Haberdasher Review (Singlebarrel 2.0)

When I first heard Singlebarrel was changing their concept, I was very concerned. Immediately I thought that the best bar in Silicon Valley (and perhaps the Bay Area) was in jeopardy. Seriously, what are the chances that they could actually improve on such an outstanding product?

I'm happy to say that my worries were not warranted one bit. I finally checked out Haberdasher last week and was completely blown away!

Haberdasher means to make or manufacture with skill and careful attention to detail, and is most commonly used in reference to tailoring--explaining the theme. Walking in, the ambiance was already a big improvement. You'll find classy dimmed Edison lights hanging from the ceiling and hidden inside bollard hats. There is more bar space, most casual seating, and comfortable seating for reservations (more on that in a moment). The soundproofing is also amazing. People can talk at a normal volume now and the hushing has been replaced with some nice music.

One of my favorite upgrades is that the huge line outside and the 6-person party limit are completely gone! Haberdasher is designed to provide quality craft cocktails more efficiently than before while maintaining the same quality and level of service as Singlebarrel, if not exceeding it.

You have two options when drinking at Haberdasher: 1.) Make a reservation. You'll get the best seats and the bartender will come to your table for fully custom-tailored craft cocktail experience, usually with multiple "courses." 2.) Casually walk down to the bar area and order off of a menu of the best craft cocktails Singlebarrel had.

How is #2 even possible without a huge line you may ask? Their most popular craft cocktails are on draft. They make them from scratch in large volumes before opening the bar each day. You can still order a customized cocktails at the bar, but their "craft on draft" handles a large number of the orders. I can vouch that the Old Fashioned on draft is just as good if not better than Singlebarrel's. There is also a Moscow Mule where you get to keep the copper mug, Gin & Herb Tonic, Whiskey Ginger, and Montenegro Amaro on tap. There are 8 "house fittings" drinks that are more complex and are made to order from scratch. My wife opted to get a Singlebarrel classic that was not on the menu... the Rum Flip. Not only was it as good as it has always been, but they brought it out in an old-fashion mini milk jug. Nice touch!

Other additions to the menu include outstanding non-alcoholic craft sodas, low alcohol drinks, craft beers, and snacks (brisket jerky, chicharrones, garlic almonds, etc.).

So in summary, go check out Haberdasher! The best bar in Silicon Valley is now even better. They managed to further innovate the local craft-cocktail scene!

Haberdasher is located at 42 W. San Salvador St. For more info and for reservations, head here.

How Downtown San Jose's Streetscapes Can Benefit From Ideas Used in Montreal and Quebec City

Mark from Think Bigger San Jose has just returned from a ten day trip to Montreal and Quebec. He has brought home some souvenirs in the form of ideas to make San Jose a stronger city. His recap of the trip includes tons of great photos as well as five main streetscape take-a-ways. Check out Mark's excellent post over here!

Sourisseau News: Arnold Del Carlo (The Valley's Photographer)

In the latest edition of Sourisseau news, learn about a photographer that has been documenting the transformations in the valley across multiple decades. Even at 94 years old, Arnold Del Carlo is still taking photos to this day. The Sourisseau academy is even planning to release a documentary film on his fascinating life and work--more to come on that in the future.

DelCarlo - The Valley's Photographer from TAW on Vimeo.

EDITORS NOTE: The Del Carlo Photograph Collection resides at the Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History and spans a remarkable 30+ years. Few professional photographers exhibit Del Carlo’s versatility, making the collection all the more unique. And at 94, Del is still shooting pictures. Many thanks from all of us at Sourisseau Academy!

The Westin San Jose is Now Open!

After two years of renovation, the historic Sainte Claire Hotel is now the Westin San Jose. It has 171 rooms, 10,000 SQFT of meeting space, and an Il Fornaio Italian Restaurant. Many details such as the original moldings on the ceiling of the early 1900s building have been preserved. The location is stellar, across the street from the San Jose Convention Center and a block away from SoFA and Plaza de Cesar Chavez.

The Westin San Jose will really appeal to are business travelers. That has always been Westin's sweet-spot, and what better place to locate a business oriented hotel than in Downtown San Jose across from the convention center and walking distance to hundreds of companies.

This will be the second Westin in Silicon Valley (the other is in Palo Also) and the second Starwood Hotel in Downtown San Jose--the first was the Four Points which coincidentally is also in a historic building.

Source: MarketWatch

Apple Purchases "N1" Development Site in North San Jose!!!

It looks like Apple is doubling down on San Jose even before they move into the 290,000 SQFT of office they leased at 101Tech. Doubling down would be putting it lightly since this time around they are not renting... they are buying.

Apple is purchasing the entire development site for the N1 Office Campus off of First Street and Component Drive in North San Jose! The $138 million deal will buy them 43 acres ripe for an epic project. 1.8 million SQFT of office was already planned for the site, with a grand total of 2.8 million SQFT entitled. That theoretically means that Apple could build the same amount of office space in San Jose as their new spaceship in Cupertino.

Nathan Donato-Weinstein from the SVBJ even got an official statement from Apple:

"As we continue to grow, we're planning to build R&D facilities and some additional office space in San Jose," spokeswoman Rachel Wolf said in an emailed statement. "The property isn't far from the future home of our new campus and we're looking forward to expanding our presence in the Bay Area."

If this purchase isn't a huge vote of confidence for the San Jose market, I don't know what is! I just hope that Apple will opt for an iconic office design now that they own the land.

Sources: SVBJ, SocketSite

San Jose Indie Hip Hop Artist Lucid Optics

Lucid Optics has just released his latest album called SADLIBS. The San Jose artist began playing guitar at eight years old and quickly fell in love with music. His style is a blend between indie and hip hop and he's known for his sarcastic whit and honesty. By 21, he booked his first tour covering the western states.

SADLIBS is the first album where live instruments play a key role in Lucid's production. The album was written and produced entirely by Lucid Optics, with one guest verse from Cauzndefx on the intro of "Seamless."

Below is "Miss No Plans," track 1 from the SADLIBS. For more information on Lucid Optics and links to all of his albums, head here.

Top 10 US Cities by Population by Decade

The animated GIF below shows the ten largest cities in the US each decade starting with the year 1790. It's fascinating to see how much this list has changed over the years. Of course, you have to watch until it gets to the very end (2010) for San Jose to make its official appearance.

Source: Vox

South FIRST FRIDAYS Tonight!

Tonight is a great day to visit SoFA! 20 venues will be participating in South FIRST FRIDAYS, a self-guided evening art walk that runs from 7-11pm. However, since the weather is amazing this month there will also be a Street Market with dozens of vendors and live music courtesy of the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest. To see the full lineup and a preview of the art being featured, head over to the South FIRST FRIDAYS website.