Wednesday Wishlist: Michelin Star Restaurants (2015 Edition)

Just in time for Thanksgiving, I'm going my 6th annual rant on needing to get some internationally recognized Michelin-starred restaurants in San Jose! The Michelin guide is the most renowned rubric for measuring culinary greatness, and for the most part San Jose restaurants have been excluded from its pages. However, I think the foodie culture is continuing to build momentum in San Jose, especially Downtown. I'm continuing to be optimistic for the future!

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.

I created a Google doc listing all of the star recipients for 2015, along with tabs for all previous years and some general statistics. Below is an image capture from the doc. This year there were a total of 40 restaurants on the list, which is up 2 from last year and down from the peak of 47 in 2012. 53% of the restaurants are locating in SF, 25% in Wine Country, 20% in Silicon Valley (split evenly between the South Bay and the Peninsula), and 3% in the East Bay. There are two new restaurant on the list this year, Kusakabe and Maruya (both Japanese) as well as three upgrades: Saison and Benu now have the elusive 3-star rating and Acquerello was upgraded to 2 stars. No restaurants from 2014 were dropped.

I will also mention that there are some restaurants in the Michelin guide that do not get a star, but are considered "Michelin Recommended." Within this category San Jose scored a total of 10 restaurants:

• Downtown
• Vung Tau
• Back A Yard
• The Alameda
• Zona Rosa (NEW)
• North San Jose
• Smoking Pig BBQ
• South San Jose
• Bun Bo Hue An Nam
• Thien Long
• Willow Glen
• The Table (NEW)
• Fratello
• Camden
• Rangoli
• Zeni

Zona Rosa and The Table are two well-deserved additions. Unfortunately, there were some restaurants from 2014 that did not make the cut this year: SJ Omogari in Japantown, La Costa in East San Jose, LB Steak in Santana Row, and Pizza Antica which is also in Santana Row. If we don't get some stars, at the very least we'll hopefully get more Michelin Recommended or Bib Gourmand restaurant ratings in 2016. If you haven't been to the restaurants above, I can vouch that all 9 are well worth checking out.

Source: Michelin Guide

$120 Million Santana Row Office Project is a Go

Last week Federal Realty started working on their latest project at Santana Row--a six-story 232,000 SQFT office building next to the CineArts Movie Theater. The building is designed with loft-style soaring ceilings and the large floor plates that contemporary Silicon Valley companies love these days. The new office will also add one extra retail space (probably a cafe) and net an additional 500 parking spaces that can be used by shoppers during evenings and weekends.

Also on tap is an additional 500,000 SQFT of office space across two more buildings, one of which features 30,000 SQFT of retail. These are in the city approvals stage, so we won't be seeing shovels for either of them any time soon. When complete, they will finish the original vision for Santana Row. Fortunately, Federal Realty still has plenty of expansion options across the street.

Source: SVBJ

Downtown San Jose Restaurant List Updates! (2014 Edition)

I have finally caught up with updating the Downtown San Jose Restaurants database (it has been a while, sorry about that). We are up to a grand total of 250 eateries! This is yet another record-breaking number for Downtown San Jose! To put it in perspective we were at 206 eateries in 2011.

We are up to an all time high despite some notable closures such as Blackbird Tavern, Bella Mia, and Los Gatos Brewing Company. I'm sad to see those go, but there are so many great places that opened in 2014 that I think more than makes up for the losses. Here are some of the newcomers:

• C.R.E.A.M - The famous ice cream sandwich chain opens a new shop Downtown on 1st street. Open until 2am on weekends, you will almost always see a line out the door... but don't worry it moves deceptively fast.
• Paper Plane - Not only do they serve up amazing craft cocktails here, but they have a menu that is up to par with their drinks. Try the deviled eggs and pork belly chicharron.
• First to Market - Great traditional American cuisine in SoFA, brought to you by one of the same founders as Singlebarrel.
• Taurinus Brazilian Steakhouse - Downtown gets a Brazilian steakhouse again! Great selection of meats and a sidebar with salads and Brazilian delicacies for when you need to take a protein break.
• Power Bowl - New healthy offering with Acai-based fruit bowls and smoothies.
• Garlic Bread - Finally open and providing tasty BBQ in Fountain Alley.
• Ozu Sushi - Sushi place taking the baton from Smile Sushi.
• Da Kine Island Grill - Traditional Hawaiian food, often accompanied by music, entertainment, and drinks.
• Nomikai - Asian tapas and fusion pizzas along with craft drinks.
• Louisiana Bistro - Cajun delicacies with a nice kick to them.
• Nick the Greek - Best casual Greek spot in Silicon Valley. Killer food at reasonable prices.
• Boba Bar Teahouse & Eatery - New Boba spot right next to SJSU.
• San Pedro Square Market
• Arepa Swing - Unique Venezuelan arepa eatery.
• Spuds - Awesome potato bar where you can get everything from BBQ pork potatoes to Italian Pesto potatoes. Great food and great service, one of my new favorites at the SPSM.
• SoFA Market (NEW!)
• Falafel Bar - Today's flagship offering at the new SoFA Market. The falafels here are out of this world and you can customize your sandwich or bowl any way you'd like.
• Vero's Coffee - Yet another outstanding coffee shop Downtown. I recommend the Mexican Mocha.
• Other Places Coming Soon
• Ramen Bar and Pizza Place in the SoFA Market
• M Lounge Bar and Restaurant (in the P.F. Chang Spot)
• The Continental in SoFA

Below is the changelog from the Downtown San Jose Restaurants Database:

1/4/2014	8 Treasure Restaurant replaced Asian Gourmet at 150 S. First
1/4/2014	Power Bowl is open at 132 E. San Fernando (was once Blendz)
1/4/2014	Ninja Star Sushi closed
1/4/2014	Added Sweet Express to the list
1/5/2014	Ozu Sushi & Grill replaces Smile Sushi
1/5/2014	Tico's Tacos Closed, the oldest Downtown restaurant I had a confirmed opening date for (1957)
2/9/2014	Added First to Market, at 399 S. 1st
2/9/2014	Added hours and Yelp info to CREAM, one of the few dessert shops open late
2/9/2014	Added Louisiana Bistro at 19 N. Market
3/22/2014	Zenon's Peruvian closed on 167 San Fernando but has been replaced with Taurinus Brazilian Steakhouse
4/28/2014	La Victoria is taking over the old Tico's Tacos site at 291 N. Fourth and Julian
5/11/2014	Added M Lounge Bar and Restaurant, which is taking over the P.F. Chang's location at 98 S. 2nd Street
6/15/2014	Added Arepa Swing and Spuds (coming soon), both in the San Pedro Square Market
6/15/2014	Added Nick the Greet at 143 W. Santa Clara St.
6/15/2014	Added Mid GoGo at 185 Park Ave, #189
6/15/2014	Added Cafe Eden at 2 N. 1st St.
6/15/2014	Added Seven Seas Sushi at 130 E. Santa Clara (replaces Ninja Star Sushi)
6/29/2014	House of Siam closed (owners reopening Tee Nee Thai on The Alameda)
9/29/2014	Los Gatos Brewing Company Closed (to be replaced with gaming lounge and bar)
10/7/2014	Blackbird Tavern Closed
11/22/2014	Bella Mia Closed due to escalating rents
11/22/2014	City Restaurant at 301 E. Santa Clara Street replaced with Bobo Drinks
11/22/2014	Hydration replaced with Boba Bar Teahouse & Eatery
11/22/2014	Added Garlic Bread in Fountain Alley

If you haven't bookmarked it yet, here's the link to the spreadsheet! There is also a permanent link over to the right entitled Downtown San Jose Restaurants.

Celebrate San Jose's Birthday Today!

Join SPSM and History San Jose for a special family & friends event celebrating San Jose's birthday!

Co-sponsored by History San Jose and the San Pedro Market

Location: Peralta-Fallon Historic Site, 175 West Saint John Street
Cost: Fallon House Tours: HSJ Members Free; 4 & under free; Adults $8; Children (5-17) $5; Hands-on Activity Wristband: HSJ Members Free; $5 all others

Celebrate San Jose’s 237th Birthday at the Peralta Adobe Historic Site! San Jose, or El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe, the first Pueblo of California, was founded November 29, 1777. Come have a slice of birthday cake and help celebrate! Meet members of Founding Families, participate in hands-on activities, and visit the historic Peralta Adobe.

1:00pm – 4:00pm

• Live Music by Los Arribeños de San Francisco
• Hands-on Activities: Rope a “bull,” make a corn husk doll, dip a candle, design your own brand!
• Historical Displays
• Peralta Adobe Open House

2:00pm

Celebrate with Cake and Coffee – First Come First Served!

1:00pm, 2:00pm and 3:00pm

Three Tours of the Fallon House Leave on the Hour
Sign up fast! Each tour is limited to 12 visitors.

4:00pm

Event Ends. Thank you For Coming!

Saturday Stats: #1 Easiest City For Finding a Job

In order to find the easiest and hardest cities for finding jobs, Indeed.com looked at the population of each metro and compared it to the number of job listings in the area. With 123 advertised jobs for every 1,000 residents, San Jose took the cake by a mile. The runner up was Raleigh, North Carolina with 88 openings for every 1,000 residents. Washington, DC came third (87 jobs per 1,000 residents) followed by Boston (83) and Denver (80).

Source: Forbes

Turkey Trot 2014 Next Week

The 10th Annual Turkey Trot is taking place next week on Thanksgiving morning. There will be Elite 5k/10k races, a Wheelchair 5k/10k, a Run/Walk 5k, Costume Contests, and a Kid's Fun Run. The race starts at Santa Clara Street at Market and finishes at Santa Clara Street at Delmas with a huge festival at the Guadalupe River Park and Arena Green. Over the past 9 years this event has raised $4 million for local charities. The goal for this year is to raise $1 million!

For more information and to sign up for the event, head over here!

Downtown San Jose - Current Development Projects

The San Jose Downtown Association has released its latest development map showing off the projects in the works today in Downtown San Jose (you will have to click on it to blow it up and get a good look). Blue squares are the four existing Downtown residential high-rises, anything in yellow is currently in development, and purple indicates development sites for future projects.

There are two surprises on here that Robertee points out. The first is a "Mill Creek" project with 194 units and 3,500 SQFT of retail a few doors down from the San Pedro Square Market in what is currently a parking lot. This should be a great infill project to continue accelerating the traction in the San Pedro area. The second is a Park & Almaden 5-story office project, which would be the first major office project in Downtown San Jose in over a decade. This new office would replace a super-ugly abandoned two story building that looks like a jail.

If half of the projects on this map come to fruition, it will already have a dramatic impact to Downtown San Jose.

Source: Robertee from the San Jose Development Forum

Future of VTA Light Rail

Last week there was a "Future of VTA Light Rail" presentation to SPUR San Jose. Below are the slides. Here are some interesting notes:

• Light Rail has 35,000 average daily riders, 62 stations, 79.6 miles of track, and 100 trains
• The most used stations are San Antonio, Santa Clara (both in Downtown San Jose), and Tasman
• Compared to other systems of similar size, boardings per mile are quite low and farebox recovery is the second lowest in the country (only DART in Dallas is lower)
• The current goals of VTA Light Rail are to increase ridership, speed up the system, spend money wisely, and be more relevant to the needs of the Valley
• Recommended Capital Improvements
• Grade separation on North First and Montague Expressway
• Fencing North First to increase top speed from 35 MPH to 45 MPH
• Pocket track at Ohlone/Chynoweth
• New Great America Station
• SJSU Extension to 11th Street (???)
• Almaden Branch, Mountain View, and Vasono Double Track
• Use bollards to separate tracks in Downtown San Jose and speed up trains
• Mountain View Double track to be completed by the end of 2015
• Levi's Stadium events are attracting 8,000-9,000 boardings on game days

Source: I Heart SJ

The Future of VTA Light Rail, Presentation to SPUR San Jose Nov. 12, 2014 from SCVTA