San Jose Launches Restaurant Week: January 16-26

San Jose is participating in a statewide Restaurant Week that also includes various other cities in the Bay Area (SF, Berkeley, Oakland, etc.). The event features fixed-price dinners and other specials at participating eateries. The event launches next Monday and runs for a week and a half.

Below is a list of 25 San Jose restaurants that will be part of the event this year, an all-time high. All of the restaurants happen to be Downtown, which is very convenient if you want to go all out and do a food crawl.

• 55 South
• The Blue Chip - $10 cheesteak, chips, and soda combo
• Cafe Stritch
• Cafe Too!
• Curry Pundits
• Deluxe - 20% of all food items from Sunday to Thursday
• Fountain - $40 three-course prix fixe lunch
• The Farmers Union - $30 three-course prix fixe dinner
• The Grill on the Alley - $45 prix fixe lunch, $70 prix fixe steak dinner
• Habana Cuba - $35 tasting menu 
• Hawaiian Poke Bowl - $30 dinner for two
• Il Fornaio - $40 three-course prix fixe dinner
• La Lune Sucree
• La Pastaia
• Loft Bar and Bistro - $30 three-course prix fixe dinner
• Mezcal Restaurant - 15% off entire bill
• Mosaic
• Nomikai - 20% off pizzas (mention DTSJ Restaurant Week)
• Olla Cocina - $30 three-course dinner, Tequila or Mezcal pairing for $20
• Our House - $45 three-course prix fixe dinner
• Pizza Bocca Lupo - 20% off when you mention Restaurant Week
• Rookie's Sports Lodge
• Scott's Seafood - $40 three-course prix fixe dinner
• Takai - $23 two-course prix fixe menu
• Treatbot - one free topping or waffle cone with purchase

For more info, head over here. Press release below.

SAN JOSE LAUNCHES RESTAURANT WEEK PROMOTION JANUARY 16-26, 2017
Program Part of Statewide California Restaurant Month Promoting California’s Culinary Experiences

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Jan. 10, 2017) – More than 25 San Jose restaurants will celebrate San Jose Restaurant Week from Jan. 16 – 26, announced Karolyn Kirchgesler, Team San Jose CEO.

“San Jose’s Restaurant Week is a great opportunity for visitors to sample the 250 dining and night life options in San Jose,” Kirchgesler noted. “This years participating restaurants are an excellent representation of San Jose’s diverse culture and innovative approach to food.”

San Jose’s Restaurant Week is a mixture of Silicon Valley meets Valley of the Heart’s delight. Visitors will experience special deals and foods including: discounts, pre-fixed menus, chef’s tables, wine pairings and more. For more information and the complete list of participating restaurants, visit www.sjdowntown.com/dtsjrestaurantweek and follow Visit San Jose on social media.

San Jose Restaurant Week is part of California Restaurant Month, designated by Visit California. During its past 6 iterations, more than 50 destination partners have participated and contributed to its success. From the southernmost coastal beach towns to the High Sierras up north, dozens of destinations are hosting restaurant weeks and special events, shining a light on the many talented people and places in each region.

“This year, we’re broadening the program to promote all things culinary across the Golden State, from farmers’ markets and chef tastings to progressive dinners and winemaker specials. Our restaurants are the gateway to California’s abundance of culinary experiences -- now it’s time to peel back the layers to let our visitors experience the talent behind the scenes, from farmers and producers to chefs and winemakers,” said Caroline Beteta, Visit California President & CEO.

In 2015, travelers in California spent $32.3 billion on food and beverages, consisting of 29 percent of all visitor spending (Source: Dean Runyan Associates), Beteta said. Nearly 38 million domestic visitors participated in fine dining throughout the state. For more information about California Restaurant Month, visit www.DineinCa.com.

About Team San Jose
Team San Jose (TSJ) is an innovative partnership unifying the San Jose Convention and Visitors Bureau, hotels, arts, labor and venues to deliver an exceptional visitor experience. TSJ manages the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, California Theatre, Center for the Performing Arts, City National Civic, Montgomery Theater, Parkside Hall and South Hall. For more information, visit www.sanjose.org.

About Visit California
Visit California is a nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs – in partnership with the state’s travel industry – that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination. According to Visit California, travel and tourism expenditures totaled $117.5 billion in 2014 in California, supporting jobs for 1,013,000 Californians and generating $9.3 billion in state and local tax revenues. For more information about Visit California and for a free California Official State Visitor's Guide, go to www.VisitCalifornia.com.
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San Jose 2017 Resolutions

Better late than never! I have been meaning to post a link to Searchlight San Jose's list of New Year Resolutions. I agree wholeheartedly with all five items on the list, especially #3 (Get another Michelin Star Restaurant). To see the list for yourself and add your own items, just head over to Searchlight San Jose.

"I Wish Downtown San Jose Had" Project

Last September, Gensler (a slick design firm with a major office in Downtown San Jose) commissioned a project at the San Pedro Farmer's Market entitled "I Wish Downtown San Jose Had." The goal was to inspire the community to participate in defining the vision for Downtown. Anyone could write a wish on a card and then hang it on a wall. The wishes have all been compiled and you can see the results over here.

I also recommend checking out the great photos of the wish wall here. We need more creative grass-roots ideas like this to move things forward. Hats off to all those at Gensler involved in this.

January 2017 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• To incentivize high-rise housing Downtown, developers will continue to receive a 50% reduction in construction taxes and parkland fees for projects beginning consturction before July 2018. There are 10 residential projects in the pipeline with 3,600 units total.
• Supergraphics on non-residential buildings were approved by the city council. Fees collected will go to abate graffiti and create murals.
• Olla Cocina was awarded a Golden Nail Award for beautification.
• Exhibition district has opened Local Color (LoCo), a pop-up arts and retail space at 24 S. First Street (former Ross space). Eventually, the space will be used for a high-rise residential tower.
• The trendy new 210-room AC Hotel on West Santa Clara Street will be the first new Downtown San Jose hotel to open in 13 years. It is also the first AC Hotel in California and features a saltwater pool, outdoor fireplace, carpet-less flooring, and European-style bath and shower.
• Downtown San Jose Restaurant week runs from Jan. 16-26 and will feature 24 Downtown eateries.

To read the newsletter, click here!

The Silicon Valley Auto Show begins today

The largest auto show in the South Bay begins today at the San Jose Convention Center in Downtown San Jose. In addition to the hundreds of new vehicles on display from popular manufacturers, there will be several concept and exotic cars on display such as the McLaren 570S and 650S. It is still missing my favorite car company, Tesla, but that is expected given their sales model.

Event hours are 10am-10pm Thursday to Friday and 10am-6pm on Sunday. Tickets are $11 for adults and $8 for children, students, seniors, and military. Children under 6 are free. You can purchase tickets over here.

Sourisseau News: From Willows to Glen

Did you ever wonder how Willow Glen got its name? How long was Willow Glen an independent city before being annexed into San Jose? Watch the latest two-minute Sourisseau News video below to find out, along with all sorts of other interesting tidbits.

To see an archive of past videos, head over here.

Sourisseau News Willow Glen December from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

JetSuiteX adds another San Jose route

JetSuiteX is a public charter airline that flies out of San Jose's swanky private terminal on the opposite side of Terminals A and B. They already have routes from San Jose to Burbank, Bozeman (Montana), and Carlsbad. Now they are adding a new nonstop to Santa Monica.

The flight will depart San Jose at 4pm and arrive in Santa Monica at 5:10pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. On Friday the flight leaves SJC at 2:30pm and arrives are 3:40pm. Return flights leave at 7:50am and land in San Jose at 9am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Prices range from $99 to $219 each way.

For more info, head over to the JetSuiteX website.

Source: SVBJ

New Downtown San Jose site for events (including NYE options)

It is difficult finding a one-stop shop for all of the great events in Downtown San Jose. Matt Spergel has taken a shot with a new site called DTSJ.Events. The website currently pulls from the 70 different Facebook pages of Downtown venues and is still a work in progress.

The Site lists several New Years Eve options that cater towards all budgets. Now is a great time to go check out the site and make plans!