Wednesday Wishlist: Yoshi's @ San Jose

Yoshi's is a legendary Jazz Club at Oakland's Jack London Square with a secondary location in San Francisco. It brings in top tier Jazz performances in an intimate setting and even has a sushi restaurant as a part of each club. Given we have one of the largest Jazz Festivals in California, I think there is definitely a market for a 3rd Yoshi's location in San Jose.

Right outside Diridon station there are high hopes of building a new entertainment district so that people coming from all over the Bay Area (and even California with High Speed Rail) could have easy access to San Jose entertainment options. A Yoshi's would be perfect either there or in SoFA!

Pho 69 Press Release

I've received additional information on Pho 69's opening ceremony this Saturday! The ribbon cutting takes place at 2:30pm in SoFA and features traditional lion dancers. Sounds like a nice stop to make before heading to Christmas in the Park.

For Immediate Release:                                    Contact:

December 13, 2010                                           Khanh Bui: (408) 394-0369 or pho69noodlea@gmail.com

Something Hot is Coming to your Mouth at Pho 69

San Jose, Calif. -  An enticing new restaurant has come to Downtown San Jose.  Restaurant goers throughout the city are invited to sample the unique sights, sounds and tastes of Pho 69, conveniently located in the eclectic SoFA District, next to Original Joes’ (321 S. 1^st St., San Jose, CA 95113).

Join us for the grand opening on Saturday December 18^th, ribbon cutting and lion dancers at 2:30pm.

From the moment you enter into the inviting surroundings of this contemporary restaurant, you quickly realize this is not your typical Pho restaurant.  The knowledgeable staff greets you with a warm smile and you are immediately captivated by Pho 69’s thoughtful, savvy service.

The aroma of the rich pho broth with hints of star anise and cinnamon is a welcoming invitation to the forthcoming hot bowl of luscious rice noodles that is sure to warm you during this winter season.  The pho comes in a variety of broth options including traditional beef, free range chicken, locally farmed vegetable and seafood, all expertly prepared and gingerly tended to maximize flavor.

Along with the enticing aroma of comforting hearty pho, the modern interior complements the experience. Earth-toned glass tile covered walls, large lantern style pendent lighting and the warm orange of the hand embroidered chrysanthemum banquettes are a gentle complement to the subdued modern nickel-shaded sconces, historic green stair case and uplifting white textured tiles surrounding this contemporary eatery. The walls have been outfitted with museum grade hangers and left intentionally naked as Pho 69 puts out a call to local artist to exhibit their craft.

The relaxed sophistication of the dining room of Pho 69, with its stylishly trendy comfortable furnishings, muted lighting, and blend of soft and vibrant colors is the perfect neighborhood place to meet up with friends or have a business lunch.

Noted for the aromatic and simple but elegant preparation of its local products, modern Vietnamese food has become the new darling of the culinary world. The open kitchen sends the aroma of fresh herbs and spices wafting to your table as you anticipate your meal.  With all of your senses engaged, you know you've come to the right place to sample the delicious fare of Vietnamese cuisine.

Aside from pho, savor Pho 69’s other dishes such as the fresh grilled BBQ pork Vermicelli bowl with julienned vegetables, fresh herbs, bean sprouts and caramelized brown sauce. Continue your dining journey with fresh spring rolls with grilled tiger shrimp, hot and crispy crab eggroll or the roasted Japanese eggplant with crunchy shallots.  If you need just a quick bite, then have a Vietnamese sandwich filled with pickled daikon and carrots, cilantro, jalapeño, your choice of grilled meats, and for the indulgent, request the pate spread.

With so much to offer, there is always something hot coming to your mouth at Pho 69.

Pho 69 is situated at the gateway of the SoFa district in Downtown San Jose. Operating hours are Monday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., closed Sundays. There is ample parking in the many lots in the neighborhood, many of them free after 6pm. 

New Electric Car Charging Stations Downtown

As a little Christmas present to electric car drivers, the week of the 20th will kick off the ability to start using the charging stations right in front of City Hall between 4th and 5th on Santa Clara Street. Coulomb Technologies will be installing at least 5 EV stations, 4 in front of City Hall and one in the San Fernando and Fourth Street garage. This is in addition to the 2 in the Convention Center installed earlier this year.

San Jose is the first city in the country to put in these charging stations. Likely Coulomb will try to turn the space in front of City Hall into a "demo" zone showing other cities how non-obtrusive EV charging solutions could be deployed in their city. Some ideas they are throwing around for this area are repaving part of the sidewalk with green recycled concrete and adding solar cooling stations.

For more info, check out the SJ Business Journal article over here.

San Jose Downtown Association End of Year Slideshow 2010

A nice recap of 2010 in Downtown San Jose, spread across 4 short videos!

Downtown Restaurant List Updates

A few notes on changes and improvements that are coming to the Downtown San Jose Restaurant list:

• Added Pho 69 to the list (opens Dec 18th).
• Today I found a new restaurant in the downtown core that wasn't on the SJDA's restaurant list! Unfortunately, it was another Subway :P
• I confirmed that La Nostra Pizzeria & Ristorante did in fact close. I created a new tab on the spreadsheet (you can see these at the very bottom) called "Closed Downtown SJ Restaurants." Anytime we lose one I'll move it to this tab so we have a history of previous restaurants.
• I created a new column for store hours that I have started filling up. Also any restaurant that is open on Sunday will be highlighted in blue.

To see the spreadsheet, just click here!

Pho 69 Launches Dec 18th in SoFA!

I'm really excited about this place! For the 3 people living in San Jose who have never had Pho, it's essentially Vietnamese street food (or "common people" food). The US analogy would be a hamburger or hotdog. However, it looks like Pho 69 is going to take a traditional Vietnamese staple and modernize the entire experience, much like The Counter does with gourmet hamburgers and sides. It looks very nice inside--and it's a 2 story retail space like Eulipia. I'm very happy with the location as well, right at the entrance of SoFA near original Joe's. 

Looks like their Grand Opening will be Dec. 18th at 2pm. Also, their normal hours will be Mon-Thur 11am-8:30pm and Fri-Sat from 11am to 10pm. It's a shame more restaurants aren't open on Sundays, but hopefully that will change over time.

Baseball San Jose: Episode 1

Paesano Ristorante Italiano Grand Opening Video