Los Altos Real Estate Blog

I've been to this (in fact I went last year) and it's one of the largest Christmas displays I've ever seen.  It takes up the entire 2-acre Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park with over 60 displays that include animated characters, community made Christmas trees, and holiday decorations.  They even have "snow" that shoots out over guests from time to time.

In addition to the displays, visitors can enjoy:

• Meet with Santa
• Live entertainment
• Amusement rides and games for kids and adults
• Concessions with fun foods including international favorites
• Gifts and toys for sale
• DONATION BOXES!  This is important, please donate.

ADMISSION:  Free!

HOURS:  9:00AM to Midnight

DATES:  Daily through Jan 1st, 2011

That's the best part, the whole thing is free but it costs a lot of money to keep it going.  They event organizers ask that you donate just $1 for each person who visits.  With close to 500,000 visitors every year, just $1 per person would fund the entire program for next year.

With so many restaurants in the downtown area within walking distance (we went to Spaghetti Factory last year), it's easy to plan an eveing in downtown San Jose.

We all know that Santana Row is one of the best destinations for fun, food, clothes, and nightlife in the Bay Area, especially the South Bay.  So, when things change there it's usually (and hopefully) something really good.  Well, one of the newest additions is a restaurant called The Yard House.  It's lively, fun, and a beer drinkers paradise.  What really tips the scale is the food.  It's not only good, it's got a good shot and getting Michelin recognition - in my opinion.

First, let's start with the beer.  There is a huge variety and they do change what they offer.  The old classics are on there (Guiness, Newcastle, etc) but they've also got variations of each classic beer - usually a small, craft beer or premium quality beer all served from the tap.  To decide what you want, they've organized each beer by style with descriptions of the general taste of each style.  For me, that's a huge help so I can figure out what I want with whatever I'm going to eat.  If I want a sweet beer, I can find it easily.  If I want something tangy, no problem.

The service was impeccable when I visited.  The waiter was nice, knowledgable and took our order quickly.  When we ordered our beer we also ordered a spicy tuna roll appetizer.  Here's where things go "gastro-pub" in a hurry.  When the spicy tuna roll arrived it wasn't the usual presentation you see everywhere else.  It was a giant spicy tuna roll with a bottom layer of edamame (in place of the usual rice), then spicy tuna, avacado, and shaved seaweed on top presented on a big white plate.  Truly gourmet food served in...a pub.

The rest of the meal was ordered off the Happy Hour menu; a pizza, beef sliders, and a salad.  The pizza was a BBQ chicken that just blows you away with flavor.  The slides reminded me of White Castle, but only by looks.  The taste reminded me of a filet mignon burger I had at "The Ivy" in Los Angeles years ago.  When it came down the the salad (their house salad) it also went above and beyond with flavor.  It had the perfect combination of lettuce, tomato, and dressing. There was a nice shaved corn topping that added some panache.

The prices are reasonable, especially considering the quality, but it's definitely not in the "everyday dining" category. As a hang-out spot, I'd put it at the top of my list and anyone wanting a newer, fresh experience in Santana Row should be going here.  Give me a call and I'll go into more detail.  Suffice it to say, I'll be going back many more times.