Little Italy - San Jose

Recently my son did a report on Italy for his class. I had fun teaching him about one of my favorite countries and reminiscing about my past Italy trips while looking at photo albums with him. Since I won't be going back there anytime soon I decided to get a little piece of Italy again in my own backyard in San Jose's Little Italy. Many times on the way to the 87 freeway entrance on Julian St. I have passed the sign for Little Italy and wondered what it was all about. 

"Nestled among San Jose's multi-faceted cultural pockets the block of West Julian Street and West St. John Street, you'll find an example of its rich history in Little Italy. Little Italy was the first Italian immigrant neighborhood in San Jose, as one of three, and now stands as the last. Though Little Italy is only a few blocks long you will find no shortage of delicious food and Italian pride. The neighborhood is crowded by iconic 31 ft Little Italy sign". 

Paesano Ristorante Italianio on W. Julian St. is known for it's classic Italian fare. It is located right next to the Little Italy sign.  I am looking forward to checking this place out for a date night.

Bel Bacio Imported Italian Coffee is the perfect place for breakfast, afternoon coffee, or a place to stroll to for an after dinner treat. Bel Bacio has been located in Little Italy for 5 1/2 years. 8 months ago Gary and Judy Sunseri took over the little Italian cafe which serves authentic Italian food including Italian coffee, pastries, cookies, gelato, panini's, lasagna, and calzones. 

Bel Bacio has a cozy atmosphere inside and outside. There are several rooms where you can enjoy their delicious treats or work on your lap top. You can also enjoy the beautiful patio or quaint porch. The cafe was originally a house that was moved from River Street after flooding. After having a nice conversation with Gary and Judy about the history of Little Italy and their cafe I went outside with my delicious chocolate-dipped almond biscotti and unique Italian Chocolate Drizzle Cookie. The whole experience at this cafe was delightful. This place is a hidden gem!

After enjoying my coffee and treats Judy showed me behind the cafe where there is a patio area called the "Piazza" which can be used by the public for parties. It was so cute and really neat that there is this wonderful outdoor space that can be used by the community.  Little Italy really seems to be a community driven neighborhood. 

Henry's World Famous Hi-Life BBQ is a long time staple in Little Italy on the corner of W. Julian St. and St. John St. It was originally the site of the Torino Hotel 60 years ago where Italian immigrant workers lived while working in the fields. Now it serves as Little Italy's spot for superb BBQ. I definitely need to come back to this place since my husband loves good BBQ. 

Enoteca La Storia is a Classic Italian wine shop, restaurant, and soccer lounge on St John St. in Little Italy. "This place is a gathering spot for sharing and savoring fine wines, craft beers, and the company of friends and family". I really enjoyed being shown the space which is rich in history. The building used to actually be a bread baking company. When renovating the space they found old bread boards in the rafters. Enoteca La Storia was founded by long time friends Joe Cannistraci and Michael Guerra. They both had a vision of creating a relaxing and inviting environment for people to enjoy fine wine, traditional Italian food and lively conversation. I spoke to the manager and arranged with her to have my San Jose scavenger hunt "EAT SHOP AND GATHER" on Saturday August 25th. The event will end here with a gathering to chat about the scavenger hunt over food and wine. 

Here's to another exciting and education blog day in my own backyard of San Jose. This day inspired me to do my event on this historic side of town starting in Japantown, then over to the Rose Garden, and finishing up in Little Italy. See you on August 25th for a day to EAT, SHOP, and GATHER in historic San Jose! 

Bed & Barrel Stone House Cellars

Before heading up to Clearlake for a weekend I researched some wineries to visit with my friend. I was told that some required a reservation so I called Bed & Barrel Stone House Cellars and spoke to Jake on the phone about making an appointment. He said that typically people stay for about three hours. I thought to myself I have never spent that much time at a winery. Well little did I know until we got there what this place was all about. We ended up staying for about four hours. This was the most unique, interesting and relaxing experience I had ever had at a winery. 

Bed & Barrel Stone House Cellars is a home for friends and wine. This bed & breakfast and winery was started in 2010 by owners Greg Stratmann and Clinton Jones in Lake County. Both Greg and Clinton, along with their families, were seeking an escape from the hustle of everyday city life. Currently the winery is run by Greg and his wife Jimee Hwang who are both scientists.  Greg is a pediatric Anesthesiologist by day and a scientist by night. His wife Jimee is a medical epidemiologist. The Director of Operations Jake Bridges is a different type of scientist named a Counterintelligence Special Agent who is known as "Jake of all trades".  Jake is often seen with his Goldendoddle "Brewer" by his side helping oversee things at the winery. This group's philosophy when you visit is to "come and stay as you like, and let their home give you sight for the small and simple miracles. Laugh, break bread, and stay awhile", which we sure did!

When we arrived we were greeted by Greg and Brewer the dog. He had us come in and chatted with us a bit about what type of wine experience we would like to have, what are our favorite types of wine, etc. He then poured us each a glass of the Grenache Rosé to start with. It was delicious and refreshing. He asked if we would like to go on a tour with our wine in hand so he led us outside and we got into a jeep with another guest who was also staying there for the weekend. I felt like we were going on a safari. As we rode along on the bumpy dirt road I held on to the safety bar with one hand and my glass of Rosé with the other, trying not to spill it everywhere while giggling about the whole experience. 

"Before America was discovered native people lived in Lake County. They spent the summer at the lake and the winter on a shelf above Cache Creek because it was protected, had a mild climate and had an abundance of great water. This is the place that Stone House is now fortunate enough to call their home." In 1933 this was Pomo Land. The protected and natural springs provided the Pomo People with a wintering haven. This native statue is the last remaining piece from the Pomo People on the property. It was exciting to see it in person while looking out on the winery while on our tour. We learned much about the history and land from Greg as he drove us around on our little adventure. 

"Stone House Cellars has the ideal soil conditions for a large variety of complex wines. They have a great location for growing grapes. They are downhill from the High Valley, from which they get an afternoon breeze, which cools the grapes during the hot summers of Lake County. The elevation is around 1,400 feet, which is high enough to have the classic short growing season of a high altitude wine with it's intense flavors. All of these, combined with their commitment to cultivate less grapes per vine so that each grape is more flavorful, allows for truly delicious wines to come from this small and impressive boutique winery." 

After driving around a bit we headed back for more wine. This time Greg poured the Grenache. He then asked if we wanted to go see his llamas that protect the sheep from the coyotes on the property. So with Grenache in hand we headed back into the jeep to see the llamas. We got out of the jeep and were given food for the llamas. The whole time I still could not believe this amazing winery adventure was actually happening.  

After the llamas we proceeded on to the little stone house to take a look. "As an Agricultural Homestay and a Bed and Breakfast, the bindery is one of the handful in California that you can stay in to experience wine like you cannot in most wineries. If you want, you not only can get behind the scenes but look at the entire wine making process from the vine to the bottle". The winery is family friendly so you can even bring your kids, which next time we will. Later in 2018 the Stone House will be available to rent for a stay with your family or with friends. Currently it is being renovated.  

After our fun jeep adventure we went back to the main house to relax and taste more wine with other guests. Greg poured us a Zinfandel, a Pinot Noir, and several Cabernets. We were so relaxed sitting in this beautiful, comfortable, ultra modern open space sipping wine, chatting and making new friends. Greg and his friend even brought out some nuts and fresh fruit for snacking along with cooking us up a lovely pizza with pancetta and onions. I have never received such royal treatment at a winery before. 

I really want to come back and stay at the bed & breakfast with my family or friends. The outdoor space would be perfect to hang out in the evenings, have some BBQ and sip wine. It would be nice and cozy to come back here when the weather is cooler. This time it was really too hot to hang outside.  It would also be a perfect place to have a party with friends. 

The experience and wine at Stone House Cellars is amazing but it is not all about the wine when you come to visit Bed & Barrel. Your time there is about connecting with people and escaping the rat race. "Come as you are, stay as you like, and let their home help you breathe a little deeper. The wine is there to help." It was an experience that my friend and I will never forget. 

The Walk of Happiness - San Francisco

The Walk of Happiness is a design tour around cities by Rosa Kammermeier that is supposed to spread positivity and happiness with window art. I recently explored a few of the eight stops around Kammermeier's San Francisco version. This little scavenger hunt ended on May 30th so I wanted to make sure that I experienced it before it was gone. The Walk of Happiness is also in other cities such as Berlin, Munich, and Las Vegas. I think it is wonderful that this happiness is being spread world wide. 

Rosa Kammermeir is a graphic designer that lives in Munich, Germany. Her art consists of Lettering, Typography, and Illustration. She is an Adobe Creative Resident. The Adobe Creative Residency empowers talented individuals to spend a year focusing on a personal creative project, while sharing their experience with the creative community. The Adobe Creative Residency's motto is to: Explore, Create, Share, and Inspire. This whole project is pretty exciting to me since I am also a graphic designer and have been using Adobe products since 1992. 

Stop #1:  Rare Device at 4071 24th St. - "Be Bold"
This gallery and store in the Noe Valley neighborhood has a mix of house ware items, stationery, wrapping paper, jewelry, books, and art all by local artists. It is known as the store with "beautiful things to hold in your hands". Every object here has its own story. The gallery hosts events, gallery openings, trunk shows, workshops and monthly kids events. This is the first time that I had been to this location which is newer and a bit smaller than the Divisadero St store. I recognized the girl at the front from the other store and we chatted about the "Walk of Happiness". It was nice to see a familiar face. 

Stop #2:  Benny Gold at 968 Valencia St. - "Better Together" 
Is a San Francisco based streetwear brand and boutique in the Mission District of San Francisco. Benny Gold had an early career as a graphic designer working for corporate clothing brands. His brand all started with a Glider Sticker, which was posted around San Francisco. The original Glider Sticker was inspired by an old mantra "Stay Gold". I was very lucky to get a parking spot on Valencia Street (actually a yellow zone!). There was already a huge line for a bar next door so it was a little tricky to get a photo of the windows outside. I put my hazards on while my friend sat in the car as I ran inside to check it out. It was a very cool space with great merchandise. I would love to come back when I have more time to chat with people in the store.

Stop #3:  Chronicle Books at 680 2nd St. - "The Future is Unwritten"
Independent publisher and bookstore in the South Beach Neighborhood of San Francisco. We were not able to make it to this location due to our time frame. I would love to check it out in the near future.

Stop #4: Chronicle Books at 165 4th St. - "Talk Less Say More" 
Is an independent publisher and bookstore based in San Francisco since 1967.  It is in the SoMa Neighborhood near the Metreon and Moscone Center. I had not been over to the Metreon area in such a long time so it was nice to have an excuse to come back. This was the first time that I had been in a Chronicle Books. When I walked in I mentioned that I was there for the "Walk of Happiness". They were very friendly and wanted to know where we had been so far on the map. I loved the way this book store is organized. It is streamlined in layout and design. I loved the simple signage for each section such as "Food and Drink". This was truly my kind of bookstore, filled with books on art, graphic design, and food!

Stop #5:  Les Gourmands at 280 5th St. - "I Want Everything" 
This bakery is known for its breakfast. Owned by Sylvain the space is designed by the French skateboard artist Nairone. He collaborates with Les Gourmands as they both have the same values: Live for art and cultivate the art of living. After walking a distance from Chronicle Books we were ready to rest, relax, and have a treat. We were greeted by a warm and friendly older French woman. We told her that we were there for the "Walk of Happiness" and she made some suggestions on what to order. Just like the window I wanted everything that they had to offer in the glass case. I had a mini chocolate croissant and almond croissant, always my favorites. They were both filled with yummy flaky goodness, especially the almond croissant, which had a hint of melted chocolate inside. So delicious. Trés Bien!

Stop #6:  Vive La Tarte at 1160 Howard St. - "Treat Yourself"
Vive La Tarte is a groundbreaking artisanal bakery in the South Beach Neighborhood featuring local produce driven and handcrafted baked goods, in a modern relaxed environment. We were not able to make it to this location due to our time frame I would love to check it out in the near future.

Stop #7: Rare Device at 600 Divisadero St. - "You Are Stunning"
I have been to this location many times and wrote about it in my "Eclectic San Francisco" blog entry in March. When I did the Color Factory Map scavenger hunt a month ago a person working in the store recommend the "Walk of Happiness" as another San Francisco scavenger hunt to check out.

Stop #8: Picnic at 1808 Polk St. - "Love Wins" 
Neighborhood women's boutique that opened in 2004 in the Russian Hill Neighborhood. They have now expanded with enough space for home furnishings, accessories, and gifts. I really enjoyed visiting this store. When we walked in I spoke to a girl in the front and let her know that I was visiting the store for the "Walk of Happiness". She said you get a pin for coming in and found me their last enamel pin to keep as a souvenir. I loved how the merchandise was displayed throughout the store. My favorite part was all of the beautiful vintage San Francisco maps displayed on the walls as art in frames.  I would have never known about this store if I had not done this city scavenger hunt, so awesome!

The "Walk of Happiness" scavenger hunt around San Francisco was a blast even though it was more driving than walking! We ended the day in Noe Valley and celebrated with some Sangria's at the Peruvian restaurant Fresca on 24th Street. As we sat and reflected on the day we came up with the idea of doing a scavenger hunt in San Jose of my favorite local places. Stay tuned for the "Event Shop Design Hunt" coming soon. I will be something to blog about!