Starbird: super-premium fast food launches in Silicon Valley

Starbird is a restaurant with a very unique beginning as it was actually created by a restaurant consulting company. What better way to show your customers you know what you're talking about than to create your own restaurant from scratch and practice what you preach? They invited me to come and try out their food and I have been back there a couple times since.

I'm not a huge fan of fast food (Chick-Fil-A and The Habit are my two exceptions), but have to say that Starbird does an outstanding job. They use Petaluma Farms free-range chicken, organic eggs, fresh-baked bread, and they make all of their sauces in house. Despite the high-end ingredients, the prices are still reasonable and the food comes out quickly.

My favorite item so far is the Free Range Ranch sandwich--crispy chicken, slaw, bacon, pimento cheese, and Greek yogurt ranch. They also have chicken tenders (the maple aioli was my favorite dipping sauce), wraps with an international twist, salads, breakfast sandwiches, and a house made chocolate-dipped ice cream cone with crushed toffee or almonds.

The decor is impressive for fast food. Starbird really put in a high attention to detail inside and out. The interior was clean and modern with some nice features like the plants in the middle of a communal table. They have a nice patio with plenty of tables and creative lighting. I can't say the seating was super comfortable, but it's not supposed to be for fast food.

Starbird also baked in the latest tech available for restaurants. You can always see the status of your order by looking at a large flat-screen so theoretically they don't have to shout out names or numbers. There is even a smartphone app that allows you to order, park, and have the food delivered to your car (think drive-through 2.0). It really seems to embody everything you would expect from a new fast food restaurant launched in Silicon Valley--not just the tech but the quality of the food, atmosphere, and the desire to innovate as well as challenge people's perceptions of fast food.

The first Starbird is located at 1241 El Camino Real in Sunnyvale. The owners are planning to open 9 more locations in Silicon Valley. For more information, head over to the Starbird website.

A Recent Visit to Hermitage Brewing Company

Since their opening in 2009, Hermitage Brewing Company has grown five-fold in terms of their brewery and operations space at their 7th Street location. Their growth is a reflection of the growing demand for their beers and their brewing services.

Recent beer awards and accolades include the bronze medal for Maltopia Scotch Ale in the Scottish-Style Ale category at the prestigious World Beer Cup held earlier this year, 1st place in the Sour Ale category for Sour Cherry Sour at this year’s California State Fair Commercial Craft Brew Competition and inclusion in this year’s top 50 (out of 247) of Paste Magazine’s popular American IPA blind tasting for Citra Single Hop IPA, coming in at #35.

They also have a separate sour beer making facility to release more of their own sour beers, while maintaining their high quality standards.

I recently visited Hermitage and toured the facilities with brewmaster Peter Licht and head brewer and cellarmaster Greg Filippi. I also took a bunch of pictures. Click here for the post.

Cheers!

Silvery Towers at Sunset

This beautiful photo from C2K Architecture shows off the Bank of America building and both cranes from the Silvery Towers project in Downtown San Jose. It looks like both high-rise buildings are going to get a stunning sunset view when completed next year.

Source: Hillrise from the San Jose Development Forum

Photo by Edward Nowak: www.edwardnowakphotography.com

The Hard Truth - live concert to benefit pediatric cancer and team Sofia

1993 Bellarmine Alumni, Matthew Largent (The Hard Truth) and Coach Mike Rodriguez, (father of Sofia Rodriguez currently battling Leukemia) are hosting a benefit concert to help raise awareness and funds for all children and families battling pediatric cancers.

The event will be on Saturday August 27, 2016 at 5:00pm at Bellarmine’s Sobrato Theatre with a short drink reception followed by an hour and a half set played by The Hard Truth. The evening will then conclude with speeches bringing awareness to struggles of pediatric cancer patients and families. The night will end roughly around 7:30pm.

All in attendance will have the opportunity to purchase music and apparel (#teamsofia) in which all proceeds will go directly to Team G foundation honoring Sofia Rodriguez. The money raised will help fund Pediatric Cancer Research at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital as well as programs to benefit the well-being and comfort of children battling cancer. We look forward to seeing you there!

REGISTER TODAY: CLICK HERE

For more information:  www.teamsofia.causevox.com, http://posthope.org/team-sofia,
Coach Mike Rodriguez: mrodriguez@bcp.org
Follow: @thehardtruthmusic , @lolasounds , @matthew_largent

Silicon Valley Pride festivities take place this weekend

Pride kicks off tomorrow in Downtown San Jose with an electronic dance music party on Almaden Boulevard from 6pm to 11pm. Then on Sunday, the parade starts at 10am on Market Street and is followed by a huge festival from 11am to 6pm. There will be food, drinks, cosplay, a family garden, games, and live performances. They are even advertising 7 hours of Pokemon Go lures (why not). For more information and for tickets, head over to svpride.com.

Strike Brewing Company Scores a Hit with its Bullpen Series

The Bullpen Series from Strike Brewing Company has been all about the chance to offer guests a wider variety of beer styles at the taproom. It's also provided an outlet for Strike to develop and try out new recipes.

Recent beers coming out of the Bullpen Series have included Berliner Weisse with blueberries and pomegranate, Rained Out Pale Ale with pineapple and toasted coconut, Bergamot Breakfast Pale Ale with local lemon zest and Earl Grey tea, Milk Stout and Big Wall Imperial Stout with Madagascar Vanilla Beans.

With such creative beers coming out every month or so and only available at the taproom, it's not a surprise that these Bullpen beers don't last long upon their release.

I was curious about how the Bullpen Series came about and was able to connect with its developer, Strike brewer Ryan Bridge, a South Bay native. My Q&A with him can be found here on my local beer site.

Strike is also celebrating the 2nd anniversary of their taproom opening on Oct. 8. Click here for more info. and tickets.

Cheers!

JINS is coming to Valley Fair on August 31st

JINS is a Japanese eyewear company with 350 retail locations in Asia. They opened their first US store last year in San Francisco. San Jose gets the honor of being their 2nd location in the US. The 2,300 SQFT Valley Fair store features 960 different styles (all designed in Tokyo) and customers can receive their glasses in only 30 minutes. Prices are reasonable, starting at $60 for frames. 15 minute eye exams will be available as well.

This marks yet another instance of San Jose grabbing an international brand that not widely available in the US. Others include Warby Parker, Kit & Ace, Bonobos, Scotch & Soda, Halston, MUJI, David Yurman, Miu Miu, and many more.

JINS will be located on the second floor between Nordstrom and Old Navy.

Tower of Power performs Aug. 25 at Music in the Park

Show opens with popular local band Super Soul Brothers

SAN JOSE – Tower of Power returns to Music in the Park on Aug. 25.

Acclaimed for its five-piece horn section, Tower of Power tours the world each year, playing hundreds of dates and pleasing their audiences with a parade of funk and soul classics including: “You’re Still a Young Man,” “Down to the Nightclub,” “So Very Hard to Go,” “Time Will Tell,” and “What is Hip?”

Tower of Power previously appeared at Music in the Park in 1994 and 1995.  Founding members Emilio Castillo (tenor sax and vocals), Stephen “Doc” Kupka (baritone sax), Francis Rocco Prestia (bass) and David Garibaldi (drummer), have never stopped recording or touring in 48 years.

Marcus Scott joined T.O.P. as its new lead singer in April.  “I have always been known as a ‘Soul Man’ but the T.O.P. has me singing Soul with a capital S,” he said.

The show begins at 5:30 p.m. with Super Soul Brothers, which combines funk and jazz with familiar melodies from classic video games, anime and TV and movie soundtracks.

All Music in the Park shows are at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, located in downtown San Jose along Market Street and surrounded by the Fairmont San Jose, Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose Museum of Art and other downtown landmarks.

The Tower of Power date is the last of four Music in the Park concerts scheduled for 2016:

June 24:  Los Lobos and Maxx Cabelllo, Jr.
July 14:  AC/DShe, The Killer Queens and The Drought
Aug. 4:  Ozomatli and Sonido Clash Session
Aug. 25: Tower of Power with Super Soul Brothers

For more about the Aug. 25 artists, visit http://www.towerofpower.com and http://www.supersoulbros.com.

Tickets --$10 per adult and free for 12-under when accompanied by an adult -- are now available at www.musicintheparksj.com. At the door, admission will be $15 per adult.

Music in the Park is presented by Metro Newspapers and produced by the San Jose Downtown Association.  The events are supported by a grant from the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs.

Visit www.sjdowntown.com for information about downtown San Jose and the San Jose Downtown Association.

###


About San Jose Downtown Association:  SJDA, a non-profit membership-based organization founded in 1986, represents business and property owners and works to enhance downtown’s vitality and livability.