Elyse: elevated French Vietnamese cuisine in the heart of Downtown San Jose

Before we talk about about the new Elyse, I have to spend a moment to honor the original. Elyse was the first French Vietnamese restaurant in Downtown San Jose and took residence in the former House of Siam space that old school San Joseans will remember well. The first time I went, I was just happy that a Downtown space that sat vacant for years was finally filled up with a new restaurant. However, I was completely blown away by the cuisine, cocktails, and how romantic the space was. Despite my mission to eat at every restaurant in Downtown San Jose (I'm at 258 so far) I returned several more times and would easily place it in my Top 10 for all Downtown San Jose restaurants.

This was in 2018. Fast forward to the pandemic. During the early 2020s the owner endured multiple hardships including including the passing of her mom, break-ins, property damage, looting, a divorce, and then some. It was an incredibly challenging time, and Elyse closed their doors for an extended period. 

Now, not only is Elyse back... but they have a new location that is bigger and better than ever. This key corner space once belonged to Nemea at the corner of San Fernando and 1st Street. Like House of Siam, it has also been vacant for years. There is a lot of pressure on Elyse to bring something special to this high-traffic part of Downtown--and they delivered.

The space is open and inviting. There is a bar area, main dining room, a cellar-style wine room, a private dining space, and outdoor seating. There are large works of art themed around both France and Vietnam. The lit Eiffel Tower was my favorite.

I was fortunate to sample eight of their dishes. For the appetizers we had caviar blinis, mushroom tartlette (crowd favorite), head-on grilled shrimp, fried Brussel sprouts, mussels, and garlic noodles. I would recommend any of these. The caviar was a nice surprise since I don't remember that on the original menu and I'm not aware of any other restaurant in Downtown San Jose that has that available. As decadent as that was, my favorite app was the mushroom tartlette followed by the giant shrimp skewers with Vietnamese seasonings.

After the appetizers we had two of the mains--a glazed seabass with sauted bok choy and cofit as well as a braised short rib bourguignon with bone-in braised Angus beef short rib and Belgian style fries.

Both were phenomenal. I'm normally a carnivore and prefer steak, but the pan seared glazed seabass was truly outstanding and would likely be my choice. If you're out on a date, it's the perfect opportunity to get two different dishes and share. 

Unfortunately I had to leave the media preview night early to get to our baby at home and did not have a chance to try the desserts. They had a black sesame panna cotta and a Belgian chocolate lava cake, both of which I would have loved to try. I'm planning to head back there this weekend to get those desserts and try more of their dishes. I'm especially looking forward to trying some items that lean more towards the Vietnamese side and a cocktail or two.

In summary, Elyse gets two huge thumbs up. Please give them a try and let us know what you think! Could this be San Jose's next Michelin-recommended restaurant? Petiscos needs some company, and this may be it.

Elyse is located at 96 South 1st Street and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5pm to 9pm. Street parking is free after 6pm and pretty easy to get within a couple blocks of the restaurant. You can make reservations here as well as read more reviews (spoiler, they have a well-deserved 4.5/5 stars on Yelp). 

Elyse has a full-blown wine room

Finally, tomorrow I'll have the full write-up for Elyse. There is too much content for one post (not even talking about the fist fight outside during the mayor's interview). One quick item I'll break out for today is that Elyse isn't just a restaurant, they are also a wine merchant.

They have a beautiful room that feels like a wine cellar and can store thousands of bottles of wine. I know they dabbled in making their own products, so it will be interesting to see which bottles are available for purchase.

Since Zanatto's and The Market by Safeway closed, this part of Downtown San Jose has not had a great spot to buy wines. That all changes very soon. You can find Elyse at 96 S. First St. (former Nemea corner space). 

 

Campus Burgers will offer $2 Hamburgers and $3 Cheeseburgers in Downtown San Jose

A new burger sport is opening at 108 Paseo de San Antonio and they are offering $1.99 smash burgers. That isn't a promotion, it appears to be their standard pricing. In fact, they proudly only have four items on the menu:

• Hamburger $1.99
• Cheeseburger $2.99
• Fries $3.99
• Sodas $2.29

That's it. Given their location between the SJSU campus and SJSU student housing at the former Fairmont Annex/Signia San Jose, this could become a very popular spot. 

For those that miss Johnny Rockets, we'll have a dedicated burger spot in Downtown San Jose again very soon. Their grand opening is scheduled for May I believe.

New food hall is officially open in Downtown San Jose

A new "cloud kitchen" is now open on Santa Clara Street called the Downtown Food Hall. The concept is optimized for take-out food and delivery services like Doordash, but there will be a dine-in option for all of the eateries there.

One of the first restaurants to have their soft opening is Halal Taqueria, and anywhere from 11 to 19 more will soon follow. For more information on what's coming, head over here.

Source: NBC Bay Area

iChina hires a rockstar chef, obviously aiming for the stars

By aiming for the stars, of course I'm talking about those rare Michelin Stars. As our one and only Michelin Star restaurant--Adega--closed their doors in 2023, iChina is our next best shot.

Yesterday iChina announced that Singapoean Chef Chen Zhinengh is joining the team as Executive Chef. He has worked at multiple Michelin-star restaurants including Hakkasan in New York, Empress By Boon in SF, and 3 Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurants.

Below is the full text from the email blast. I'll look forward to trying iChina soon after his updated menu is live.

Introducing Chef Chen Zhinengh

We are thrilled to announce Chef Chen Zhinengh has joined iCHiNA to lead our kitchens. Because eight is an auspicious number, here are eight reasons we’re lucky to have him.

#1

Born in Singapore, Chef Chen started working in restaurants at the age of 16.

#2

He has cooked at some of the top restaurants in Singapore including the Mandarin Oriental and Ritz Carlton Hotels.

#3

Chef Chen was part of the opening team for Hakkasan New York and went on to help oversee all US locations.

#4

Prior to joining iCHiNA Chef Chen was Executive Chef at the Michelin-starred Empress By Boon, in San Francisco.

#5

A master of Peking Duck—one of our signature dishes—Chef Chen has combined culinary methods from top restaurants around the world to create a Peking Duck with  distinctive taste and a richer texture.

#6

Chef Chen has cooked at 3 Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurants.

#7

This video starring Chef Chen making dumplings has been viewed over 54,000 times. If it doesn’t make you want to try our dim sum, we don’t know what will!

#8

Chef Chen is developing some amazing specials to offer during Lunar New Year including 魚生撈起 (Prosperity Salad) and 红豆汤 (Red Bean Glutinous Rice Soup) to bring you health and prosperity in the new year. 

Book a table now for a taste of Chef Chen’s exquisite cooking. Some of his new dishes include Golden Tofu Lobster featuring lobster, pumpkin, and silken tofu and Black Bean Prawns with housemade black bean sauce and fresh gai lan.

Bay Area Michelin Star Restaurants - 2024 Edition (Part 1)

It has been a long while since doing a post about Michelin recommended/starred restaurants--2019 in fact.

The Michelin guide is the most renowned rubric in the world for measuring culinary success. Unfortunately, we have some bad news this year. San Jose's first and only Michelin Star restaurant ever, Adega in Little Portugal, is now permanently closed. The silver lining is that it will be replaced with a second Petiscos restaurant. The original Petiscos is in Downtown San Jose's SoFA District and is not only featured in the guide but is one of San Jose's first two Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants (a step below a Star and signifying a restaurant is of outstanding value for the quality).

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.

New last year were "Green Stars" for restaurants that are at the forefront of sustainable, environmental, and ethical standards.

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 that a very small percentage of restaurants achieve. This distinction has gotten more rare since the guide now covers all of California instead of just the Bay Area. San Jose has a total of 4 Michelin Recommended restaurants (one of which is now closed), which is down 4 restaurants from 2019. LeYou Ethiopian is the only newcomer.


San Jose Michelin Recommended Restaurants:

• Downtown
• Petiscos $$ (Bib Gourmand)
• East San Jose
• Adega $$$$ (Closed)
• Midtown
• Luna Mexican Kitchen $$ (Bib Gourmand)
• North San Jose
• LeYou $$

I also created a Google doc listing all of the star recipients for 2023, along with tabs for all previous years and some general statistics. 2020-2022 were crazy years and I still have to update data there. I also expect new stars and restaurants to be announced this summer. There is no longer a physical book for California, but Michelin will update their site after new stars are awarded.

Below is an image capture from the doc. This year there were a total of 45 Bay Area restaurants that were awarded Michelin stars, which is down 12 from before the pandemic in 2019. 60% of the restaurants are locating in SF, 18% in Silicon Valley (split evenly between the South Bay and the Peninsula), 18% in Wine Country, 2% in the East Bay, and 2% in Marin. There are 3 new restaurants on the list for 2023 and several that no longer made the cut or were closed down. There were no new Silicon Valley restaurants on the list from 2022, but Selby's and Sushi Shin were both added post-pandemic.

This post is entitled Part 1. As previously mentioned Michelin will announce updates to the guide for Bay Area restaurants this summer. It will be interesting if San Jose can get back in the guide with a starred restaurant. There are certainly several that deserve it. Some of my top picks for addition would be iChina, Le Papillion, and Rollati. We'll have to see if anyone will come along and fill Adega's shoes in Part 2 later this year.

San Jose Winter Wonder Market this weekend at Westgate Center

A unique SJ Made event is going down this weekend inside of Westgate Center. Instead of taking place in a convention center or outside in a parking lot, they are utilizing all of the free space within the mall (see map below).

San Jose Winter Wonder Market will feature 150 makers, artists, designers, and creators. All of the Westgate Center stores will still be open, so you can do the rest of your Christmas shopping in one convenient place and support local small businesses at the same time.

Hours for the event will be from 11am-5pm on Dec 16th and 17th. Attendance and parking is free. There is also a VTA Bus Station on-site called "Campbell & Saratoga." Below you can find a hand map sorted both alphabetically and by booth number. For more info, head over here.

Vendor Lineup (sorted alphabetically)

(the) Lisa Inez - N02

2pomelo - K16

9 Lunas Accessories - B03

A Jar of Pickles - D01

A Jar of Pickles - D02

A Miyako M - Q03

Accessories NAGAOKA - Q01

Alice Yang - A21

Alpine Soapery - A15

Art by Julia - R02

Aubluvion - O02

Bad Art by Nice - H04

Bad Witch Crystals - Q02

bananabbean - D03

bb mad designs - P09

Boho Moon Art - F05

Browned Butter Babe Co. - P06

Bunniejing Studio - P10

Buppydogs - H01

BVanSoi - D05

Candy Paint Cafe - R04

CasaPlants Bay Area - P08

Ceramics By Jane - B15

Charlotte Truffles - K18

cherrypugpie - O01

Chibi-Oneechan - Q10

Christine's Cookie Co - M04

CloverLeafPie - A17

Cocochoon - K13

CositasContreras - G09

crochetwhispers - Q05

Cupcakes for College - Q07

Deercassette - Q08

Derptiles - P11

Dezireecustoms - F12

Draw Jess Draw - B14

DrawnbyIvy - B05

Dream Fields Indigo - K03

Earthside Candles Co - F07

eelsilog - A20

Eizel’s Bakery - K22

EnV Bags LLC - F01

Escama Studio - E03

Eternal Trinket - G08

Euphoric Sun - B10

Exhilo Apparel - A19

Fern Flower Studio - K11

Fine Art & Illustration by Tabitha Jensen | Pabkins - O04

Florabel - F03

Fluffed Animals - F11

Fonzie's Artisanal Goods - H08

Franci Cakes - H03

Future Bloom Apparel - F08

fuwaffy - A22

Fuzzlecat - R03

Gabbie Gallery - A12

Gabriel Edwards - E08

Galaxsea Emporium - K07

Girthybobastraw - K15

Golden Circle - P01

Golden Lemon Studio LLC - Q06

Golden Luxe Jewels - K04

goyangii - G07

Hachi Bit - F13

Hannah Hillam Illustration - G02

Happy Goods - E02

Hello Lily - E04

homeyviis - F06

Homie SF - A06

Huang Pottery - A07

ItsKleine - G11

Jale - K02

Jaliren - A09

JaneLi.Co - B02

Jellybee Jewelry - A08

Joce - O03

Jodi408 - J03

Joy Blossoms Clay - G01

Kawaii Glass Co - B13

Kelsiekishidraws - P04

Kindred Caramels - G04

Krafttee - C04

Kristine Chen Ceramics - K05

Kuailin Studio - K12

La Paloma Imports - B04

Le Petit Elefant - M02

Leila's Divine Designs - F10

LettucePunch - K10

Limpachi - K01

Linked By Trini - K09

Magnote - J01

McKinnon Collective - B01

Meelee Art - H05

Menmin Made - P05

Midori Chan - A14

MiGi Cera Candle Co - P07

MIMOPUFFS - K19

mintimelon marbles - K21

Misul Studios - A10

momofresh - K14

Motif's Art Studio - D04

Munespice - A05

Naptime Doodler - C01

Naptime Doodler - C02

Neko-Oi - Q11

No Thread No Life - A11

Nyaomikyu - K08

Out of the Woods - K24

Painting With James - B16

Panty Cat - H09

Paper Picture Mama - G06

Parasol Paper - P02

Peachirou - K23

Pink Little Clouds - A18

PinoyShotArt - A13

Prachie Studio - Q09

Prosecco Rose - H06

RainandJas - H10

rinihimme - K25

Rolilomi's Market - F04

Ronin Decals - F14

Rose Gold Jelly - Q12

Sakai Harts & Crafts - G03

sakuradragon - B18

sakuradragon - B20

Sam's Gourmet Jams - G10

Same Same Goods - E07

sanshocat studio - N01

Seto Arts - E01

Sherry Lou Studio - H07

shoyuscribbles - E06

SJMADE INFO BOOTH - I01

SJMADE INFO BOOTH - I02

SMOOCH - B08

Snippet Studios - B17

Snippet Studios - B19

soobiumi - A16

SoyFeliz - B09

Starry Droplets - K17

Sudibear - G05

Sundrop Studios - G12

Sweeter than Honey Bakery - H02

Teappo - P12

thanksxu - B12

The DLT Jewel Co. - K26

The Hungry Sloth - F02

The Joyful Thoughts - Q04

The Knotty Corgi - F09

The Little Forest Ceramic Shop - P03

The Little Red House - R01

Thrive Culture - E05

Treasure California - K06

Two Thicc Asians - B11

VinoBurrito - J02

Wild Rina - C03

Woofboard LLC - A24

Yanchako - B06

Yinaya - B07

Yours Truly, Mary Anne - A23

---

Vendor Lineup (sorted by booth number + row)

A05 - Munespice

A07 - Huang Pottery

A09 - Jaliren

A11 - No Thread No Life

A13 - PinoyShotArt

A15 - Alpine Soapery

A17 - CloverLeafPie

A19 - Exhilo Apparel

A21 - Alice Yang

A23 - Yours Truly, Mary Anne

A06 - Homie SF

A08 - Jellybee Jewelry

A10 - Misul Studios

A12 - Gabbie Gallery

A14 - Midori Chan

A16 - soobiumi

A18 - Pink Little Clouds

A20 - eelsilog

A22 - fuwaffy

A24 - Woofboard LLC

B01 - McKinnon Collective

B03 - 9 Lunas Accessories

B05 - DrawnbyIvy

B07 - Yinaya

B09 - SoyFeliz

B11 - Two Thicc Asians

B13 - Kawaii Glass Co

B15 - Ceramics By Jane

B17 - Snippet Studios

B19 - Snippet Studios

B02 - JaneLi.Co

B04 - La Paloma Imports

B06 - Yanchako

B08 - SMOOCH

B10 - Euphoric Sun

B12 - thanksxu

B14 - Draw Jess Draw

B16 - Painting With James

B18 - sakuradragon

B20 - sakuradragon

C01 - Naptime Doodler

C02 - Naptime Doodler

C03 - Wild Rina

C04 - Krafttee

D01 - A Jar of Pickles

D02 - A Jar of Pickles

D03 - bananabbean

D04 - Motif's Art Studio

D05 - BVanSoi

E01 - Seto Arts

E03 - Escama Studio

E05 - Thrive Culture

E07 - Same Same Goods

E02 - Happy Goods

E04 - Hello Lily

E06 - shoyuscribbles

E08 - Gabriel Edwards

F01 - EnV Bags LLC

F03 - Florabel

F05 - Boho Moon Art

F07 - Earthside Candles Co

F09 - The Knotty Corgi

F11 - Fluffed Animals

F13 - Hachi Bit

F02 - The Hungry Sloth

F04 - Rolilomi's Market

F06 - homeyviis

F08 - Future Bloom Apparel

F10 - Leila's Divine Designs

F12 - Dezireecustoms

F14 - Ronin Decals

G01 - Joy Blossoms Clay

G03 - Sakai Harts & Crafts

G05 - Sudibear

G07 - goyangii

G09 - CositasContreras

G11 - ItsKleine

G02 - Hannah Hillam Illustration

G04 - Kindred Caramels

G06 - Paper Picture Mama

G08 - Eternal Trinket

G10 - Sam's Gourmet Jams

G12 - Sundrop Studios

H01 - Buppydogs

H03 - Franci Cakes

H05 - Meelee Art

H07 - Sherry Lou Studio

H09 - Panty Cat

H02 - Sweeter than Honey Bakery

H04 - Bad Art by Nice

H06 - Prosecco Rose

H08 - Fonzie's Artisanal Goods

H10 - RainandJas

I01 - SJMADE INFO BOOTH

I02 - SJMADE INFO BOOTH

J01 - Magnote

J02 - VinoBurrito

J03 - Jodi408

K01 - Limpachi

K03 - Dream Fields Indigo

K05 - Kristine Chen Ceramics

K07 - Galaxsea Emporium

K09 - Linked By Trini

K11 - Fern Flower Studio

K13 - Cocochoon

K15 - Girthybobastraw

K17 - Starry Droplets

K19 - MIMOPUFFS

K21 - mintimelon marbles

K23 - Peachirou

K25 - rinihimme

K02 - Jale

K04 - Golden Luxe Jewels

K06 - Treasure California

K08 - Nyaomikyu

K10 - LettucePunch

K12 - Kuailin Studio

K14 - momofresh

K16 - 2pomelo

K18 - Charlotte Truffles

K22 - Eizel’s Bakery

K24 - Out of the Woods

K26 - The DLT Jewel Co.

M02 - Le Petit Elefant

M04 - Christine's Cookie Co

N01 - sanshocat studio

N02 - (the) Lisa Inez

O01 - cherrypugpie

O02 - Aubluvion

O03 - Joce

O04 - Fine Art & Illustration by Tabitha Jensen | Pabkins

P01 - Golden Circle

P03 - The Little Forest Ceramic Shop

P05 - Menmin Made

P07 - MiGi Cera Candle Co

P09 - bb mad designs

P11 - Derptiles

P02 - Parasol Paper

P04 - Kelsiekishidraws

P06 - Browned Butter Babe Co.

P08 - CasaPlants Bay Area

P10 - Bunniejing Studio

P12 - Teappo

Q01 - Accessories NAGAOKA

Q03 - A Miyako M

Q05 - crochetwhispers

Q07 - Cupcakes for College

Q09 - Prachie Studio

Q11 - Neko-Oi

Q02 - Bad Witch Crystals

Q04 - The Joyful Thoughts

Q06 - Golden Lemon Studio LLC

Q08 - Deercassette

Q10 - Chibi-Oneechan

Q12 - Rose Gold Jelly

R01 - The Little Red House

R02 - Art by Julia

R03 - Fuzzlecat

R04 - Candy Paint Cafe

More details emerge about "San Jose's Downtown Food Hall" on Santa Clara Street

A few tidbits are starting to leak out for one of San Jose's most mysterious projects--a food hall backed by the co-founder of Uber in the old Hank's Downtown Furniture retail spot. The location can support up to 26 kitchens and there will be a central ordering area for walk-ins. However, it will be optimized for to-go orders and deliveries.

Some of the restraunteur-oriented advertising for the project highlights that there are 1.1 million residents, 647,000 worker, and 44,000 students within a 15 minute drive. All of the order pickup and processing can be handled by the hall instead of the individual business.

The restaurants lined up so far include:

• Forza Italia Kitchen
• Y-Linh Sandwiches
• Sophia's Sweets
• Silk Road Kitchen
• Cosmic Cuisine Halal,
• Mercy Mediterranean
• Monosushi
• TeaZeer
• Sam & Curry
• Azuma San Jose
• SLOBSTER
• Cinco Milpas

Some of the menus are even already available over here. Even more interesting, several of the restaurants are slated to open at the end of December. This will be one project to keep an eye out for. You'll be able to access it at 82 E. Santa Clara Street.

VeggieFest 2023 in Downtown San Jose Today 🥕

Today from 11am to 5pm in Plaza de Cesar Chavez you can experience a celebration of healthy and sustainable living. There is a lot going on including live music, arts & crafts, and of course fresh veggies to eat. I've posted all of the details below. 

Tickets are free and available here.

🌿 San Jose VeggieFest 2023: A Celebration of Healthy and Sustainable Living 🌿

Join us for a day filled with joy, flavor, and community at San Jose VeggieFest! With an inclusive theme that embraces healthy living, sustainability, community engagement, local economic support, and cultural celebration, we are thrilled to host a day that brings people together for a common cause.

🎶 Featuring Las Cafeteras: Join us for a soul-stirring performance by Las Cafeteras, a band renowned for their infectious blend of Afro-Mexican beats, rhythms, and rhymes. Las Cafeteras' meaningful lyrics tell stories of social justice, community, and celebration, resonating with the core values of VeggieFest. Their music creates connections across cultures and generations, promising an inspiring and unforgettable experience at San Jose VeggieFest 2023!

🥦 What to Expect

Promoting Healthy Living: Explore a variety of mouthwatering plant-based foods and beverages that encourage healthier dietary choices.

Community Engagement: Enjoy live entertainment and connect with individuals from all backgrounds.

Economic Support for Local Businesses: Discover local small businesses that share the event's values.

Cultural Celebration: Engage in multicultural performances and diverse culinary offerings.

🎉 Confirmed Participants:

Food & Beverage : Azalea's Creations, Açaí do Amazonas, Casita Vegana SF, Churros El Guero, Green Flour Bakery, Green Wolf Foods, Jaguar Baker, The Giving Pies, The Lemonade Bar, Souley Vegan Food, Juice Alize, and many more!

Education & Community Services: Evergreen Valley College, Fresh Approach, CAL FIRE, California Highway Patrol, SCC Public Health, Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, Elected Representatives, and more!

Art & Crafts: Art Pocket SJ, Beaux Nails, Bethinketh LLC, Eminence Candle, Harji Naturals LLC, Ivy Indigo, Jellybee Jewelry, Luna Glow, Sacred Source, SuccsLife, The Source Zero, and more!

🎟️ Tickets: FREE ENTRY!! Please register through Eventbrite, will be scanning tickets at entrance.

Free entry for all ages!

📢 Join Us:

Be part of this joyful and meaningful event that brings together our community for a day of fun, learning, and connection. Whether you're a vegan food lover, an environmental enthusiast, or simply someone who enjoys a great gathering, San Jose VeggieFest is the place to be.

For more information, please contact Juan Rodriguez at Juan.Rodriguez@asm.ca.gov

Little Italy San Jose Street Festival this weekend

The 6th Annual Little Italy San Jose Festival kicks off this Saturday, September 30th from 6-10pm and continues on Sunday, October 1st from 11am-7pm. It'll feature authentic Italian cuisine, entertainment, Cal-Italia wine tasting, Italian supercars, arts & crafts, and will of course highlight both the existing and new Little Italy San Jose businesses. There is also a silent auction to benefit the Italian Museum & Cultural Center which is located right inside Little Italy.

The list of sponsors includes some big names like Google and The Sobrato Organization, which is great since over 15,000 people could participate this year. It's always a fun event and a great way to explore one of San Jose's newest districts. I would recommend parking at San Pedro Square and walking over or using Uber/Lyft so you can really enjoy those Cal-Italian wines.

For more information head over here!

La Ca Phe now open on 740 Story Road in San Jose near Vietnam Town

La Ca Phe is a Vietnamese Coffee shop specializing in a variety of specialties that are not easy to find in the Bay Area. Their Eggspresso Hanoi is a special egg-based coffee drink that I last tried in Vietnam and it blew my mind. They also have Ube Coffee and a wide variety of other Vietnamese and Southeast Asian-style drinks.

They have been working on this coffee shop for three years and opened to huge demand. La Ca Phe is at 740 Story Road. Instead of doing your typical Starbucks routine, come try out some unique and truly delicious coffee someplace new!

Source: Insta

Menu for Maui at the Signia San Jose

Executive Sous Chef Joe Derla has a strong personal connection to the islands and crafted a unique menu offering to benefit the Kokua Hospitality and Restaurant Fund. It's called Menu for Maui and it's available at the Fountain Restaurant every Sunday until October 1st. Proceeds will assist fellow restaurant, bar, and hospitality workers displaced be the wildfires in West Maui.

The menu includes items such as ube custard French toast with candied macadamia nuts, braised short rib loco moco with kimchee fried rice, fish with poi, and a pineapple mimosa with Hawaiian salt.

It's a great menu for a great cause. The Signia is located right in front of Plaza de Cesar Chavez in the middle of Downtown San Jose.

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.

2nd Taco Bell *Cantina* opens in San Jose

If you have ever been to Taco Bell and wished there was something with a little more kick to wash those tacos down, today is your lucky day. A new Taco Bell Cantina opened next to the Century Theaters at Oakridge Mall. Unlike other Taco Bells, the "Cantina" variety serve alcohol including blended margaritas and beers and usually stay open until midnight.

It's a surreal experience getting your alcoholic beverages at a Taco Bell, but they were surprisingly good and affordable. I would take this over your typical movie theater food any day of the week.

There is one other Taco Bell Cantina at 19 Market St. in Downtown San Jose. I'll never forget that location as it's the only place where I personally experienced a crime. As I sat down to eat, a young man in a peacoat asked if he could have one of my Cheesy Gordita Crunch tacos. I said I'm good. Then he tried to trade me his peacoat for the taco. While tempting and likely a trade in my favor, I still said no. When I got up to tell one of the managers I was getting a bit uncomfortable, he grabbed my taco and ran away! He didn't even leave the peacoat. Thankfully customer service was excellent and Taco Bell Cantina staff immediately replaced my pilfered Cheesy Gordita Crunch taco at no additional charge. No police report was filed.

True random story aside, if you enjoy Taco Bell this is the best one to go to. Their fancy frozen margaritas can also be made without alcohol and they have nicer seating they your typical Taco Bell. This new one even has a patio with a fireplace.

Source: Fox KTVU

Egghead Sando opens new locations in San Jose and Santa Clara

One of my favorite sandwich places has opened two new locations. You can now enjoy Egghead Sando Cafe in South San Jose at 6201 Santa Teresa Blvd. and in Santa Clara at 3957 Rivermark Plaza (North San Jose area).

They are known for their fluffy egg-centric toasted brioche sandwiches, which are often paired with bacon, spam, or chicken. My go-to is the B.E.C. sandwich which has thick-cut bacon, an over medium egg, cheddar, and house sauce. They also have a specialty called the Eggy which is a poached egg on top of a potato puree topped topped with bacon and chives. It's a perfect complement to any sandwich, especially with tater tots. 

They're open from 7am to 3pm on the weekdays and 8am to 4pm on the weekends. Egghead also has two other locations off of Capital Expressway and in Downtown San Jose.

Source: The Merc

Famous Korean BBQ spot Baekjeong opens first Northern California location in San Jose

Speaking of BBQ (see previous post today), Baekjeong is opening their very first location in Northern California at Westfield Valley Fair. This is a chain owned by Korean celebrity Kang Ho-dong and is extremely popular in LA and New York. San Jose will be one of just a two locations to accept reservations and they are already going fast on Resy.

While many malls around the country are struggling, Valley Fair somehow is continuing to expand and attract compelling restaurants. Eataly, Din Tai Fung, iChina, Maestro's, Kingfish, and Ramen Nagi are some of the other flagship dining destinations within the mall.

100 Things To Do In San Jose Before You Die - 2nd Edition

Welcome to the blog post that has stayed in "draft" the longest. I started writing this right as COVID had just started to spread and decided to table it until the pandemic was over. Then last year, life got crazy... so this has been in draft for over three years!

Five Eight years ago I read the first edition of Susannah Greenwood's "100 Things To Do in San Jose Before You Die." As a hardcore San Jose aficionado, I was shocked (and delighted) that I had only done 54 out of the 100 things to do in the book. There is so much to do and see in San Jose.

25% of the entries on the second edition are new, and the rest have been updates with extended tips. I have used the book as sort of a checklist to see how many I can do. The answer is 52. In the 2nd Edition I have been able to do 52/100.

Some of the new entries include:

• Hiking Mount Umunhum
• Having a picnic at the Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve
• Bike, Blade, and Board at Viva CalleSJ
• Letting your taste buds travel with a Little Ethiopian in Little Ethiopia
• Indulge at Adega (I think this will be updated for the 3rd Edition)
• Pair farm-fresh food with gorgeous valley views at the Mount Hamilton GrandView Restaurant
• Celebrating the geekiest week of the year with Star Wars Day and Free Comic Book Day

...and many, many more. It's a great book and still very relevant, especially if you want to get the most out of the beautiful place where you live and uncover as many hidden gems and fun attractions as possible in your own home. San Jose is one of the most underrated cities in the United States, and this book will help explain why.

If I haven't been super clear, I highly recommend the 2nd edition (even if you have the first). You can get the book in paperback or Kindle form over here.

"In sitting down to revise the book, I thought a lot about San Jose, how it has and continues to change, as well as what a successful travel experience for me personally constitutes. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to 6 continents and I examined what my favorite places were and why they ranked so. Certainly natural beauty, history, cultural offerings and great weather all play a part in connecting one to a destination and creating a positive travel memory, but what it really comes down to for me, are the people. That is the x factor. The people you meet, at least in my experience, can leave as much of a lasting impression in many cases as the food or the views or the activities you engage in. The people you meet have the power to transform a moment into a story and create a shared experience that extends its impact well after you’ve returned home. In short; conversations create connection and that connection is ripe for the picking in San Jose.

They say it’s not about the destination - it’s the journey, but I think San Jose truly proves they’re both very much intertwined. The featured places and events in the book were especially selected to not only represent our culture and highlight our tremendous natural landscape, but to underscore our strong sense of community. Each of the entries certainly qualifies as a stand-alone adventure, but each of them also strives to put the participant directly in the path of our cities most magical asset; San Joseans. These are the places you’re most likely to strike up that all important conversation with the most passionate and knowledgeable secret tour guides, each genuinely eager to enhance and elevate your experience with additional history, tidbits, and previously undocumented advice. It’s less of a guide to physical places perhaps as it is a curation of potential conversations by which one can better understand and enjoy our awesome City.

Whether you're a first time visitor to this biggest little city in the heart of Silicon Valley, a regular traveler to the area, or a local this 2nd edition is a great catalyst to exploring what makes San Jose tick and getting to know the authentic San Jose." -Susannah Greenwood

San Jose has the largest share of Vietnamese restaurants in the country and exciting projects to come

I believe San Jose has the largest Vietnamese community of any city in the US. At the County-level, it is only second to Orange County down south. However, despite having a slightly smaller Vietnamese population than Orange County (180k vs. 120k in here), Silicon Valley has the highest concentration of Vietnamese restaurants in the US. 6% of all restaurants in Santa Clara County are Vietnamese, featuring some of my favorite foods like pho, banh mi, and other delicacies.

SJ Today has great guides for both the top Pho and Banh Mi shops in San Jose. There are also lots of other types of restaurants featuring spicy Bun Bo Hue and Nuoc Mia (sugarcane juice) that you can find throughout San Jose.

The strength of the Vietnamese community here is one of the reasons why there is a proposal on the table to build a 260,000 SQFT Vietnamese indoor market modeled after a Ho Chi Minh City landmark (image below) where Sears used to be in Eastridge. It would be called Hello Ben Thanh Indoor Market and would have a combination of retail stores, massive food courts with as many as 50 booths, an entertainment center, and banquet hall. The project would take over both floors of the old Sears building. Think of it as a Vietnamese version of Eataly that will be accessible from both inside and outside the mall.

There is no formal ETA, but the developer Intelli has already secured the space for $24.8 million.

Source: The Merc, NextShark

Santa Clara County Fair

The Santa Clara County Fair is back with a vengeance today after a COVID-related hiatus. Instead of running for three or four days, it will do a full 10-day run for the first time in 25+ years.

Today there will be a VIP ribbon cutting around 2:30pm followed by a 7pm parade. Each day there will be entertainment such as live music, magic, and even a hypnotist. The list of events and exhibits are too long to mention, so check out the full schedule and get tickets over here.

Source: The Merc

San Jose restaurants featured on TV

Just how many San Jose restaurants have been featured on TV? Quite a few actually. "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" hit up Falafel's Drive In and Naglee Park Garage. "Bizarre Foods America" swung by Mezcal, Bún Bò Huế An Nam, and Gaku Restaurant. "Man vs. Food" featured Henry's World Famous Hi-Life, Iguana's Burritozilla, and The Funny Farm.

My favorites on the list are Falafel's Drive In and Mezcal, but I have done the "Bizarre Foods" version of Bún Bò Huế An Nam with the pork blood and ox pizzle (you'll have to google it, but it's exactly what it sounds like).

For more on each and links to stream the episodes, visit the source link below.

Source: SJ Today