Think Los Gatos has lost its charm as a nightlife destination? The people behind Second Story — the new, upscale bar on North Santa Cruz Avenue — have a martini cart that could change your mind.
Second Story, which opened in December, is the latest incarnation of the spot that was once and will likely forever be known as Mountain Charley’s. There have been ownership and name changes over the past decade or so, but Second Story’s ownership group — Jamie Garland, Sammer Mitri, Danny Shafazand and Jameson Parvizad — have really transformed the place into something different.
The huge central chandelier remains overhead, but the decor has gone from rustic to elegant and the drink menu eschews beer — there are only four available — for craft cocktails, wine, champagne. There’s also a good selection of non-alcoholic cocktails that have ingredients like collagen, ginger kombucha, coconut water and activated charcoal powder.
And, yes, there’s a martini cart, modeled after the experience patrons enjoy at the legendary Dukes Bar in London. Customers opting for the tableside service can order their martinis dry or dirty with No. 3 gin or Belvedere vodka. A third option is the Vesper cocktail, made famous by James Bond in “Casino Royale,” and you don’t have to worry about shaking or stirring — the bottles are frozen in advance and served ice cold. If you really want to go for it, add a $20 caviar “bump” or get a plate of caviar “nachos” for $85 to $100.
Shafazand said the town’s bar culture is long and storied but was losing business to trendier places like Santana Row and downtown Campbell in recent years.
“Los Gatos has a lot of ‘historical’ bars that have been around since the 1950s and ’60s,” he said. “That’s super impressive, but there was nothing higher-end or new.”
When Mountain Charley’s opened in 1972 on the second floor of 15 N. Santa Cruz Ave., it catered to more of the town’s lunch and dinner crowd. Later, it leaned heavily into live music and became a place where many a good time was had (if not always remembered.) The 2008 murder of onetime owner Mark Achilli in front of his Los Gatos home touched off a difficult decade-and-a-half with a few attempted comebacks, including one led by Joe Farwell, the son of original co-owner Jim Farwell. The last iteration — Charley’s Bar Los Gatos — closed last June.
Second Story — as the name implies — wants to leave the past there and start making its own history. The bar’s target audience has a wide age range, with everyone from 20-somethings to older couples stopping in during the first few weeks.
But the vibe is definitely appealing to people in their 30s and 40s who might have outgrown the club scene but are still looking for a night on the town with friends. And, the operating hours — Thursday, Friday and Saturday starting at 6 p.m. — are aligned with that, instead of trying to capture a happy hour crowd coming off work.
“There are all these new spots coming to town and I feel like people want a spot to go after and we didn’t really have it,” said Garland, who owns the salon B Society across the street from Second Story. “Over the 15 years that I’ve been doing hair, I’ve been hearing what people want ,and I feel like there’s not really a place to get excited to get dressed up and go out to. We’re filling that void.”
GOOD DEED DEPT.: There’s a lot more in Gilroy than garlic and good outlet malls. For example, there’s the Rotary Club of Gilroy, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary later this year.
At its weekly meeting last Tuesday, the service club distributed checks totaling just under $70,000 to 37 community organizations, including school-based groups, youth athletic teams, Scouting units and agencies like Parents Helping Parents and Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, which are both very active in the city. The grants ranged from about $800 to $3,000 each.
“This is the highlight of our year. This is our most important meeting,” said Rotary Club President Kelly Ramirez, who also serves on the Gilroy City Council.
While the club has been doing good work for a century, its charitable giving at this level only started in the early 1990s. Since then, it has given out $1.1 million to more than 150 organizations.
SOUNDS GOOD: It’s hard to believe that a decade has passed since San Jose State started operating the downtown Hammer Theatre Center in 2015 following the loss of the San Jose Rep. And shortly thereafter in 2016, SJSU’s School of Music presented its Kaleidoscope program there, showcasing its various musicians and ensembles.
It’s returned each year, with a virtual edition held during the pandemic, and is back again Feb. 7 with the 10th annual production. The 2 p.m. show will feature more than 250 students and faculty members in performances by the jazz orchestra, concert choir, percussion ensemble and music theater performers.
School of Music Director Fred Cohen said ticket prices are being rolled back to 2016 levels, too. That’s $5 for students, $10 for SJSU employees and seniors and $15 for everyone else. You can check it out at hammertheatre.com.
HEARTWARMING CONCERT: It’s February and that means Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Now, I know that all of you reading this have already made your plans, but for those of us who might not have quite gotten around to that, San Jose’s City Lights Theatre Company has an attractive idea for you. “I Heart City Lights” is a benefit concert Feb. 14 featuring Nineteen, the jazzy big band led by bassist Gus Kambeitz, and several performers from City Lights’ past musical productions.
Nineteen did a show at City Lights in December with holiday tunes that was a smashing success, so this will be similar but with love songs from the Great American Songbook like “Embraceable You” and “At Last.” The performers include Bart Perry, Karen DeHart, AJ Jaffari, Caitlin Papp and Mary Melnick.
The concert starts at 8 p.m., with a Valentine’s Day reception before the show at 529 S. Second St. in downtown San Jose. Like the holiday show, this is also a City Lights benefit to help pay for repairs to the theater’s heaters and there is tiered pricing from $25 to $90. Go to www.cltc.org/heart for tickets and more information.