Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Downtown San Jose Restaurant Spreadsheet Updates
A few notes on changes and improvements that are coming to the Downtown San Jose Restaurant list:
- Created a column for restaurants that are open on Sundays (green means they are)
- Added late night formatting for restaurants open late in the Hours column. I'm surprised at how many Downtown restaurants are open until midnight or later. I wish I had this list back in college =)
- Pink - open until midnight or later
- Light Purple - open until 1am or later
- Dark Purple - open until 2am or later
- Added a count of restaurants in the Downtown core, which excludes the San Jose Market Center, and will exclude the restaurants between 5th St. and 11th St. that I will be adding in 2011.
- Added instructions up at the top on how to sort and filter (you need to go to View >> List View).
49ers Stadium Comparison
I have some interesting statistics between Candlestick Park and the New 49ers Stadium proposed for Santa Clara. I rarely post about things outside of San Jose, but in this case we would be one of the main benefactors of the new stadium (increased hotel utilization, light rail usage, and simply having another pro sports team a few miles away). They have already had their practice facility in the South Bay for a long time and most of the players physically live in the South Bay, so far all intents and purposes they'll be our team if the stadium gets built.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Pho 69 - Best Pho in San Jose!
Downtown San Jose is really on a roll with restaurant openings lately. Since I was raised in San Jose, I'm intimately familiar with Pho (Over 100,000 people of Vietnamese descent live in San Jose... Pho is everywhere). Back in college, I had Pho for lunch almost every single day. Of the 50+ Pho restaurants I've been to over the years, Pho 69 is hands down the best one in every criteria I can think of!
Let's start with the food. Today I had the spring rolls, crispy rolls, a Pho 69 special, and my wife had Chicken Pho. Everything was amazing, but the house special Pho 69 really rocked my world. The 3 main proteins in their signature bowl are brisket, meatball, and thinly sliced fillet mignon. You read that correctly, fillet Mignon in Pho! My wife's Pho Ga also featured a rare Pho ingredient, free range chicken. The broth was rich and complex. Usually I douse hot sauce and plum sauce in my soup, but that was really unnecessary in this case. Perhaps the $20,000 vat that they use to steam cook the broth over a 24 hour period has something to do with the quality here.
Next, the ambiance. Easily the nicest Pho restaurant I have ever been to (I've had Pho at Parcel 104 before, but that doesn't really count). The dining area is spacious, lofty, and well appointed. There's a second floor for additional seating and private parties that overlooks the entire restaurant, and it's equipped for Karaoke. The kitchen is pretty open and is visible from the dining area. There's even a skylight, another feature I've never seen in a Pho restaurant.
Lastly, let's talk about character. Pho 69 is located in the artsy SoFA district downtown. I've been keeping my fingers crossed for weeks that the restaurant would have a program for artists, and it looks like it paid off. The walls are fully prepped to support rotating art and the 20+ foot ceiling provides ample space for even over-sized works. And yes, Pho 69 is planning to participate in South First Friday and already have relationships with Anno Domini and MACLA!
Personally, I couldn't have asked for anything more for a new SoFA restaurant. It's been a good year for Downtown San Jose!
Let's start with the food. Today I had the spring rolls, crispy rolls, a Pho 69 special, and my wife had Chicken Pho. Everything was amazing, but the house special Pho 69 really rocked my world. The 3 main proteins in their signature bowl are brisket, meatball, and thinly sliced fillet mignon. You read that correctly, fillet Mignon in Pho! My wife's Pho Ga also featured a rare Pho ingredient, free range chicken. The broth was rich and complex. Usually I douse hot sauce and plum sauce in my soup, but that was really unnecessary in this case. Perhaps the $20,000 vat that they use to steam cook the broth over a 24 hour period has something to do with the quality here.
Next, the ambiance. Easily the nicest Pho restaurant I have ever been to (I've had Pho at Parcel 104 before, but that doesn't really count). The dining area is spacious, lofty, and well appointed. There's a second floor for additional seating and private parties that overlooks the entire restaurant, and it's equipped for Karaoke. The kitchen is pretty open and is visible from the dining area. There's even a skylight, another feature I've never seen in a Pho restaurant.
Lastly, let's talk about character. Pho 69 is located in the artsy SoFA district downtown. I've been keeping my fingers crossed for weeks that the restaurant would have a program for artists, and it looks like it paid off. The walls are fully prepped to support rotating art and the 20+ foot ceiling provides ample space for even over-sized works. And yes, Pho 69 is planning to participate in South First Friday and already have relationships with Anno Domini and MACLA!
Personally, I couldn't have asked for anything more for a new SoFA restaurant. It's been a good year for Downtown San Jose!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wii Party Tour Coming to Santana Row
SAN JOSE CONSUMERS TO PARTY HEARTY
AT EXCLUSIVE Wii PARTY TOUR STOP
Interactive Wii Party Airstream West Coast Tour
Rolls Into San Jose on Dec. 17
WHAT: It’s not often that holiday shoppers can gather together for a free, hands-on look at one of the season’s most remarkable games. Families and friends in the San Jose area will be on their feet and having a blast when Nintendo of America’s extraordinary Wii Party Airstream West Coast Tour makes a stop at Santana Row on Dec. 17 – one of only five scheduled stops in the region. Consumers of all ages and backgrounds are invited to experience the one-of-a-kind social fun of the new Wii Party video game aboard a special Nintendo-themed Airstream trailer. In addition to providing a fun-filled break for holiday shoppers, theWii Party Airstream West Coast Tour will offer area residents a chance to win their own Wii console and a copy of Wii Party.
Created exclusively for the popular Wii system, Wii Party is designed to get families and friends on their feet and having fun together. The game features 13 party game modes and more than 80 entertaining minigames, some of which take the action from the TV screen into the living room. For example, “Animal Tracker” challenges players to pick up the Wii Remote making a particular animal sound, while “Hide ‘n’ Hunt” asks players to locate a controller that’s been cleverly hidden by another player. Whether they’re playing cooperatively or competitively, Wii Partygives every player a turn in the spotlight by putting their customized Mii characters at the center of the action. More information about Wii Partyis available at http://wiiparty.nintendo.com.
WHO: Kids, adults, teens, parents, game enthusiasts and holiday consumers of all kinds
WHEN: Friday, Dec. 17, 2010
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
WHERE: Santana Row – Park Valencia
3055 Olin Avenue
San Jose, CA 95128
San Jose Bike Party - Xmas Ride Tomorrow
Bring a thermos of coco cause it’s gonna be a cold but awesome night as we ride through some of the best decorated neighborhoods of San Jose. Decorate your bike with tons of lights as we show folks how we roll.
We will be doing a canned food drive at the START of the ride, so bring a CAN!
Route and Prerides will be announced Closer to the ride.
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