Given how full up downtown San Jose hotels and restaurants were for last month’s ginormous Nvidia convention, locals might want to take advantage of the downtime between conventions to patronize these establishments.
Signia By Hilton was among the hotels that was solidly booked for Nvidia’s downtown takeover, and Director of Marketing Diana Haven says it will remain so for other major conventions coming to town in 2025.
Opened in 1987 as the Fairmont, Signia By Hilton is walking distance from local hot spots like Eos and Nyx and boasts its own culinary destinations. Aja serves up a lovely mix of Japanese- and Peruvian-inspired dishes in a sunken living room-like space off the impressive lobby. Order your favorite libation to enjoy with perfectly battered shrimp tempura, cilantro chicken potstickers in a creamy chili sauce and a selection of sushi rolls, accompanied by the freshest pickled ginger and wasabi.
Breakfast at the brightly marbled Fountain restaurant is a cheery way to wake up and look out on the Court of the Palms that fronts the San Jose Museum of Art. Their take on eggs Benedict was well-received, with a house-made muffin half, tasty grilled ham and fresh cooked spinach.
Although we’ve not had the pleasure of dining here yet, The Club on Post, at 43 Post St. in downtown San Jose, is open for lunch from 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and for dinner from 5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday.
Owners Dayna and George González are proud San Jose residents serving up a classic mix of favorites, including Fritto Mixto with calamari, shishito peppers and red Fresno pepper; crab croquettes; surf and turf with garlic prawns; steak frites with chimichurri; a wagyu burger ($25); salmon risotto; shrimp and grits; and miso-glazed sea bass ($38).
Longtime Chef Antonio Nieto (SP2, LB Steak) puts his spin on breakfast classics with Horchata French toast, green chilaquiles, and hash and eggs with parsnips, chicken sausage and Brussels sprouts.
Post Street was recently closed to vehicle traffic, making it more of a dining and shopping destination. Dayna González owns a women’s clothing shop across the street called Velvet House.
The Tasting House Los Gatos has added yet another continental-inspired diversion to its repertoire, complementing their one-of-a-kind Champagne Bar with a bespoke take on that most English of traditions, high tea. Held on Fridays and Saturdays, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., the Traditional Afternoon Tea service ($75 per person) will include a curated selection of teas from Mariage Frères of Paris served alongside a three-tier tower of culinary delights, with a selection of three open-faced sandwiches inspired by the smørrebrød that Chef Julian greatly enjoyed during recent travels through Scandinavia.
You’ll find traditional cucumber, cream cheese and dill on house-made milk bread; smoked sturgeon and pickled quail egg on house-made rugbrød; and smoked salmon on house-made milk bread.
House-made scones come in savory —think Comté and chives—and sweet—made with local dates—served with clotted cream and Haskap berry jam. To finish, local French chocolatier and pastry shop Fleur De Cocoa is providing assorted sweets.
Optional add-ons include a caviar service, and Champagne by the glass, bottle or flight. Tea will be served in traditional fine cast iron tea pots in an array of colors—pink, blue, yellow, gold and white—from Mariage Frères. Elegant fine bone china from Rosenthal’s Brillance Fleurs Sauvages collection adds a touch of whimsy. A live pianist will set the mood with swing and jazz standards.
New in Los Gatos is Danbi Korean BBQ, the town’s first Korean restaurant. It replaces the Montebello Market next to Parkside, across the street from Town Plaza Park. Danbi is open daily for lunch and dinner.
Back in San Jose, Santana Row continues to beckon with new dining options and more excuses to pay for parking there. Among the most anticipated is the debut of Augustine, a gorgeous concept by Bacchus Management Group, who also have Pizza Antica on The Row. They’re just getting ramped up, but we dropped in for lunch on their first day of service (a brave and often questionable decision), and found their Augustine cocktail with a bit of olive gin, accompanied by crab donuts, to be just the ticket. We also indulged in some of their incredible pastries available from 7am daily at the adjacent patisserie and coffee bar, Café Augustine. The coffee cake has great crumb to density ratio, the cowboy cookie is a decadent meal in itself, and the massive chocolate chip cookie is like a big bear hug of chocolate chunks.
True to its name, outdoor dining is the theme here at El Jardin (the garden), set beneath trees in Santana Row and around a beautifully tiled tequila bar. Gastronomy and mixology come together with live music in the afternoons to create a festive, atmospheric cocktail lounge.
Traditional Mexican street food and drinks are prepared with a modern twist, styled by Chef Yerika Muñoz, a Mexican native with 20 years of experience and a rich culinary heritage. Food sports bold Latin flavors here, but is not at all fancy. The drinks, though, have distinctive flair: the Pisco Sour was spot on.
New menu highlights include Mac and Cheese Oaxaqueños, made with Oaxacan cheese and hot Cheeto powder; Flautas de Barbacoa; Papas Puercas (sweet potato fries with lamb birria); and a Mexican hamburger, sporting a pork and beefy patty with chipotle mayo and jalapenos.
The Buen Rello Group behind El Jardin, Suspiro and Zazil were set to debut a street taco place, also at Santana Row, called Taqueria Parranga on April 1, featuring breakfast tacos and burritos, handmade tortillas, house-made salsas and a $12 draft cocktail menu.
At Teleferic Palo Alto, recent menu additions include Mojito Oysters, Pollo Parmigiana (Iberico Schnitzel, creamy sofrito, black truffle), Tomato Carpaccio (Heirloom tomato and tuna escabeche), Cocktail Salad (shrimp tempura, shredded little gems, cocktail sauce) and Smoked NY Steak Paella (NY steak, pork belly slices, Bomba rice).