Downtown San Jose Restaurant List Updates! (Q4 2012 Edition)

I am trying to update the Downtown San Jose Restaurants database more regularly now. We are up to an impressive 234 eateries, which is easily the largest number of restaurants Downtown San Jose has ever had and very likely the largest concentration of restaurants anywhere in Silicon Valley (including Downtown Palo Alto, Mountain View, Campbell, and Los Gatos).

No bad news this quarter, no major closures. A Perfect Finish is being remodeled and is going to relaunch as 55 South Market.

Now the good news.

• Many New San Pedro Square Market Eateries - I added Sama-Zama, Treatbot, Loteria Taco Bar, CaliDog, Phonomental, and Polkadotz Mini Gourmet Cupcakes to the list. If you haven't been to the Market in the past couple months, you won't believe how many more options there are. The amount of quality eats here is helping put Downtown on the map for South Bay foodies.
• The Blackbird Tavern - This is my most highly anticipated restaurant opening in the queue right now. If anyone can turn around the corner lot that hosted Zing, Asquew Grill, and Ruffled Feathers Eatery... it's these guys from the Naglee Park Garage. Similar to the Original Gravity House, this can be a game changer. Expect an outstanding beer selection, tapas, live music, and a laid back atmosphere right in the middle of Downtown San Jose (across the street from where the Muji flagship Japanese retail store will go and next to Camera 12 and the Fairmont)
• Dosa & Curry Cafe - Not only is this a quality Indian restaurant with reasonable prices, they have updated their hours so that they are open until 3am Thurs through Sat! As far as I know, this is the only Indian Restaurant in Silicon Valley (maybe even in the Bay Area) open this late.

As for the latest status update on my mission to eat at every single restaurant in Downtown San Jose... I'm at 220 out of 234, or 94%. I think 2013 will be the year I complete my culinary goal, but the real question is which restaurant should I save for last?

Below is the changelog from the Downtown San Jose Restaurants Database:

• 11/11/2012 Updated Dosa & Curry Cafe's hours, first San Jose Indian restaurant open until 3am
• 12/2/2012 Added Treatbot Factory, Sama-Zama, Loteria Taco Bar, CaliDog, Phonomenal, and Polkadotz Mini Gourmet Cupcakes to the list (all in San Pedro Square Market)
• 12/2/2012 Punjab Cafe has expanded and added a new Indian Ice Cream shop
• 12/2/2012 A Perfect Finish has remodeled into 55 South First

If you haven't bookmarked it yet, here's the link to the spreadsheet! There is also a permanent link over to the right entitled Downtown San Jose Restaurants.

Artists to create Holidays Unboxed: A Spectacle of Cardboard and Tape at Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose

November 29, 2012 - San Jose, CA:  Imagine what would happen if cardboard and tape were given the chance to come to life…

This weekend, Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose (CDM) will begin the creation of Holidays Unboxed: A Spectacle of Cardboard and Tape.  Building off the most basic of holiday materials – tape and cardboard – artists and makers will transform the inside of the Museum’s streetscape through two iconic art installations.  Emerging from rolls of packing tape, Tape Scape by Eric Lennartson, will become a maze evocative of an ice sculpture.  Constructed out of ordinary cardboard, a large scale hanging sculptureby the Cardboard Institute of Technology will reach high overhead in the center of the Museum

Armed with more than 300 rolls of packing tape donated by Molex Corporation, artist and architect Eric Lennartson will lead CDM staff and volunteer helpers on a journey to construct Tape Scape.  Reminiscent of ice crystals forming, fourteen miles of tape will be stretched and interlaced over a metal structure, creating an immersive, interactive ice inspired environment to delight children and adults. 

A steel armature built by Protoform shoots up twenty-five feet into the middle of the Museum, ready for the San Francisco-based artist collective known as the Cardboard Institute for Technology (CIT) to install a large-scale hanging sculpture.   Made from recycled cardboard, the creation will unfold, flex, and fan out into newfound forms.    Visitors will be awestruck at the unlimited possibilities of recycled materials. 

Come see cardboard and tape coming to life as you’ve never seen them before, curling, bending and folding into wondrous worlds that will reach from floor to ceiling at Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. 

Holidays Unboxed: A Spectacle of Cardboard and Tape will be open to the public from December 15, 2012, through February 3, 2013.  At the close of the exhibition, the materials will be reused, giving them a chance to experience life for a third time, and inspiring visitors to think “outside the box.” 

Artist installation schedule:

·         Tape Scape – Artist Eric Lennartson and volunteers will be onsite Saturday and Sunday, December 1 and 2, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily.  Installation will continue with volunteers daily through Wednesday December 5.

·         Hanging sculpture – Cardboard Institute of Technology will be onsite to install Monday, December 3 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

ABOUT CHILDREN’S DISCOVERY MUSEUM OF SAN JOSE

With over 150 interactive exhibits and programs, Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose (CDM) is one of the largest museums of its kind in the nation.  Since opening its doors in 1990, CDM has welcomed over 6 million visitors and has offered new exhibits each year that respond to children's diverse educational needs. The striking 52,000 square foot purple building was designed by Mexico City-based architect Ricardo Legorreta and is a beacon of discovery. Encompassing the broad themes of community, connections and creativity, hands-on exhibits invite self-directed, open-ended explorations.  For more information about the Museum, visit www.cdm.org.

ABOUT ERIC LENNARTSON

Eric Lennartson is an Architectural Designer and Marketing Development Coordinator for Paulson Architects in Minnesota.  Eric has over 13 years of professional design experience, and is a LEED Accredited Professional.  Eric is also the Building Chair and board member of the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota, a new emerging museum based in the Mankato area and the first home of aTape Scape installation.

ABOUT CARDBOARD INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

At its core, The Cardboard Institute of Technology (C.I.T.) is a collective of artists, technologists and handymen dedicated to the development, functionality and everyday practice of art...through cardboard and other means. The Institute is a multifaceted hub for Collective Art Practice, Educational Workshop Development and Instruction.  C.I.T. is an Epic Design and Fabrication and storytelling collective Studio.

The Cardboard Institute of Technology was formed in 2007 by Joshua Short and Scott Falkowski. In 2008 CIT created its first official show "Welcome to Cardburg.”  Since its inception the group has grown into an art collective that reaches far and wide.

The Meridian Mixed-Use Project Has Broken Ground!

Barry Swenson and Republic Urban Properties have broken ground on the Meridian project in Midtown San Jose. This is going to be a massive project for the area with 218 apartments, a park, and 15,800 sqft of pedestrian-oriented retail divided into 8 different units. The corner retail unit seems to be reserved for a restaurant. Total price tag is going to clock in at $68M.

While it only rises to 5-stories, it will add quite a bit of density to Midtown and help better connect the Downtown San Jose area with Santana Row. Another bonus is that this project is close to transit.

Build out is going to take 2 years and one of our readers that lives across the street has reported that most of the site has already been leveled, including the Meyer Appliance building.

Sources: SJBJ, Heather

Cristo Rey San Jose High School is Replacing Five Wounds

Cristo Rey operates 25 Catholic schools across 17 states with a special focus on underprivileged families--those making less thank $35k a year in urban communities  They have decided to open a Jesuit college prep high school in the former Five Wounds School building in East(ish) San Jose. Personal note, I actually went to Five Woulds from Kindergarten to 8th Grade.

What is really interesting to me about this school is that all Cristo Rey students also have to participate in a corporate work study program that provides students with real-work experience while funding most of the cost of their education. Education only goes so far, nothing beats actually going out into the real world and learning what it is like to work at banks, hospitals, law firms etc. Every month the students will spend five full days at work, and it will put them at a huge advantage over other students when going to college. All high schools should be structured this way. Speaking of college, 88% of Cristo Rey graduates enroll, which is double the rate of their peers coming from the same socioeconomic background.

Two people to thank for helping get the school off the ground are John A. Sobrato and B.J. Cassin, who donated money and sit on the Cristo Rey San Jose High School Board. Thanks guys, this is a really great cause and it will make a huge impact not only to the families of these children but to Silicon Valley as a whole when these students enter the workforce highly-educated and with real-life work experience.

The school is officially opening in 2014 and is expecting to take in a total of 500 students by 2017.

Source: SJBJ

Vintage: A Vinyl Swap Today

from Phantom Galleries by Cherri Lakey


Join us for an afternoon of DJs, Drinks, Records, and Good Vibes!

Some of the best record dealers in the Bay Area will be selling and DJing. Come dig for everything from Funk, Soul, Jazz, Rock, Hip-Hop, Latin, and Afro-Funk!

Drink specials on micro-brews and fine wine, with delicious apps aplenty.

Sellers/DJs:
Jeff Jagged (On the Corner Music)
DJ Fat Headphones
DJ Aware (Oakland)
Timothy Chung (Needle to the Groove)
Manzanita Sound
VAMP Music & Art
DJ Miz Rowdy
Selecta Riddm

Date: Sunday, December 2nd, 2012
Time: 2-6pm
Where: Wine Affairs, 1435 The Alameda, San Jose CA 95126

For more info contact:
On the Corner Music
(408) 871-0305
https://www.facebook.com/groups/131677563515187/

Saturday Stats: San Jose Tops Healthcare Earnings

Yet another payroll gold medal goes to San Jose. The average salary for healthcare and social assistance workers in San Jose clocked in at $61,600 per employee. The next highest average salary was Vallejo at $58,300, than the SF Metro at $58,000, and Salinas came in 4th at $57,200.

Source: Business Journals: On Numbers

Light the Rocket Update

My favorite emerging band from San Jose has just received a couple of honors. By the way, when I say this band is from San Jose I'm not using the term loosely. Pretty much the entire band was born and raised here, their first music video was shot in San Jose (below), and they're not afraid to don the Sharks gear. They're as local as it gets.

A couple weeks ago Light the Rocket was unanimously voted Raw Artists - San Jose Musicians of the Year at an event held in Studio 8. That puts them in a national contest against 50+ other bands from all over the country.

They were also picked as one of the Top 20 local bands by the radio station Live105. To top it off, one of those Top 20 bands is going to open at Not So Silent Night 2012, which features The Shins, Metric, Of Monsters and Men, Gaslight Anthem, Jack White, and Two Door Cinema Club. This lucky local band is determined entirely by online voting.

Right now Light the Rocket is ranked #2 in the poll, which puts a San Jose band so very close to opening for Not So Silent Night! They need your votes, please help them out by casting your vote here.

Madewell Coming to Santana Row

First off, I have to say the people decorating Santana Row really outdid themselves this holiday season, including the residents that have decorated their balconies. It looks incredible... even better than previous years. Every inch is lit up.

Now for the updates, Madewell is moving into a 3,500 sqft section of what was the old H&M. The company is a fashion forward American brand for women and will be the first store in the South Bay.

Next to Madewell will be a 2,000 sqft boutique for Splendid, another clothing store except this one is for the whole family. This will also be the very first one in the South Bay.

A couple existing stores are planning to renovate for 2013. Gucci is completely redoing the interior and and the facade outside. Tommy Bahama is doing a full renovation as well.

Lastly, Veggie Grill and Lavazza are now open. I have not tried Veggie Grill yet, but I did get to sample tons of food and coffee at Lavazza and have to say the quality is very high. I especially liked their espresso "desserts" including one with gratuitous amounts of nutella. I know we all like our indie coffee shops, but this one is worth checking out as it has many items you can't find anywhere else.

Santana Row Announces New Retailers, Renovations and the Grand Opening of Two Restaurants

Celebrating a Decade in Silicon Valley, the Premier Shopping and Dining Destination Continues to Draw Visitors with its Fresh Mix of Shops and Eateries

San Jose, CA (Nov. 15, 2012) – Ten years after opening Silicon Valley’s most exciting lifestyle destination, Santana Row continues to evolve with a lineup of unique retailers and restaurants that entice visitors to shop and dine. The stores and eateries represent new concepts in the Bay Area, some choosing to make their first foray into Northern California at Santana Row.

Madewell, an iconic American retailer as well as a brand coveted by fashion conscious women and men, is scheduled to open in Spring, 2013. The 3,500 square-foot shop will occupy a portion of the space that was the former H&M store before its recent move to a larger building. Madewell, established in 1937 as a dry goods emporium, will offer a wide range of effortlessly cool pieces. Chic yet comfy apparel includes soft chambray shirts, broken-in tees, leather boots, accessories and bags. Madewell’s denim bar serves a menu of current styles, from skinny to bootcut, boyfriend to capri.

Splendid, another label noted for its informal stylishness, is slated to open a 2,000 square-foot boutique next to Madewell in late spring. Known for its luxuriously soft tops and T-shirts, the offerings for men, women and children are a perfect fit for Silicon Valley: richly casual.

On the restaurant scene, the recently opened Lavazza Espression serves specialty Italian coffee drinks, freshly baked goods and savory Panini sandwiches, pastas, pizzas and salads. The cafe opened on Oct. 30 on the first floor of 300 Santana Row. It is the first location on the West Coast.

Veggie Grill, the popular fast-casual restaurant with a menu of delicious vegetarian choices opened on Nov. 8 at 3055 Olin Ave. Signature items include the Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ Sandwich, All Hail Kale Salad and Sweetheart Fries. This is Veggie Grill’s first Northern California location.

“Splendid and Madewell represent the new generation at Santana Row,” said Jeff Kreshek, vice president of West Coast leasing for Federal Realty. “As an A-level property we are able to provide a destination that is an escape into the extraordinary. Santana Row is known for its diverse offerings both in shopping and dining. We are able to maintain our relevance by evolving with cutting edge tenants who provide the experience of a surprise around every corner.”

Madewell, Splendid, Lavazza Espression and Veggie Grill join Icebreaker Touchlab, Drybar, kate spade new york and H&M’s 26,000 square foot expansion and relocation as recent additions to the exciting lineup at Santana Row. The destination center strives to give customers a tempting mix of unique stores and restaurants.

Renovations on the horizon

Gucci, the luxury brand which recently marked a decade at Santana Row, will undergo a complete interior remodel along with façade enhancement beginning in the summer 2013. The work will be completed in time for the 2013 holiday season.

Also undergoing a renovation next year is Tommy Bahama, purveyor of island lifestyles and maker of clothing and accessories that reflect island ambiance.

“We are thrilled to see the long term commitment to and reinvestment in Santana Row by Gucci, Tommy Bahama and H&M,” said Jan Sweetnam, Vice President and West Coast Chief Operating Officer, Federal Realty Investment Trust. “This customer focus, along with the addition of new exciting merchants, keeps Santana Row fresh and is an important part of how we serve the community.”