Restaurant Gish

The Silicon Valley food scene continues to deliver numerous high-end options, but the downside is ever-increasing costs heading towards insanity. Restaurants like The French Laundry and SingleThread easily cost upwards of $500 PER PERSON. Wine tastings to go along with that fancy meal can easily cost upwards of $100 per person on top of that. That is why I was thrilled to find a great fine dining option that won't break the bank. It's called Restaurant Gish.

One of the reasons why the prices are not super high is that the area around it is not pretentious at all. The restaurant is in a nondescript Santa Clara strip mall facing an alley. It's one of the last places you would expect a fine dining establishment. It feels like you're going to a speakeasy.

Inside the ambiance is modern yet homely. Deciding on what to eat is simple, there is a single menu with 4-5 courses that changes each month. When I went it was $79 for 4 courses with an excellent wine pairing for $47. There was also an optional extra course if you were really hungry.

Everything was exceptional from start to finish, including the service. I might just become a regular.

San Jose State University planning Campus Village 3 Towers

SJSU already has 40,000 students, staff, and faculty and many of those are now living in Downtown San Jose. Now the university is planning it's next steps in allowing as many people as possible to live close to the campus. This is a tremendous challenge given the insane cost of housing in Silicon Valley.

SJSU drafted a new master plan that would house 20% of full-time students on or near campus. They already made some big strides this year by converting the former Fairmont Annex to student housing. When walking around a couple weeks ago I noticed that the students were adding far more vibrancy to the area.

The next big step will be Campus Village 3. This project will add 1,000 beds in a 12-story residence hall along with dining commons and a welcome center. SJSU will also turn the Alquist site from a three-story building to a high-rise rental property for faculty and staff.

Now that SJSU is skyrocketing up college ranking, I'd only expect more pressure in the future to accommodate more students as the university moves away from a commuter-school stigma. SJSU's best days are yet to come.

Source: SVBJ

El Cabron Kitchen & Cantina

The Downtowner has a plug for El Cabron this week, which is one of Downtown San Jose's newer Mexican restaurants. It has a fun vibe and central location close to Plaza de Cesar Chavez. Below is the description of the restaurant in the newsletter:

"Looking for great food, fantastic vibes, and a true taste of Downtown San Jose’s vibrant energy? El Cabron Cantina & Kitchen is the place to be! Known for its authentic Mexican cuisine, craft cocktails, and an atmosphere that buzzes with excitement, this lively spot has quickly become a favorite among locals and visitors alike.

What sets El Cabron apart isn’t just its mouthwatering dishes—it’s the electric mix of fun, flavor, and community spirit. From casual diners to foodies seeking something special, everyone is welcomed with open arms, adding to the dynamic pulse of downtown.

Ready to experience it for yourself? Head over to El Cabron Cantina & Kitchen and see why it’s quickly becoming one of Downtown San Jose’s hottest spots. Whether you're looking to grab a bite or simply soak in the energy, this is the place to be!"

El Cabron Kitchen & Cantina is located at 155 W. San Fernando and open until 1:30am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Source: The Downtowner

Funny Face House and The Throw Ups playing at The Caravan

The Caravan in Downtown San Jose is hosting a night of weirdo art and loud rock and roll today featuring local San Jose artists: Funny Face House Lawnmower Band and the chaotic energy of The Throw Ups. It’s a free show, but bring a can of soup for their food drive, and they'll donate a box to the Second Harvest Food Bank. Come rock out for a cause and experience a night of wild live music.

The Caravan is located at 98 Almaden Avenue.

New Museum proposed for the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds

San Jose residents Marcella and Gary Gulmon are leading an effort to develop a permanent fairgrounds history museum to celebrate the 80-year history of the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. The museum would be placed inside the 1949 State House Replica which is located within the fairgrounds. San Jose was the capitol of California between 1849 and 1851. The California State House replica was built to honor that.

The museum would display fairgrounds historical collections year-round. The Gulmon family is passionate about collecting, preserving, and documenting fairgrounds history.

It certainly is important to understand our roots and farming heritage. Long before we were Silicon Valley, we were the Valley of Heart's Delight. Some of the best farmland in the country, is actually here. Hopefully they will be able to open the museum soon.

Source: The Mercury News

Augustine will be Santana Row's newest high-end restaurant

Bacchus Management Group has run several Michelin-starred restaurants including The Village Pub in Woodside, Selby's in Atherton, and Spruce in SF. They also launched one of the most popular restaurants in Santana Row two decades ago--Pizza Antica. Now they are opening a second restaurant at Santana Row called Augustine.

The new restaurant will focus on family-style Mediterranean cuisine and encompass 8,000 SQFT along with a 3,000 SQFT patio space. They actually tore down the front of the building and moved the entrance back 25 feet to make the patio even larger and give the restaurant an indoor-outdoor feel.

It will have a cocktail lounge, a large bar, two dining rooms, a reservation-only cocktail bar (could it be another speakeasy?) and options for private dining. Pricing will be around $80 for a two-person dinner, but I'm assuming that is without alcohol.  

The goal is to open by end of the year at 377 Santana Row, a spot formerly occupied by Sino that has been vacant since 2020. I can't wait to try it out!

Source: SVBJ

Eos & Nyx is getting closer to opening

The most highly anticipated new restaurant and bar in Downtown San Jose right now is Eos & Nyx. This is being done by the same owners of Miniboss, Paper Plane, Still O.G., and Alter Ego. It's a flagship two-story restaurant and bar in the building that used to house Camera 12 (Urban Putt is in there as well).

I was walking by and not only was there furniture, but they were testing the mechanical system on the 2nd floor that opens the windows. Look at that glorious patio space on the ground floor! 

It was supposed to open this year, but that might still be a bit of a stretch. Below are the spy shots followed by the latest renders.

VTA's old campus will become housing

What will become of the old VTA office space when they move into the shiny blue tower at 488 South Almaden in Downtown San Jose? They currently have over 200,000 SQFT of space in North San Jose. It turns out that the 17-acre campus at 3331 North First Street will likely become housing. 

The VTA is not planning to sell the property after moving into it's new home. Instead they are planning to ground lease the land for transit-oriented development projects. VTA has not announced which developers they plan to work with.

The property could support up to 1,300 new homes and the location is in the Golden Triangle near thousands of San Jose tech companies. 

In order for this project to move forward, VTA will have to move into it's new home first. This isn't expected until 2026.

Source: SVBJ