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,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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The Biz Beat: Santana Row’s Fitoor offers flavorful tour of Indian cuisine
Chef Vaibhav Sawant has infused the menu at Santana Row’s Fitoor Indian Grill and Lounge with a splendid selection of inventive takes, all immaculately plated and irresistible. But the Double Butter Daal Makhani, perhaps the simplest entree in appearance, belies the time and effort that goes into making it. Served with flakey malabar paratha flatbread,...
2024 in review: The top 10 Biz Beat stories
It’s been an interesting culinary year for The Biz Beat, with fast-food burgers competing with Indian and Mexican food for the top spot on the Best of 2024 list. The top two restaurants, Saapaadu and Campus Burger, opened just this year, but Burger Bar, coming in fourth, has been around since 1953. All the restaurants...
The Biz Beat: San Jose distillery makes award-winning whiskey
The tasting room at 10th Street Distillery in San Jose features windows looking into the distillery, showing off a stainless steel boiler and two copper pot stills with otherworldly-shaped domes that wouldn’t be out of place in one of Joan Miró’s surrealist paintings. It’s all connected by more stainless steel and designed by founders Virag...
The Biz Beat: Standout pizza at San Jose’s The Last Round Tavern
Sandwich shop by day and pizza parlor by night, The Last Round Tavern in San Jose manages its split personality exceptionally well. Owner Caleb Orozco uses his homemade sourdough bread and thin-crust pizza dough as a base for identical ingredients, such as in-house braised brisket and pulled pork, to create two distinct and delicious menus...
The Biz Beat: Still O.G. — A San Jose DJ-driven bar with an Alter Ego
Still O.G.’s bar, with its on-tap cocktails, wood paneled walls, cubby holes packed with records, DJ booth and state of the art sound system, has a warm, inviting hipster feel. But if you’re in the know, you can slip past the back-of-the-room gatekeeper and enter Alter Ego, a spot that seems miles away from downtown...