Welcome to the 7th annual Wednesday Wishlist post where the topic is getting restaurants in San Jose worthy of Michelin starts. The Michelin guide is the most renowned rubric in the world for measuring culinary success. I think the foodie culture is continuing to build momentum in San Jose, especially Downtown. I'm optimistic it will only be a matter of time until we have some unique restaurants with national recognition.
Michelin has three different star categories:
One Star - A very good restaurant in its category with cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard. A good place to stop on your journey.
Two Stars - Excellent cuisine, skillfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality. Worth a detour.
Three Stars - Exceptional cuisine with distinctive dishes and superlative ingredients. Worth a special journey.
I created a Google doc listing all of the star recipients for 2016, along with tabs for all previous years and some general statistics. Below is an image capture from the doc. This year there were a total of 50 restaurants that were awarded Michelin stars, which is up 10 from last year and an all-time high for the Bay Area. 62% of the restaurants are locating in SF, 20% in Wine Country, 16% in Silicon Valley (split evenly between the South Bay and the Peninsula), and 2% in the East Bay. There are 14 new restaurants on the list this year (see image below), as well as one significant upgrade. Manresa (Los Gatos) achieved the elusive three star rating. Manresa is not only the first restaurant in the South Bay to ever get this rating, but it is only the fifth restaurant ever to get a three star rating anywhere in the Bay Area. Several restaurants from 2015 did not make the cut, including Madera, Maruya, La Folie, Boulevard, and the All Spice in San Mateo.
There are also restaurants in the Michelin guide that do not get a star, but are considered "Michelin Recommended." This is already a significant honor. Within this category San Jose scored a total of 13 restaurants, an all-time high for our city. Here are the lucky restaurants:
Downtown
Vung Tau
Back A Yard
Swaad (NEW)
The Alameda
Zona Rosa
Midtown
Walia (NEW)
North San Jose
Smoking Pig BBQ
South San Jose
Bun Bo Hue An Nam
Thien Long
Lau Hai San (NEW)
Willow Glen
The Table
Fratello
Camden
Rangoli
Zeni
Swaad (Indian), Walia (Ethiopian), and Lau Mai San (Vietnamese) are all welcome additions and represent how amazing our ethnic cuisines are. All 10 San Jose restaurants that were Michelin recommended in the 2015 guide held on to that status in 2016. If you haven't been to the restaurants above, I can vouch that all of them are well worth visiting.
Broadcom is dropping $207 million for 26 acres in North San Jose that is already approved for up to 1.1 million SQFT in office space. They are purchasing the land from Boston Properties, which hopefully will reinvest those funds in San Jose (They have three proposed office towers in Downtown San Jose).
The location is a vacant business park at 3200 Zanker Road, next to Crescent Village. Apple now owns 80 acres of land not far away and supposedly other large deals are in the works. The North First district went from having the highest vacancy rate in San Jose to being in huge demand over the course of just five years!
Apple has quietly been acquiring 86 acres of land in North San Jose stretching from Highway 101 all the way to North First Street. Finally, it sounds like their master plan is coming together. While Apple has not submitted a formal proposal for a project, they have come to a development agreement with the City of San Jose that would allow a staggering 4.15 million SQFT of development. This scale would surpass even the Apple Campus 2 project in Cupertino (the giant spaceship).
If even half of that gets built, it would have a dramatic impact on San Jose's tax base, the balance of housing/jobs in the city, and our overall brand. The only negative that stood out to me is the elimination of the height requirement on North First Street (105-feet). That means Apple will likely opt for 4-6 story buildings instead of pushing the limits of office campuses like Samsung did with their San Jose headquarters. I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about this one in the future.
Downtown San Jose has a new logo/brand, which you can see down below! The colors symbolize Downtown's diversity of culture, architecture, activities, and business. [Josh: love it!]
Hawaiian Airlines / Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice is kicking off their extended season on November 13th. This year, the rink will be open through Superbowl Sunday (an extra 28 days). Kristi Yamaguchi will help open the rink during a celebration on November 16th at 5pm.
The TiVo Santa Run (5K Run/Walk) will take place on December 13th. Dressing up in a costume is highly encouraged, especially since this year there will be a costume contest.
The Sobrato Organization revealed plans to develop "Block 3" (the surface lot next to The 88 and what used to be The Rep) with a 23-story, 399-unit apartment tower with retail on the ground floor.
The San Jose Downtown Association's end-of-year meeting will be on Dec. 11 at Camera Cinemas, 8am, and all are welcome.
Voltaire Coffee House is now open on the ground floor of 360 Residences. They serve coffee roasted on-site along with waffles and French pastries [Josh: the coffee here is amazing!]
Crewners Barbershop at the San Pedro Square Market is expanding from one chair to three and adding two more full-time barbers.
City zoning code has been modified to allow larger signage and new Downtown businesses.
Josh Marcotte is San Jose's very own guerrilla urban photographer. He started Lost San Jose a few years ago and has captured hundred if not thousands of photos documenting a San Jose that is long gone. You can learn more about his inspiration and artistic process through a great interview conducted by Pixel Magazine right over here.
Just in time for Super Bowl 50, Joe Montana is giving a keynote speech at the Fairmont as part of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce's signature event: Legends & Leaders. Also on the agenda is the 19th Annual Excellence in Education Awards where the SJSV chamber will distribute awards for Student, Teacher, and Principal of the year. The event will run from 6-9pm on November 19th and registration is required.
For more information, please read the press release below or head over to http://www.sjchamber.com
The 2015 Excellence in Education Awards recipients are:
Alejandra Fraume Valencia, Gunderson High School—Student of the Year
Christian Rubalcaba, Selma Olinder Elementary School—Teacher of the Year
Maria Evans, Washington Elementary School—Principal of the Year
Alejandra was our top choice not only because she is a great student academically-speaking but also because both her peers as well as teachers see her as a leader. She helped her school’s Tennis Team become division champions—the school’s first—and through it all, she made personal sacrifices because of her need to financially help her family (she had to quit tennis because of her job).
Rubalcaba also rose to the top of the nominee list. He is not only an effective leader inside his own classroom, but his leadership and passion extend into his district (impacting curriculum, teaching methods, etc.) as well as the parent community (through his home visits to all his students). He is also an innovator, utilizing technology through his monthly Skype sessions to put his classroom in direct contact with business, education and professional leaders from across the country.
Evans, with her endless dedication to her school community and innovative thinking in terms of collaborative partners to help her better her school set her apart from her peers.
“I’m excited to have been invited to be part of this signature Silicon Valley event,” Joe Montana said. “Our local students and educators are an integral part of our communities and celebrating them through the Legends & Leaders’ Excellence in Education awards is a great way to highlight what’s taking place in our classrooms.”
The Excellence in Education awards first began in 1996 and recognize students, teachers and administrators within the County of Santa Clara that embody the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce’s spirit of acting as a convener, collaborator and champion within their community.
Along with public recognition, the SJSV Chamber also offers recipients educational grants. Over the course of the program’s history, these grants have totaled more than $80,000.
“These students and educators have a direct impact on the region’s economy: as the future workforce, and, in many cases, as our future leaders,” SJSV Chamber President & CEO Matt Mahood said. “As the organization trusted to be the voice of the businesses, many of which have a direct impact on our region’s economic health, we want to recognize these individuals and let the greater community know about their fantastic work.”
ABOUT THE SAN JOSE SILICON VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit business association representing nearly 1,400 employers and 250,000 employees throughout the greater Silicon Valley. Its mission is to create a strong local economy, provide premier business connections and visibility, represent the interests of business to government, promote the community and initiate political and community action.
Most people know that San Jose salaries are the highest in the country. Another well known fact is that our cost of living is also one of the highest in the country. So the big question is whether our high cost of living negates our high salaries. According to the latest stats from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the answer is... No.
The average pay in San Jose is $75,770 per year, #1 in the country. To put that in perspective, the average pay for the #2 city on the list (San Francisco) is $64,990.
After you factor in cost of living, San Jose's average pay drops to $62,110, which is still enough for it to be the #1 highest-paying city in the country. San Francisco drops to $53,580, bringing it all the way down to #9 on the list. Durham ended up being the city closest to San Jose in the #2 spot with an average pay of $58,780 after factoring in the cost of living adjustments.
So there you have it. Even after factoring in sky-high rents and other expenses, we are still better off salary-wise than the rest of the country.
Downtown Ice returns next week for its longest season in history. The one-of-a-kind skating rink at the Circle of Palms in Downtown San Jose will be open from November 13th all the way until February 7th. Super Bowl 50 will bring in thousands of visitors to San Jose and the rink will be open an extra 28 days to help entertain them.
Hawaiian Airlines / Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice is also hosting an opening celebration on Monday, November 16th at 5pm. Kristin Yamaguchi will be doing a routine to help kick off the season during the ceremony. For more information such as operating hours, pricing, and discounts, read the full release below.
Photos by Daniel Garcia
SAN JOSE – Hawaiian Airlines / Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice returns Nov. 13 to the Circle of Palms in the heart of downtown San Jose’s holiday attractions. The skating rink will remain open an additional 28 days beyond its normal closing date to accommodate the thousands of visitors expected to stay in San Jose the weeks ahead of Super Bowl 50, to be played Feb. 7, 2016, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
With Hawaiian Airlines as title sponsor, Yamaguchi and her Always Dream Foundation partner with the San Jose Downtown Association to produce the outdoor rink at 120 S. Market St.
“It brings great joy to see all the families celebrate the holiday season at Downtown Ice, which remains one of the most unique and attractive outdoor skating rinks in the country,” said Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympic figure skating gold-medal champion. “I am honored to once again be associated with such a holiday treasure.”
Yamaguchi will help open the rink this season. An opening celebration is planned for Monday, Nov. 16, at 5 p.m. at the rink.
More than 200,000 skaters and spectators are expected to attend Downtown Ice between Nov. 13 and Feb. 7. The rink generates an estimated $3 million in economic impact to the downtown business community each year.
Skaters glide around 32 glimmering palms from which the circular rink gains its iconic form. During November, early December and after the holidays in January, Downtown Ice is open 5-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 5 p.m.-midnight on Friday; noon-midnight on Saturday; and noon-9 p.m. on Sunday. During the winter break the rink is open 11 a.m.-midnight daily. During the week of the big game in February, the rink will extend its hours.
The $13-17 admission covers skate rental and one unlimited skating session.
Downtown Ice is located within steps of Christmas in the Park displays, which occupies Plaza de Cesar Chavez starting Nov. 28. These two downtown San Jose holiday attractions are supported in part by participants in the 5-kilometer TiVo Santa Run Silicon Valley held on Dec. 13. Register at www.santarunsv.com.
Nov. 13 – 24
Friday: 5 p.m. - midnight
Saturday: noon - midnight
Sunday: noon - 9 p.m.
Monday-Thursday: 5 - 9 p.m.*
* Monday, Nov. 16 the rink does not open to the general public until 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 25 – 27 (Thanksgiving Holiday)
Wednesday, Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving: 5 p.m. - midnight
Thursday, Nov. 26, Thanksgiving: 2 p.m. - midnight
Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving: 11 a.m. - midnight
Admission:
Nov. 13 – Dec. 17 AND Jan. 4 – Jan. 31: Children 10 & younger: $13 and 11 & older: $15
Dec. 18 – Jan. 3 (Winter Break) and Feb. 1 – 7: Children 10 & younger $15 and 11 & older: $17
Cash, Paypal, Visa, Mastercard or Discover accepted. Admission includes ice time and rental skates (skate sizes range from toddler 8 to men's 13).
Skate all you want (no in-and-out privileges)/ First-come, first-serve.
Address (starting November 13): 120 S. Market St., San Jose, CA 95113
Phone: (408) 291-0525 (Rink) or (408) 279-1775 (SJDA)
