SAN JOSE – A Home Depot ironmongery store property that’s one in all the anchors of a busy and high-profile retail and restaurant center in San Jose has been purchased for greater than $70 million.

Realty Income Corp. through an affiliate, purchased a Home Depot storefront at The Plant shopping mall in San Jose for $72.8 million, in response to documents filed Dec. 24 with the Santa Clara County Recorder's Office.

According to property records, San Diego Realty Income purchased the property for money. The Home Depot store is situated at 2181 Monterey Road.

As of January 2024, the Home Depot property was valued at $26 million, in response to records from the Santa Clara County Assessor's Office.

This assessment suggests that the locations occupied by prime home improvement stores are maintaining and even increasing in value, in stark contrast to the brutal downturn within the Bay Area's office and hotel sectors and the uncertain outlook for a lot of retail properties.

The deal represents the second major real estate purchase this yr of a giant portion of The Plant, a retail and dining center on the corner of Monterey Road and Curtner Avenue in south San Jose.

In August 2024, Arc Capital Partners and Milan Capital Management, two real estate investment firms, joined forces to buy the overwhelming majority of The Plant for $95 million.

Arc Capital and Milan Capital purchased three parcels at The Plant. The portion of the mall purchased by the true estate corporations contained some significant vacant space.

The three properties purchased by Arc Capital and Milan Capital were valued at $156 million as of January 2024, in response to an appraisal on file with the Santa Clara County Assessor's Office.

But just just a few months after that purchase, Arc and Milan scored a giant win by signing a Mexican supermarket to fill the biggest available space in The Plant, a long-vacant site that was home to Toys 'R Us and Babies 'R Us Businesses had operated on the north side of the complex.

Vallarta Supermarkets, which offers traditional foods and native items from Mexico, has leased the 65,000-square-foot space.

Toys 'R Us and Babies 'R Us closed their doors at The Plant in 2018. The area has been empty since 2018.

That is now changing with the rental offer from Vallarta Supermarkets. The Mexican supermarket is predicted to maneuver into its premises within the second half of 2026.

The San Jose store can be the primary Bay Area location for Vallarta Supermarkets. The chain's closest stores to the Bay Area are within the cities of Watsonville and Salinas in Monterey County.

Target, Home Depot, Best Buy, Famous Dave's, Panera Bread, Applebee's Grill + Bar, Ross Dress for Less and Ulta Beauty are amongst The Plant's major retailers. Target owns the shop space, which was not included in any of this yr's real estate purchases at The Plant.

“We are committed to building on the center's existing strengths to attract quality tenants who will revitalize parts of the center that have lain vacant for far too long,” said Chris Nichelson, president of Milan Capital, this yr's purchaser on the time most of The Plant.

Vallarta Supermarkets shall be a very important addition to The Plant. The grocery chain supports Arc Capital and Milan Capital's efforts to redevelop the mall, the property's owners said.

“This partnership represents a significant step forward in our efforts to revitalize the center and enhance the shopping experience for the local community,” Nichelson said.

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There are many reasons you may go home hungry after a San Jose State Spartans football game. We've seen all of them. Maybe the lines on the concession stands were way too long and also you didn't need to miss any of the motion on the sphere. Maybe the referees threw flags for each little thing, turning the sport into an extended day's journey into the night. And there's no way you would leave your seat at halftime and miss the spectacular Spartan Marching Band.

Of course, you'll also need dining options. SJSU's CEFCU Stadium's location on South Campus offers football fans the chance to explore the various culinary scenes in nearby Little Saigon, East San Jose, the SJSU campus community, and Downtown San Jose.

Here are five recommendations:

Pho Ha Noi

Little Saigon residents flock to Helen and Harry Nguyen's original Pho Ha Noi in the middle of the Vietnam Town complex, where they will enjoy classic cuisine made with premium ingredients.

Bowls of long-simmered pho (with oxtail, chicken and even a 1-pound short rib) are extremely popular here, but don't overlook the specialties: The hearty favorite, shaking beef, is made with ribeye steak from Harris Ranch. The chicken platters feature roasted free-range chickens from Stockton Poultry. And bun cha — grilled pork with vermicelli — has been a success here and across the United States since then-President Obama ordered it in Vietnam, the couple says. Their version is made with pork from Yosemite Meats.

The beverage selection is varied and includes Vietnamese coffee with salted cream, ube smoothie, coconut juice with kumquat, salty lemonade and more, in addition to beer, tea, coffee, lemonade and juice.

By the best way, in case you're heading home to the East Bay or the Peninsula after the sport, stop by the couple's Pho Ha Noi restaurants in Fremont (the latest), Milpitas, Cupertino or Palo Alto.

The court: Two of us fought over the Vietnamese Sizzling Steak ($21), sliced ​​and sauce-coated filet mignon served with a pork and chicken liver pate, fries and fried egg.

Details: Open each day for lunch and dinner from 10:00 a.m. On game days (Friday, Saturday) the restaurant serves until 10:00 p.m. Vietnam Town, 969 Story Road, #6048, San Jose.

Assembly

On South twenty fourth Street, just over two miles from the stadium, you'll find charming family history and great contemporary Mexican food.

Second-generation Taqueria Lorena family siblings (and trained chefs) Lorena and Carlos Vidrio redesigned the unique space and reopened it as a contemporary Mexican bistro in 2022. Both inside and outside, Aztec-style geometric elements are presented against a color palette paying homage to Mexico—cacti, molcajete, adobe.

Traditional flavors and customs mix with the fashionable. Soft, pliable tortillas—handmade from locally nixtamalized corn—are the star of the tacos champinones, camarones al pastor, carnitas de pancita and carne de res. The tabla de queso offers a platter of Mexican cheese, tomatillo jam, chile honey, nuts and fruit dulce. Cool dishes include aguachile, ceviches and a paddle cactus salad.

The tequila and mezcal-focused bar mixes a dozen signature cocktails and a number of other margaritas.

The court: There's no doubt about it. The Mole Poblano con Pato ($30) is a showstopper, beautifully prepared and assembled, has an interesting texture, and is an actual Instagram hit. The preparation style varies all year long; currently, the duck leg is served with honey-glazed rainbow carrots and carrot escabeche purée.

Details: Dinner is served Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays until 10:00 p.m. 399 S. twenty fourth St., San Jose; www.acopiosj.com

Scotts Seafood

For nearly 40 years, Scott's has been satisfying Spartans' cravings for seafood, first at CityView Plaza in downtown San Jose and, since 2020, along South First Street, where this upscale eatery will serve because the anchor for a brand new restaurant row.

Reserve a table inside or on the heated patio and begin with a cup or bowl of the classic clam chowder or the cognac-flavored lobster bisque. Among the appetizers, the jumbo crab cakes with spicy remoulade have long been a customer favorite.

Are you craving fresh fish – grilled halibut or almond-crusted blue nose bass? Or a Bay Area classic like Scott's famous cioppino or Petrale sole dore? The menu features these dishes, in addition to pasta and seafood dishes, steaks, chops and seafood salads.

For weekday lunches, there’s a more casual offering of lobster rolls, fish 'n' chips, Scott's burgers and a chicken club.

The court: We've all the time thought that the Seafood Saute ($43), with its easy lemon butter sauce, really showcases the scallops, shrimp and crab.

Details: Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday, and for dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday and 4:30 p.m. to eight:00 p.m. on Sunday, 200 S. First St., San Jose; www.scottsseafoodsj.com.

Naglee Park Garage

Located only a block from campus, the garage is a favourite amongst neighbors within the SJSU campus community and was featured by Guy Fieri on his show “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” in 2010.

Chef Mark Ostrowski, owner for the past decade, adds seasonal touches to a solid choice of American fare. There are 4 appetizers, including irresistible Brussels sprout florets with bacon and balsamic and an ever-evolving burrata appetizer; two portion-sized salads, a Caesar salad and a Naglee Cobb with cranberries, apples, gorgonzola, chicken and a maple vinaigrette; two burgers, including a plant-based option; and two mains, pan-seared salmon linguine and a bourbon-peppered New York strip steak with sides.

The choice of wines and craft beers is fastidiously chosen and the sangria is homemade.

Enjoy food and drinks inside on the bar, at one in all the small tables – we love the funky, rustic vintage look of the inside – or outside on the cool, leafy terrace.

The court: It's hard to pass up the homemade vanilla bread pudding made to share, topped with sea salt caramel, toasted pecans and orange cardamom whipped cream ($13).

Details: Open Friday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. (and Tuesday through Thursday until 8 p.m.) at 505 E. San Carlos St., San Jose; nagleeparkdining.com.

Togo's

Back when Spartan Stadium sold little to no food, SJSU students lined up on East William Street to purchase deli sandwiches to eat within the stands while hungry graduates round the corner looked on enviously.

This was the unique Togo's. Mike Cobler, a student at San Jose State University, bought a sandwich bar with a flowery wood exterior in 1971 and set about making sandwiches with fillings he liked – and thought that the dorm residents and others would love them, too.

Although Togo's is long gone, there’s a spot not removed from CEFCU Stadium where you’ll be able to stop for a delicious and soulful pre- or post-game snack. Good old No. 9, pastrami, remains to be the very best seller, followed by No. 24, turkey & avocado. (Almost nobody had heard of turkey & avocado when Togo's introduced the mixture in 1974.) Cheesesteaks have develop into popular, too, and in the summertime, there's BBQ beef.

The court: Our favorite is the classic No. 16, “The Italian,” topped with Genoa salami, cotto salami, mortadella, capicola and provolone cheese and drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Details: Open each day from 10 a.m. to eight p.m., 1430 Monterey Road, San Jose. www.togos.com

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It's challenging to capture the spirit of a business district so diverse it's hard to define, but San Jose graphic designer Theo Mendoza has done it with a daring latest logo for East Village, the redesign of San Jose's East Santa Clara Street business district.

The latest logo was unveiled Tuesday morning during a small celebration in front of the mural outside the Vegan Bistro and Deli on the corner of North tenth and Santa Clara Streets. The East Village logo has a nostalgic vibe to it—to me, it seems like something from the early '70s—and that's more fun than you'd expect from a industrial district.

At first, Mendoza thought the emblem needed to be more structured because it represented a industrial district, but after speaking with the merchants within the neighborhood, he realized they didn't want something sleek and one-size-fits-all.

“I took a step back and realized we were building a corporate association as a brand that catered to this community that wanted to feel safe and connect with each other,” said Mendoza, who was born and raised in San Jose. “We wanted them to buy into it, be proud of it and then feel comfortable being who they are and what they contribute.”

The letters of the emblem are a mishmash of fonts, uppercase and lowercase. Sixteen green leaves within the upper corner represent the 16 blocks that the district encompasses along East Santa Clara Street from Seventh to twenty second Street. The letters “SJ” encased in a red brick in the other corner represent the retail stores that line the district.

During his month-long design process, Mendoza spoke with the neighborhood's merchants—many East Village restaurants and shops are owned by Vietnamese, black, Latino, Cambodian, Korean or Chinese entrepreneurs—and what he heard from them led him away from the stylized and toward something family-friendly and light-weight that also authentically represented the companies.

“Because I gathered all this information and addressed it in a way that we both understood what the goal was, it was no surprise when I showed it to them,” he said.

Caleb Orozco, owner of the Last Round Tavern and vp of the business association, said he appreciated Mendoza's collaborative process and questions that helped discover the interests of the merchants.

“He did a fantastic job. It's fun, it's whimsical, it's colorful – but at the same time it's serious,” Orozco said. “It represents the growth and prosperity that can happen here in the East Village.”

POETRY SPEAKS: The mighty Mike McGee says this 12 months's tenth annual San Jose Poetry Festival, which begins Thursday and runs through the weekend, has a program that focuses on spoken word poetry.

The opening event at First Unitarian Church (160 N. Third St.) begins at 7 p.m. and can feature Jason Bayani, Jamie DeWolf, Wonder Dave and Lorenz Dumuk. There might be special performances each evening, in addition to workshops and a number of other daytime events, each in person and streamed online, with additional presenters including Bao Phi, Rachel McKibbens, Arlene Biala, Sally Ashton and Tshaka Campbell.

Saturday night's event on the San Jose Jazz Break Room on South First Street will feature a performance by Santa Clara County Poet Laureate Yosimar Reyes, in addition to a chance to satisfy the county's newly named Youth Poet Laureate and Youth Ambassadors.

Speaking of youth, a convention coming back from last 12 months's festival is that each one performances are free for anyone under 19. Everyone else should buy a festival pass for $50 or pay for individual events on the door. For more information and the complete schedule, visit the Poetry Center San Jose website. www.pcsj.org.

STANFORD GOES NOIR: The Stanford Theater in downtown Palo Alto opens a two-month film noir festival on Friday with two classics of the dark and atmospheric genre starring Humphrey Bogart: “The Dead Sleep Tight” and “The Maltese Falcon.”

This double bill runs through Sunday, and other upcoming classics you won't need to miss include The Woman Without a Conscience (September 14-15), Sunset Boulevard and the unique Nightmare Alley (September 28-29), The Third Man and Key Largo (October 5-6), The Sign of Evil (November 2-3) and 1946's The Postman Always Rings Twice (November 9-10).

The full schedule will be found at www.stanfordtheatre.org.

Originally published: September 4, 2024 at 16:00

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The forty second annual Italian family celebrationwhich takes place on Saturday and Sunday, August third – fifth, at History Park in San Jose, features grape stomping, pizza dough throwing, live music, bocce, a cultural zone with regional costumes, a Roman camp…

And loads of food, wine and beer.

Look for the Tricarico Club's sausage polenta and the Sons of Sicily's sausage ravioli. Tony and Alba's will likely be selling pizza slices. Members of the sponsoring Italian American Heritage Foundation will likely be making meatball sandwiches and filling cannoli to order.

Aroma Concessions offers portobello mushroom sandwiches, eggplant pesto sandwiches, fried artichokes and fried zucchini. The Risotto booth sells bruschetta, caprese and fruit cups. And King Cobb Corn makes Italian-style corn on the cob with Alfredo pecorino sauce and basil.

Chef John D'Ambrosio of Giorgio's and the New York Sausage Co. will mix pizza dough and share kitchen stories at 1 p.m. Saturday on the Cultural & Culinary Pavilion. At noon Sunday, Chef Joe Lucito of Giorgio's will show a pasta and asparagus dish at the identical location.

Five wineries will likely be pouring their varietals within the shaded wine tasting garden – Bargetto, Fortino, Guglielmo, Rosa d'Oro and Tansy Wines from Shelley Lindgren, owner of A16 restaurant. Lindgren is co-author of “Italian Wine: The History, Regions and Grapes of an Iconic Wine Country.”

New this 12 months is the Italian Sfizio Pilsner from Fort Point Beer Company.

Specialty food vendors' stalls offer salami, jam, biscotti, dried pasta, olives, oil and vinegar, dried fruit, nuts, honey, toffee, cookies and more.

Details: Limited free and metered parking is accessible near History Park, 1650 Senter Road; carpooling and ridesharing are encouraged. Maps and event calendar can be found at www.italianfamilyfestasj.org.

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With just hours left before all of it collapses, Alex Huang of San Jose paused Friday to tour the 40,000-piece amusement park he and his team of eight construction employees have inbuilt the lobby of Tech Interactive.

Perhaps within the hope that there won't be an earthquake overnight.

Huang, a outstanding member of the domino and engineering community generally known as Flash Domino, was just 16 when he launched San Jose's first Tech Topple in 2016. Last yr's construction was a miniature city called Topple Town. It was built from 20,000 dominoes and took greater than five minutes to destroy.

This yr's theme is “Kinetic Carnival,” with chain response machines inspired by fairground games, bumper cars and even a Ferris wheel. There are twice as many dominoes as Topple Town. Nine construction employees joined Huang this week to construct the amusement park. Among them were skilled chain response artist Lyle Broughton and former domino world record holder Erez Klein.

The fall will happen at 1 p.m. sharp on Saturday at The Tech, 201 S. Market St., San Jose. Museum officials expect a big crowd and advise arriving early.

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