer than the other Rubio's I've been in. The menu is displayed across 4 ultra-high quality LCDs... I didn't realize they were screens until the photos changed. The service was quick and friendly despite the crowd and the quality was spot on. Usually it takes a few weeks to get everything rolling smoothly with new restaurants, but it seems like this location is already running at full steam.

CONTEST: Now for the fun stuff! To help promote this new location, on Tuesday, Nov 9th at noon they will be giving away $10 gift certificates through The San Jose Blog's Twitter Page. There will be TEN (10) winners!! This will likely be the easiest contest in the world. Just follow us on twitter and when you see the Rubio's post at noon, just "retweet" the post. The first 10 people to retweet will win a gift certificate! 

Carlsbad, CA – October 26, 2010 – Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill will open its fifth location in the San Jose area on Thursday, November 4th, at 1010 El Paseo de Saratoga, San Jose. The San Diego-based chain is introducing a new, more upscale design at its San Jose restaurant, featuring a rich sensory experience of aromas, exhibition cooking, music and decorative patterns that compliment the complex flavors of Rubio’s food.

To celebrate the grand opening, Rubio’s will host a fundraising event on Wednesday, November 3^rd from 5:00-8:00 p.m., to benefit Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley. The San Jose based non-profits’ mission is to bring communities and volunteers together to rehabilitate the homes of low income homeowners, particularly the elderly and disabled, so that they may live in warmth, safety and independence. For a donation of $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under, the public can enjoy delicious Beach Mex^® cuisine, and Rubio’s will donate 100 percent of the proceeds to the local charity.

At 10 a.m. Thursday, November 4^th, the restaurant’s doors will open to Rubio’s fans who crave the flavor of Baja-inspired food in the relaxed yet festive atmosphere of coastal Mexico. Headlining the menu will be Rubio’s World Famous Fish Tacos^®, Grilled Gourmet Tacos^SM, the Big Burrito Especial^SM with chargrilled chicken or steak, freshly-made salads and Rubio’s proprietary HealthMex^® line of tacos and burritos, which are under 700 calories, less than 30% of which come from fat.

“When I opened my first restaurant in San Diego 27 years ago, people traveled from miles away to savor one of our World Famous Fish Tacos,” said co-founder Ralph Rubio. “Since then, our reputation for distinct flavors and unique products has quickly spread, and our following of loyal fans continues to grow.”

Guests can easily find the new Rubio’s in San Jose near the crossing of Saratoga Ave and Campbell Blvd. The popular San Diego chain is introducing a new restaurant design in San Jose that includes eco-friendly features such as countertops and panels made of a recycled material called marmoleum, an open kitchen, and LED lighting that uses less energy.  Rubio’s is also introducing digital menu boards to better showcase the food and provide more flexibility to accommodate seasonal offerings. A new floor design allows guests to intuitively move from the front door to the ordering area, to the salsa bar, and eventually into the dining room where a relaxed, beach and water-centric atmosphere of the Baja coast awaits.

“We’re excited to introduce this new restaurant design to San Jose,” said Rubio. “We’re anxious to see how the community responds to our latest effort to bring together the unforgettable flavors, sights and sounds of the Baja coast for a quick but relaxed dining experience.”

SJSU Selected to Participate in Chevy Campus Promotions Program

Students Get Hands-On Experience in Real World Marketing

SAN JOSE, CA -- San Jose State University is one of 23 universities throughout the country participating in the Chevrolet Campus Promotions Program. Students in Dwight Bentel & Hall Communications (MCOM 199) have created an in-class working communications agency, responsible for researching, implementing, and evaluating an integrated marketing campaign aimed at increasing awareness for Camaro, Equinox, Malibu and the all-new 2011 Cruze within the Generation Y target market (individuals between the ages of 18 and 24) target market. All 23 campuses will be competing for performance awards at key milestones during the term.

This fall, Dwight Bentel & Hall students at SJSU have a rare opportunity to put their education to work in the real world with a global company. Students will create a fully functioning agency responsible for researching, implementing and evaluating an integrated marketing campaign (IMC) for their client, Chevrolet. Students will use questionnaires and conduct research on campus to find out more about the target market. After they have analyzed their research findings, they will create and implement their strategy they design to best reach the target market while achieving the client’s goals. The agency receives a $3,000 budget to execute the campaign they create.

At the end of the term, students will conduct post-campaign research to measure their success and give a formal presentation to the client summarizing their campaign and results.

“Wow! This opportunity is real world experience; this is a real, cool brand, which everyone knows. This is the kind of learning experience that we need to prepare us for a job after graduation,” said Laura Ringer, head of the Campaign Strategy and Implementation Department.

Chevrolet believes in building vehicles that anyone would be proud to own. Camaro, Equinox, Malibu and Cruze are no exception and are all vehicles within reach for college students. No other auto manufacturer offers more models with 30 miles per gallon highway or better. Vehicle quality is backed with the best coverage in America, including a 100,000 mile/5-year transferable Powertrain Limited Warranty plus Roadside Assistance and Courtesy Transportation programs. Chevrolet has also received more Consumers Digest “Best Buy” awards for 2009 models than any other brand. Chevrolet is part of GM’s family of brands, including Buick, GMC and Cadillac. Find out more at www.chevrolet.com.

This opportunity is brought to the SJSU campus by EdVenture Partners, who acts as a liaison between Chevrolet and the participating campuses. EdVenture Partners is an organization dedicated to developing innovative industry-education partnership programs. The objective of such programs is to provide “hands-on” real world experience to students in tandem with providing marketing solutions and recruiting access at colleges and universities to clients. EdVenture Partners has designed and managed programs at over 650 campuses in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Morocco. Find out more at www.edventurepartners.com.

Watch for more information about the Chevrolet Campus Promotions program at SJSU throughout this fall term. For further inquires regarding the SJSU project, please contact Juan Luna at (310) 908-9785.

A Taste of Paris is Coming Soon to Downtown San Jose

A retail space that has been vacant for two years is finally getting a new lease on life. A French sandwich shop called "A Taste of Paris" is moving into what used to be Beard Papa's, just in time for Christmas in the Park. I was in the area yesterday morning and there was some nice activity around the space, mostly thanks to Philz Coffee. It'll be nice to have another unique, non-chain eatery downtown!

In other retail news, it looks like The clubHOUSE next to The Rep is just about ready to open. The interior is 99% complete and they are already doing soft openings. If the food is up to par with the interior, this could easily be downtown's next hot spot. I got a sneak peak yesterday, and sports fans are going to love this place. I'll have more info after the official opening.

Baseball San Jose: We're going to be wondering why we didn't do this decades ago

South First Friday Tonight!

It's that time again, and as an added bonus there is a new participant in the mix tonight... Psycho Donuts! Their donuts alone are works of art, so this seems like a fitting addition. If you haven't been to Psycho Donuts yet, today is going to be a great night to go. It's worth the trip to even LOOK at these bastardizations of one of America's favorite treats. Last time I was there, I had a cheeseburger donut. If you didn't think bacon could be used as a donut ingredient... think again.

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This month's art walk has a plethora of new exhibitions for the brisk autumn evening of eclectic arts and culture!


If you're downtown early - from 3-5pm - stop by 28 North First for Al Preciado's closing reception of Penetencia Creek State Park Series a homage to family and dear friends of Al's that have passed away over the last two years. The lobby will be open for light refreshments.


Joe Barajas

Josh Marcotte
Joe Barajas and Josh Marcotte both open solo exhibitions at KALEID Gallery. Joe's new paintings explore the artists' creative process while Josh's photographs of Lost San Jose is the result of it.


Michael Foley
Pop your head into our newest participating venue Psycho Donuts and catch Creatures, Donuts and Such!- a fun group show by local artists. Located within the Camera 3 Cinemas at So. 2nd & San Carlos streets.


Jeanette Turkus

James Dewrance

Shoebox Productions
New Phantom Galleries coordinated exhibitions at Caffee Trieste by Jeanette Turkus, Driveby Photography by James Dewrance at Good Karma Cafe and new installations by Shoebox Productions brothers Sean and Steven Sczepanik at 386 So. 1st Street. Steven will be out there painting live throughout the night.

Visit http://www.SouthFirstFridays.com for full event listings including new exhibitions opening at Anno Domini, MACLA, SLG Art Boutiki, Higher Fire Clay Studios, Downtown Yoga Shala, METRO, Art Ark and more!

Ballet San Jose - A Creative Force (Part 3 of 5)

Part 3 of Ballet San Jose's documentary introduces us to Dennis Nahat, the Artistic Director of Ballet San Jose and a veritable genius when it comes to music. Just click the link below to watch the video!

Part 3: http://blip.tv/file/4332357

Older Parts

Part 1: http://blip.tv/file/4262451 

Part 2: http://blip.tv/file/4303425

2010 Silicon Valley Restaurant Week Kickoff!

Yesterday the Metro hosted a Restaurant Week kickoff party over at the Capital Club, one of the venues participating in the 3-course prix fixe foodfest. If you haven't been there before, I would highly recommend making a reservation ASAP as Restaurant Week is one of the rare times the club is open to anyone (it's a private club). It's also the only place in Silicon Valley where you can dine on the penthouse floor of a high-rise and is one of 2 places in San Jose with a Michelin star winning chef at the helm--Michael Miller. Below are a few shots of the appetizers from the party.