Rollati Ristorante - New 7,000 SQFT flagship restaurant coming to Downtown San Jose

There has been some debate lately on the state of Downtown San Jose. A viral video has been circulating around showing all the empty storefronts throughout Downtown, but it glossed over not only areas that are very active today but failed to point out the exciting new projects coming to our city's core. Rollati is definitely one of those projects.

The Silicon Valley Business Journal snagged an exclusive about the new restaurant. If you have a subscription you can access it here. Below are my notes.

Rollati Ristoranti is coming from the same team behind Left Bank Brasserie, LB Steak, Meso Modern Mediterranean and Camper in Menlo Park. It will be one of the anchor tenants on the ground floor of the Miro apartment towers across from City Hall. The restaurant is 7,000 SQFT large (massive) and will seat up to 189 people between an indoor dining room, bar and lounge, private dining rooms, a retail cafe, and outdoor space. A large outdoor dining area will be on both sides of the restaurant and accommodate up to 52 people.

The "retail cafe" definitely piqued my interest when I read the article. This will be a market that sells pastas, house-made sauces, and some prepared items like meatballs. It's catered towards the residents upstairs and Downtown workers that might want to quickly grab some items to take home.

The CEO of the company behind the restaurant described the menu as a "love letter to Italian-American cuisine" and stated that "a modern American-Italian restaurant hasn't been done in the caliber we're hoping." Bring it on I say!

Two sides of the restaurant space will have floor to ceiling windows to let in a lot of natural light and the vibe is going to be modern yet nostalgic.

The grand opening is slated for some time in September and dinner hours will be 5pm-9pm Sunday through Thursday and 5pm to 10pm on Friday and Saturday. For near real-time photos and additional info as it becomes available, follow The San Jose Blog on X.

Source: SVBJ

San Jose's secret video game vault in Downtown San Jose

Downtown San Jose already has several great venues for gamers. You have the epic-sized Guildhouse and LvL Uproar Brewery in SoFA, Miniboss for arcades and pinball, and San Pedro Social. However, did you know there is a treasure trove of video game nostalgia in a basement at 124 East Santa Clara Street?

Below a nondescript IT repair shop is Gameshop Downstairs. Here you can find classic games, vintage consoles, and all sorts of memorabilia from the many decades video games have been around now. If you're looking for Pokémon trading cards, yes they have those too.

As games are increasingly going digital, it's nice to know there is still a place where you can find a physical piece of gaming history. The N64 was my favorite console of all time and you can still buy cartridges here instead of dealing with eBay or garage sales. If you love games, I'd highly recommend swinging by next time you're in the area. Full address and hours below:

Gameshop Downstairs

124 E Santa Clara St, #B

Monday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Tuesday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Wednesday Closed

Thursday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Friday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sunday Closed

Source: Monterey Herald

South FIRST FRIDAY (+ STREET MRKT) Sep 1st, 2023 in Downtown San Jose

South FIRST FRIDAYS is back today with multiple galleries open from at least 5-10pm. Participating venues include ANNO DOMINI, the Institute of Contemporary Art, KALEID Gallery, Works San Jose, the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, the SoFA Market, MACLA, Art Ark Gallery, MACHU PICCHU, Natural Do Salon, 1Culture, and Chopsticks Alley Gallery.

In addition to FIRST FRIDAYS it is also a STREET MRKT featuring over 50 artists a beer/fermentation garden, live music, and food trucks.

It all goes down today, September 1st. As usual admission is free and all ages are welcome. Click here for a preview of featured art! Below is a map with all of the galleries to check out across three different districts. Keep scrolling for a list of artists and food trucks.

South FIRST FRIDAYS presents:

STREET MRKT an indie urban art faire 
5pm–10pm, free admission (spend it with the Artists!).
So. 1st St. between San Carlos & William streets

50+ talented artists gather together out on So. 1st St. transforming the SoFA District into a lively outdoor gallery for the evening. We’ll have stunning paintings, unique sculptures, mesmerizing jewelry, chic fashion and even on the spot experiences like custom poems and the Deep Legends Bus with DJ Dirty Beats . Support our amazing artists and help our local art scene thrive!

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Soloman Acosta
Rebecca Anguian 
Bay Area Glass Institute  (BAGI)
The Blunt Letters
Bolo Vintage
Julianne Bonnet 
Budding Art Foundation
Bungalow Glow Candle Co.
Jarold Cadion Art 
Emmanuel Cervantes-Mejía + Michael Rogan 
Crossroads Trading Co.
Curious Shapes / Brian Corbin
Current Tattooing
Jennifer DeChenne
Lorenz Dumuk 
Eraeon Clothing
Faded Visualz 
Flow State Sound Healing & Arts 
Force129 & Betty Proper 
Luisa Garcia
Glass Scout Studio
Cynthia Gonzalez
Ali Hall 
Hand in Hand Henna 
Higher Fire Clay Space & Gallery
Chris Jalufka
Jodi408
KNS Beauty Essentials
La Madre Bruja 
Land and Sky Fine Art / Joe Mandrick
The Local Creative Show  by StageOne
Frankie McFly 
Julianne McKay
Judit Navratil
Roger O. Jr.
OaxaCali Studios
Tania Okay 
Jean -Luc Pedanou
Leslie Perez Jewelry
Purl Bailey (AKA Marilyn Roaf)
Francisco Ramirez
Random Marks- the Art of Doug Edwards
Art of Joseph Richardson 
Mason Roberts 
Rene Schilling Sears
South Bay Ceramics
Suha Suha
Sujata Tibrewala
VMGC Designs
Heylu Wheat

Live Music:
6:30pm & 8pm: Bloc de la Soul (S 1st St and San Salvador intersection)
5pm–10pm DJ Dirty Beats & the Deep Legends Bus

Flipside Lovers DJs in the beer garden, plus delicious food trucks!

BEER GARDEN & FOOD TRUCKS

On Tap…
Clandestine Brewing
Fox Tale Fermentation

plus…

3 Brothers Kitchen
3 Hermanos Mexican Grill
Akita Gourmet Sushi
Chickn Bros.
Lemongrass Lane

BEAUTIFICA 360 at The Tech Interactive

BEAUTIFICA is a follow-up to one of the best selling planetarium music experiences in the world. The show provides a 360 degree journey through real and artificial worlds paired with an immersive audio experience. It's a sensory experience suitable for all ages 6 and up.

The Tech Interactive is screening it on their IMAX Dome Theater this weekend on Friday, September 1st and Saturday, September 2nd with showtimes at 6pm, 7:30pm, and 9pm.

There are still a few seats available. For more info and tickets to this unique experience, click here. 

Here are a couple promo codes if you are going with kids or larger groups:

BEAUTIFICAFAMILY - 10% off for adults booking with children

BEAUTIFICAGROUP - 10% off when booking 6 or more tickets

The WOW Festival 2023 in Downtown San Jose

A three-day music festival is taking place this Labor Day Weekend at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. The WOW Festival is showcase of emerging talent from San Jose and beyond, curated by Outside Live and featuring genres like indie rock, hip hop, EDM, folk, and more. 

Within the festival will be a variety of attractions, activities, food, a full bar, and "good vibes." Speaking of which, bad vibes are explicitly prohibited from this event according to their website.

It's open to all ages, although VIP tickets are 21 and over. The WOW festival runs from September 1st to 3rd, starting at noon each day and most musical acts ending around 10pm. For more info, head over here.

Stunning animated murals by San Jose Storyboard

I missed the SoFA Block Party and didn't get to see the insane animated mural that San Jose Storyboard put together. The picture below doesn't do it justice, you have to watch the short video to see what the mural was actually like. I also love their mission statement:

"Our mission is to transform Downtown San Jose into a global epicenter of artistic innovation and creativity. Through pioneering immersive public art, we showcase large-scale illuminated, animated, and projection-mapped murals and landmarks that pay homage to our city's heritage while pushing the limits of creative expression.

By seamlessly blending art with urban spaces, we strive to ignite the imagination of both residents and visitors alike, fostering an inclusive and vibrant community that celebrates the profound power of artistic storytelling. Together, we aspire to establish Downtown San Jose as an inspiring destination that not only connects people but leaves an indelible and transformative impact on all who encounter its extraordinary art scene."

Vibrant, dynamic, interactive, digital art is really how the San Jose art scene can stand out. We don't need a sea of skyscrapers to be a global city. However, a thriving art scene that is unique and compliments the innovative spirit of our region will go a long way to giving a sense of place to Silicon Valley.

Mask mandates are returning to Santa Clara County 😷

If you thought that mandatory government-mandated masking was over, then like myself you probably didn't read the most recent order by the Health Officer of the County of Santa Clara very carefully. On April 4th, 2023, mandatory masking was officially lifted in Santa Clara County. HOWEVER, masking is mandated for healthcare facilities during designated winter respiratory virus periods.

When are these winter respiratory virus periods? November 1st to March 31st of each year, a 5-month period which can be extended based on the discretion of the Health Officer. Punishments for violations, sound severe.

Right now this only applies to healthcare facilities, but this is a slippery slope that could lead to overreach into other areas and could open a door back to pandemic-style life. Would schools be next? Restaurants? Local businesses? 

Even within a healthcare setting, surely there should be some flexibility at the discretion of the facility. I'll give a personal example. My wife was in labor for 43 hours shortly after the mask mandates were lifted in April. I can't imagine how much more agonizing that would have been having to wear masks throughout the entire process.

I say this as someone who has had five COVID shots--the OG Pfizer duo, two boosters, and the bivalent... in other words, the works. I call it the Long Island Iced Tea of vaccinations.

What are your thoughts? Do we need to bring the mark requirements back or let organizations decide which policies work best for them and their constituents?

Source: Santa Clara County Public Health

The San Jose Blog's posting schedule

As a new dad it's been a challenge finding the balance between family, my day job, and The San Jose Blog. However, after slowly ramping things up over the past three months I'm happy to say that the blog will officially go back to daily posts for the first time since 2015. That's seven days a week, 365 days a year. By default posts will be scheduled at 6am PT. 

In rare cases where there is a 2nd post in the same day it'll be scheduled for noon. If you see a different posting time, there is either an Easter egg hidden in the time or I got zero sleep the night before... one of those two.

Social media is also back from life support. I'll check and respond to comments posted on Facebook regularly. Most social media activity will be on X/Twitter. 

Why X? The velocity at which real-time information and news is shared beats other platforms and the user interface and performance are excellent. Also, a core part of San Jose's brand is innovation and most social media platforms have remained pretty stagnant. While I don't agree with all the changes made by X or even the name, I have to respect that it's a platform that is rapidly evolving and in many cases getting better over time. I'll do 3-5 short posts or reposts on X/Twitter a day to relay anything interesting related to San Jose faster than I normally would on the blog. A link to the longer daily posts will be there too.

Last but not least is Instagram. I'll use this sparingly at big events when I'm able to leave the house more often... which I hear is around the 6-month mark. Fingers crossed. Other parents can correct me here.

*Not my actual wall, Gregory Savage did this who is a UX Researcher and Volunteer at Code for San Jose