A drink and a drag off a cigarette were once a classic fixture of American nightlife. But in the mid-‘90s, new laws made smoking illegal in California bars and other public places, and to light up a cigarette meant placing a coaster on a pint and stepping out the door. Increasingly, cities around the Bay Area now are considering taking the law much further than that. Multiple municipalities in the South Bay are putting forth proposals to make smoking in public and, in some cases, inside one’s home, illegal.
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The bar is really more of a lounge. There are no bar stools yet, just a pair of comfy gray chenille couches between the bar and the reception desk. Additional seating will come next year, as well as a small menu. But the drinks are sublime.
It’s still a tough climate to open a new restaurant in San Jose, but that didn’t stop a handful of notable newcomers from opening their doors.
As proof that the Grinch is not just some imaginary Dr. Seuss character, see Exhibit A: Sandra Lizbeth Contreras-Velazquez. Just a week before Christmas, San Jose police announced that in the lead-up to the holiday season, Contreras-Velazquez was allegedly stealing the jewelry of others. But not just anyone with a gold chain. Contreras-Velazquez is suspected of tricking children into giving away their jewelry so she could sell it for profit.
The San Jose Police department cracked down on the city’s largest and most organized graffiti tagging crew this week, announcing the arrests of four suspected members of the HYSU tagging crew. HYSU, which stands for “Have You Seen Us,” is reportedly responsible for over 50 percent of the graffiti around San Jose, and the group recently garnered the attention of the SJPD and other city officials for their “bombing runs,” which were increasing in frequency and intensity.
Silicon Valley touts its tech-based economy and spirit of innovation, but the region has been a backwater when it comes to something so basic as securing a healthy source of local food. But thankfully that could be changing. Last month the San Jose City Council adopted “Envision San Jose 2040,” a 30-year general plan that includes local food.
New legislation that goes into effect Jan. 1 will force public schools to begin taking steps to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender contributions in lesson plans, but conservatives promise a legal battle.
San Jose’s Felipe Hernandez has a fondness for Oaxacan food. He grew up in Mexico City with great street foods like pambazos, gorditas and tacos, but it was the cooking of his late mother’s native Oaxaca that he loved best. He opened Monte Alban with his aunt to showcase his mother’s cooking.
Tower of Power, performing with War on December 30 at the San Jose Civic Auditorium, claimed Oakland as its own, helping to put the city on the pop music map and establishing the band as one of the East Bay’s musical darlings.
Italian food has been part of San Jose’s restaurant scene for so long it might as well be called American food. These restaurants showcase the more is more style of San Jose Italian food.
