La Fontaine owner and chef Hasan Yildiz knows Northern Italian food: he should, after an eight-year run as head chef at downtown Mountain View’s beloved Vaso Azzuro, which specializes in the cuisine. As at Vaso Azzuro, Yildiz focuses on Northern Italian cuisine at La Fontaine, but mixes it up a little by adding French dishes to the menu.
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Victoria Velasquez first created her clothing line, Petals and Peacocks, as a class project at art school. After teaming up with her fiancé a few years ago, she managed to turn it into a thriving business. You can find her snarky creations on style-makers and trendsetters or nab some for yourself from the flagship store she recently opened close to Santa Clara University.
Little Cheese Shoppe, one of the first retail spaces in downtown San Jose’s San Pedro Square Market, closed in mid-October. The shop sold a selection of artisan cheeses and accompaniments such as olives, crackers and honey, and also served soups, charcuterie and sandwiches. Recently, the vision of San Pedro Square Market has begun to shift, with more of a focus on eateries without a retail component.
In the land of fast-casual food, drive-thru coffee shops and online delivery, perhaps a new Italian-style café can help bring a refreshing pause to dining habits often governed by convenience and busy schedules. Owners Laura Mills and Edie Givens conducted research over a period of four years, studying 20-30 cafes in Italy before rolling out their own.
A crowd gathered next to San Jose’s Guadalajara Restaurant on November 1 for the unveiling of the new mural “La Gran Cultura Resonance,” a product of the Empire Seven Studios’ Mural Project. The piece, which runs the length of the building, has a trompe l’oeil aspect, with large painted blocks surrounding a massive portrait of the Mayan maize god.
Southwest Airlines is following other air carriers in adding more flights at San Jose International Airport. With a major renovation and continued expansion, SJC seems set to become a major travel hub.
Patrick Hofmeister has a freezer full of bugs. His mom sends them to him from Arkansas. But some creepy entomological obsession it is not. Hofmeister, who goes by the artist name WäDL, is interested in the bugs’ intricacies, their super fine details and patterns. These aspects make up part of his exhibition at the Triton Museum for ‘Spiral: Art of the Street.’
Located in San Jose, Misaka Grill embodies the Japanese “izakaya”, a concept that North America is just starting to wake up to. Like a Japanese tapas bar, izakayas serve small plate designed to be shared, along with a variety of liquor. We talk to owner James Culpepper about bringing an izakaya to the South Bay.
Local real estate agent Holly Barr moved to Willow Glen several years ago and fell in love with it immediately. On the side, Barr and her husband, Greg, run Willow Glen’s unofficial online community, Willow Glen Charm. We caught up with Holly to talk about the quaint, bustling neighborhood she calls home and her website.
