SoFA Street Fair, San Jose CA, Sept 13, 2015

Beginning with its debut in 1992, The SoFA Street Fair drew music-lovers of all ages to experience world-class music by legendary local acts, while taking in the unique (counter)culture of the neighborhood. In no time, the festival became one of the most highly anticipated events in downtown San Jose, drawing crowds of 20,000 in its prime. Some would say it helped define what the community is today—a thriving arts and live music destination.

Now, the event is back and better than ever with three outdoor stages, 12 indoor stages, and up to 100 performances throughout the day. Food trucks, beer gardens, all-ages activities and artisan vendors will fill the streets, with LīVE events all day and night in adjacent arts and music venues. It’s all happening Sunday, September 13, for all ages, and always FREE to all, just as it was in 1992.


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Silicon Valley Beer Week, July 24 - August 1, 2015

http://www.svbeerweek.com/

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Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival - October 18-19, 2014

World Pumpkin Capital Celebrates The Great Gourd
October 18–19, 2014 * 9am to 5pm
Main Street, Half Moon Bay, California

Saturday, October 18
7 a.m.	Pancake Breakfast, Mac Dutra Park, Main St. @ Kelly Ave.
9 a.m.	Festival Opens
10 a.m.	Costume Contest, HMB Library Parking Lot, 620 Correas St.
12 noon	Great Pumpkin Parade
2 p.m.	Pie Eating Contest (age 11 and under), Bank of America lot
2:15 p.m.	Pie Eating Contest (age 12 and over), Bank of America lot
5 p.m.	Festival Closes
Sunday, October 19
7 a.m.	Pancake Breakfast, Mac Dutra Park, Main St. @ Kelly Ave.
8 a.m.	Pumpkin Run/Walk on Coastside Trail 5K Run + "Enhanced" 5K Run, 5K Walk, & Kids Fun Run Starts at Hatch School (Kelly Ave. @ Hwy. 1) Run Info-line: 650-712-7322 or www.seniorcoastsiders.org
9 a.m.	Festival Opens
10 a.m.	Pumpkin Carving for Fun (not a contest), Bank of America lot
2 p.m.	Pie Eating Contest (age 11 and under), Bank of America lot
2:15 p.m.	Pie Eating Contest (age 12 and over), Bank of America lot
5 p.m.	Festival Closes
Admission is free No Pets Please Info-Line: 650-726-9652 Facebook: www.facebook.com/HalfMoonBayPumpkinFestival Twitter: www.twitter.com/HMBPumpkinFest

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Santa Clara Corvettes Spectacular Car Show - Downtown Los Altos - Sept 21, 2014

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Santa Clara Corvettes Spectacular Car Show

Santa Clara Corvettes presents our 38th Annual Corvette Spectacular on Sunday, September 21st on Main Street, Los Altos. Registration begins at 8 AM and awards are scheduled at 3:30 PM.
Live band, vendors & raffle prizes. FREE for spectators and one of the largest collections of Corvettes on the West Coast.
www.sccorvettes.org or www.wscc.ws

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San Jose Downtown Restaurant Week, June 20-29, 2014

June 20-29 – 6^th annual Dine Downtown Restaurant Week
Customers have 10 days to sample price-fixed meals of appetizer, entrée and dessert at more than 20 of downtown’s finest restaurants.  Restaurants new to the Dine Downtown program this year include Blackbird Tavern, Blue Mango Restaurant, Bluefin Sushi, Da Kine Island Grill, The Farmers Union, First to Market, La Pinata and Nomikai. Returning businesses include Arcadia – A Michael Mina Steakhouse; Bella Mia Restaurant & Bar; Billy Berk’s, Fahrenheit Restaurant & Lounge; Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant; The Grill on the Alley; Il Fornaio; Loft Bar and Bistro; Los Gatos Brewing Company; Mezcal Restaurant; Morton’s The Steakhouse; Nemea Greek Taverna; Orchestria Palm Court Restaurant; Paolo’s Restaurant; San Pedro Square Bistro & Wine Bar; Scott’s Seafood, 71 Saint Peter and Café Stritch. Dine Downtown is generously supported by Sysco


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San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, Aug 10-12, 2012

August 10-12, the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest is the hottest event of the summer featuring a stellar lineup of international stars, emerging artists and regional favorites playing straight-ahead jazz, blues, salsa, Latin, R&B, and more! It’s not just the biggest live music event in Silicon Valley–it’s the perfect summer experience featuring tasty food, wine and micro-brews; family fun and jazz for kids; and a Club Crawl and other after-hours events for the grown ups.

Friday, August 10th - Sunday, August 12th
The San Jose Jazz Summer Fest is the hottest event of the summer featuring a stellar lineup of international stars, emerging artists and regional favorites playing straight-ahead jazz, blues, salsa, Latin, R&B, and more!
Featured performers at the 23rd annual festival include The Spinners; Morris Day & The Time; The Jazz Crusaders featuring Joe Sample, Wayne Henderson and Wilton Felder; Dianne Reeves; Terence Blanchard; Boney James; Coco Montoya; Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk; Jeff Hamilton Trio; Alessandro Penezzi Quartet; Amanda Shaw & The Cute Guys; Yoshiaki Miyanoue Tokyo Quartet; BlackMahal; Wil Campa y Su Gran Union; Yesberger Band; and many others.

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Santa Cruz Mystery Spot, Santa Cruz Ca

465 Mystery Spot Rd., off Branciforte Dr., Santa Cruz, CA

831.423.8897

The Mystery Spot might be the manifest source of Santa Cruz's weirdness. Practically unchanged since its opening in 1939, the promotional literature still says things like, "It's Unusual, It's Amazing, It's Wholesome, Interesting Entertainment." This campy spot is open every single day of the year and draws visitors from all over the world. A couple years ago, a professor from Berkeley took it upon himself to debunk the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot, claiming it all to be nothing more than clever optical illusion. Whatever. According to Randall, a tour guide at the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz and the kind of guy who likes wagon wheels lying around in the front yard, the place "is testimony to the power of disbelief.

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The Woodside Store, Woodside Ca

3300 Tripp Road, Woodside. Built in 1854 by Dr. R.O. Tripp as a country store, it also served as a post office and community center until 1909. The store has been restored to its appearance in the 1880s and offers hands-on displays and an educational slide show available to pre-arranged groups. Free admission. It is operated by the San Mateo County Historical Association. Tours available. Hours: Tue, Thu 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat-Sun noon-4 p.m.. Call 650-851-7615.

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Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, San Jose, Ca

Gordon Biersch

33 E San Fernando St, San Jose, CA 95113-2508
 Contact: +1 408 294 6785
Open Hours: 11:30a-11p Su-W, 11:30a-1a Th-Sa
Gordon Biersch is a mid-scale meeting spot in downtown San Jose. Many hi-tech professionals often dine here when in town for a convention, so the place is renowned far beyond San Jose. It brews its own lager. Pilsner, Marzen, and Dunkles are available. Favorite eats include the individual pizzas and the salads and there is always live jazz to entertain you at night.
“Fresh, hand crafted beer and premium, made-from-scratch food… all served up in a friendly and fun atmosphere – that’s what the Gordon Biersch experience is all about.”

How It All Began

What began over twenty years ago as a dream of bringing together fresh, handcrafted beer and made-from-scratch, world class cuisine – is today a reality at Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants from coast to coast and across the Pacific to Hawaii and Taiwan.
This dream of exceptional beer and delicious food became a reality on July 6, 1988 when the first Gordon Biersch opened in Palo Alto, California. Acquired by Big River Brewing Company in 1999, Gordon Biersch currently operates 29 restaurants in the United States, including Honolulu, Hawaii. Additionally, two Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants operate in Taiwan. The Gordon Biersch heritage of superior beer, great food and good times are now being served up fresh daily.
CLICK HERE FOR THERE WEBSITE.

Psycho Donuts, San Jose, Ca

 

Psycho Donuts

288 S. 2nd Street
San Jose, CA 95113

(408) 378-4540

Psycho Donuts has performed a facelift on the common donut, resurrecting the corner donut shop from the brink of extinction by creating the world’s most peculiar donuts. Combined with quirky art, and a crazy, themed environment, Psycho Donuts is the place to be for some anytime snacks and fun!
Try our signature Donut Fries, Headbanger, or the ‘We Been Vegan’ Donut. While different from those your ancestors enjoyed, you’ll still find a handful of traditional donuts which were popular in the previous century.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THERE WEBSITE.

WET Nightclub, UPDATE- NOTE: CLOSED UP 3/2011

396 S 1st St
San Jose, CA 95113
(408) 282-8938

Hours:  Thu 10 pm – 2 am – Fri-Sat 9:30 pm – 2 am

WET Nightclub “Essence of an Element”
WET is Northern California’s premier Nightclub and Live Performance Venue. Located in the SOFA entertainment district of downtown San Jose area, WET has twice the offerings of you standard nightclub ushering in a new era of nightlife to the region. WET is over 16,000 square feet of world-class production space for live performers and DJ’s. WET Nightclub is designed to capture a sense of luxury and refined style, offering four levels of incredible panoramic views of the largest nightlife venue. The exquisite VIP area has been meticulously detailed to set a stunning scene for the ultimate nightlife experience, propelling Wet into a class of its own and on the leading edge. Exceptional amenities include: explosive sound and intelligent lighting, and International DJ’s flown in to rock the perfect dance floor.
CLICK HERE to go to their website.
San Jose’s biggest nightclub, Wet, is officially washed up. Caught up in the city’s clampdown on clubs following several incidents, owner Mike Hamod handed over the keys to the former Studio Theater at 396 S. First St. on Saturday.

Blue Rock BBQ, San Jose, Ca

Best Barbecue in Silicon Valley 2009, San Jose Mercury News
Honors-Best New Restaurant in Silicon Valley 2009, The Wave Magazine
Small Business of the Year, California's District #24, 2009
Best Barbecue in Silicon Valley 2009, Metro Silicon Valley
This Place has great BBQ and affordable prices, give them a try, You will love it.
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Antonella's Ristorante, San Jose, Ca

 

Antonella's Ristorante 

1701 Park Avenue
San Jose, CA 95126
(408) 279-4922

From that beginning, Koch was invited to work with a chef at Berlin's Grand Hotel in the mid-80s. In Europe, he was introduced to chefs from Brindisi, Italy who wanted to learn about western American cooking.    They taught Koch the classic Italian cooking – including his matchless fried calamari – that inspires the restaurant's menu.   "Keep it simple, keep it fresh," explains Koch. "You make everything from scratch. You don't use bases. You make your own sauces."   Upon returning to the U.S., Koch went on to earn degrees in culinary arts and restaurant and business management from Cal Poly, Pomona.  A job with Scott's Seafood in Palo Alto brought him to the Bay Area. He was working for Pasta Pomodoro in San Jose when he learned that then-vacant Antonella's pizzeria was sale and decided to take the plunge.   Koch chose Sept. 11, 2001 as opening day for his new restaurant – something that caused the aspiring restaurateur not a little worry as that historic day unfolded.   "My Dad called me and the next thing I saw was the plane hitting the World Trade Center," he recalls. "I went ahead with the opening and people showed up because they wanted to get away from the TV. We had free food and wine that night."   Today, more than six years later, Koch is still in business and still hewing to his original vision.   Nothing in the restaurant is too trivial for his personal attention. He makes the tomato sauce with fresh herbs and premium Italian canned tomatoes from New York City's century-old Rao's Restaurant, made famous in the 1970s by food critic Mimi Sheraton.   "We have fresh produce and seafood six days a week," Koch says proudly. "Our lasagna has no ricotta cheese – just whole milk mozzarella. You will not find one convenience food in this restaurant. My philosophy is: keep it simple, keep it fresh, with honest prices and decent portions."

Fahrenheit Restaurant and Lounge, Downtown, San Jose, Ca

Definitely the slickest lounge to date in the downtown San Jose nightlife scene, Fahrenheit Lounge sports over 4000 square feet of posh drinking, dining and dancing space continuously packed with the hip and beautiful. Even before crossing the threshold at Fahrenheit Lounge, club goers know the venue is going to be cool and sexy—any nightclub in San Jose that puts that much effort into the exterior certainly isn’t going to cut corners when it comes to interior design and atmosphere. Fahrenheit takes this dance club commandment to heart, presenting probably the chicest designer appointments of any San Jose nightclub
Happy Hour Specials in Downtown San Jose

With discounts on brews, well drinks and specialty cocktails, Fahrenheit’s daily happy hour specials offer a little bit of salvation at the end of a long workday. Some days also feature double specials, with traditional happy hour carrying on from 5pm-7pm and additional discounts beginning again at 9pm.

Monday
5pm – 7pm: $3 Beers, $3 Wells, 1/2 Price Specialty Cocktails
9pm – Close: $3 Beers & $3 Well

Tuesday
5pm – 7pm: $3 Beers, $3 Wells, 1/2 Price Specialty Cocktails
9pm – Close: $3 Beers, $3 Well and $3 Jaeger

Wednesday
5pm – 7pm: $3 Beers, $3 Wells, 1/2 Price Specialty Cocktails
9pm – Close: $5 Specialty Drinks, 50% off Bottles of Wine, $5 Small Plate Items

Thursday
5pm – 7pm: $3 Beers, $3 Wells, 1/2 Price Specialty Cocktails
10pm – Close: $4 Draft Beers, 1/2 Priced Rotating Drink Specials

Friday & Saturday
5pm – 7pm: $3 Beers, $3 Wells, 1/2 Price Specialty Cocktails
Great Food and Some of the State’s Top Bartenders

Loft Bar and Bistro, Downtown, San Jose, Ca

Loft Bar and Bistro

Rooftop Dining in Downtown San Jose
90 S. Second Street, San Jose CA 95113
Tel. 1.408.890.7001
American Cuisine in a Stylish Downtown Setting
Located in the heart of downtown, this chic, two-story San Jose restaurant has it all. With upstairs and downstairs dining rooms, two exquisite granite-top bars and a beautiful rooftop garden patio, the Loft is fast becoming the hipster spot to begin or end a night out in San Jose. The menu consists of unique and familiar dishes such as Panko Crusted Chicken Breast, Scampi Prawns and Braised Lamb Shanks. Ingredients range from mint-rosemary port wine sauce and papaya-jicama salsa to whole-grain mustard demi glace and tarragon aioli.

Bella Mia Restaurant, Downtown, San Jose, Ca

Bella Mia Restaurant & Bar
58 South First Street
San Jose, CA 95113
408.280.1993
Parking is behind the restaurant. .The food is delicious! The shrimp appetizer are humongous!!! They are a meal in themselves!! They will let you taste the wine before ordering a bottle or glass..and the service is impeccable and the atmosphere was great.
CLICK HERE for there website.

Good Karma Vegan House. San Jose Ca

 

Good Karma

37 S 1st St

San Jose, CA 95113

Phone: (408) 294-2694

Good Karma - Vegan Restaurant in San Jose, California.

Open 11am – 9pm mon-sat | 12pm – 7pm sundays
The menu is a revolving selection of over a dozen unique, flavourful, tofu, type  & other faux (fake) meat textured goodies that are offered in combination with rice, sandwich style on a toasted french roll, wrapped in a tortilla or tossed with salad fixins… all super fresh, super tasty, and all at unreasonably low prices.

• Teriyaki Tofu
• Thai Curry
• Potato Salad
• Sweet Ginger Tofu
• Steak & ‘Taters
• Pineapple Tuna
• Mongolian Turkey
• Shrimp Skewers
• Lemongrass Tofu 
• Tofu Scramble
• Beef & Broccoli
• Fresh Steamed Veggies
• Beefsteak & Veggies
• Lemon Chicken
• Peppery Turkey
• Chana Masala
• …just to list a few…

THEY HOST ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCES EVERY THURSDAY AT 8PM AND ART SHOW RECEPTIONS THE 1ST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN PERFORMING ACOUSTICALLY OR HOSTING AN ART SHOW, PLEASE SEND THEM A MESSAGE

The 2nd Floor at Motif, Restaurant and Club

389 S 1st St
San Jose, CA 95113
Despite the apparent glitz and dazzle of your average nightclub interior, the strength of a truly outstanding club design lies in its subtlety. So, for all the bold, intensely visual gestures made throughout San Jose, Calif. restaurant/nightclub Motif, the overall theme of Asian aesthetics brought to the project by the redoubtable interior design/systems installation team of Richard Rutherford and Charles Doell stayed wisely but consistently below the surface. “The suggestion [we made to the owner] was to bring in some elements that might have some feeling of an Asian kind of idea, without being overtly sort of Buddhas and bamboo,” says Doell, founder of Mister Important. “What we ended up with was sort of like a dark opulence, because we did everything in shades of black, white and grey and then we used LED lights to provide the color when we went from restaurant to nightclub in the evening.”
CLICK HERE for there website.

San Jose Bar & Grill, Downtown San Jose

San Jose Bar & Grill

85 South Second Street – San Jose, CA 95113

408.286.2397 phone 408.292.6584 fax

Hours of Operation Monday – Friday 4:00 pm – 1:30am Saturday 12:00 pm – 1:30am Sunday 10:00 am – 1:30am

It’s all good, try the cheesecake, margarita, brownies, shrimp scampi, bruschetta, chicken parmesan, chicken salad, stuffed mushrooms, chicken wings, greek salad, carne asada, sweet potato fries, hamburgers, caesar salad, chicken fajitas.
CLICK HERE for there website.

SAN JOSE’S VOODOO LOUNGE TO CLOSE IT’S DOORS

CLOSING ON SAT FEB 26,2011
CLICK HERE  FOR INFO.