The buttermilk fried chicken at Scratch Cookery in San Jose comes in ascending levels of heat, from a mild house seasoning to a melt-your-head combination of habanero, scorpion, Carolina Reaper and ghost peppers. It seems somehow fitting that the restaurant was born from a fire that leveled the townhouse where owner Connor Vu lived. “It...
The Biz Beat: San Jose German restaurant is Oktoberfest all year
Stepping into Teske’s Germania Restaurant, with its long wooden bar that stretches along half the entryway, there’s a strong sense of gemütlichkeit, an untranslatable German word meaning “warmth and good cheer.” Co-owner Cynthia Baumann likens it to a Bavarian lodge, where the food is authentic, the beer flows freely and everyone is welcome. “I think...
The Biz Beat: Downtown San Jose clothing store suitable for all occasions
For more than 105 years, Hammer & Lewis Clothiers has existed in an indefinable place in culture and time. Its two San Jose locations offer Cary Grant-worthy suits, the shiniest of dress shoes, classic flannel Pendletons and jackets flamboyant enough for Burning Man celebrants. It is de rigueur for zoot-suited pachucos and aficionados of fine...
The Biz Beat: San Jose’s Recycle Bookstore — an oasis of printed culture
Emma, the Instagram-famous Persian cat that roams Recycle Bookstore in San Jose, is “prissy, finicky, very loud and opinionated.” According to store owner Eric Johnson, there is a long tradition of cats in bookstores, dating back to the practical need of stopping mice from nibbling away at the inventory. But Emma, Johnson said, has a...
The Biz Beat: Los Gatos restaurant pairs Italian food with bocce ball
Housed inside a huge renovated warehouse, the exterior of Campo di Bocce of Los Gatos gives little indication of the remarkable scene within. The cavernous room is packed with everyone from casual players to serious league contenders and corporate team builders engaged in the ancient game of bocce ball on modern courts — while dining...
The Biz Beat: Mommy’s Bánh Mì in San Jose knows best
The seeds for Mommy’s Bánh Mì in San Jose were sown when owner Curtis Lai joked to his mother — who was obsessively pursuing the perfect Vietnamese sandwich — she was making so many she should sell them. Little did he know she would take him at his word. “She was always saying, ‘Try this,...
The Biz Beat: El Bazar Azteca shares Mexican art and heritage
Before opening El Bazar Azteca in San Jose three years ago, Teresa Saldana was selling her imported Talavera pottery on street corners out of a van. Even then, the bright colors of the ceramics, instantly recognizable as symbols of Mexican culture, were almost impossible to resist. “I am probably one of her first customers,” devoted...
The Biz Beat: San Jose taqueria claims ‘Masters of Mexican Munchies’ title
In billing itself as “The Masters of Mexican Munchies,” San Jose’s Taqueria Tlaquepaque seriously underplays the authenticity, quality and variety of its dishes. For 35 years, the restaurant has grown from a simple taqueria with a one-page menu to a full-service restaurant with a dedicated clientele. However, the best endorsement may be from owner Ubaldo...
The Biz Beat: The Happy Hound — a Los Gatos good eats landmark
For the last 54 years, The Happy Hound in Los Gatos has served a menu of classic American diner fare: assorted hamburgers, hot dogs and milkshakes, with fries and onion rings as sides. It’s a formula that works, as attested by the loyalty of longtime customers such as Gary Snyder, who said he only needs...
The Biz Beat: San Jose gym seeded in recovery and family
Tucked away on the second floor of a warehouse in San Jose, the Black Urban Barn gym offers strength training for local high school basketball and softball teams, boxing coaching and high-energy workouts for adults who yearn to burn off calories. Opened in August 2023, it’s the latest manifestation of a fitness training program co-owner...