For immediate release
May 29, 2015

Seventh heaven for Dine Downtown participants

More than 25 restaurants to serve lunches and dinners during June 19-28 Restaurant Week

SAN JOSE – Foodies have a lot of choices at the seventh annual Dine Downtown San Jose “restaurant week,” June 19-28. Customers will savor dishes from downtown San Jose restaurants offering imaginative prix-fixe dinners including appetizer or salad, entrée and dessert or cocktail, starting at $20 per person.

The weeklong tour of downtown eateries includes favorites such as 71 Saint Peter Modern European Kitchen, Affinity at Hilton San Jose, Bluefin Japanese Restaurant, Cafe Stritch, The Craftsman American Restaurant, Fahrenheit Restaurant and Lounge, The Farmers Union, Il Fornaio, La Pastaia, Loft Bar & Bistro, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steak, Mezcal Restaurant, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Mosaic Re›staurant and Lounge, Nemea Greek Taverna, Nomikai Social Food + Drinkery, Paolo’s Restaurant, Poor House Bistro, San Pedro Square Bistro & Wine, Scott’s Seafood, Silicon Valley Capital Club and SP2 Communal Bar + Restaurant.

For the first time, several eateries will offer lunch specials June 19-28, including Curry Pundits, The Fountain at The Fairmont San Jose, Take One Pizza and Tengu Sushi.

Dine Downtown restaurants, menus and additional information are at dinedowntownsj.com. Dinner starts nightly at 5:30 p.m. Lunch is from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Reservations are recommended and can be made through the Open-Table links on the Dine Downtown website or on each restaurant’s website.

Since 2009, Dine Downtown showcases the exceptional restaurants offered in the center city. Eight restaurants – 71 Saint Peter Modern European Kitchen, Fahrenheit Restaurant & Lounge, Il Fornaio, Loft Bar & Bistro, Mezcal Restaurant, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Paolo’s Restaurant and San Pedro Square Bistro & Wine – have participated in Dine Downtown every year. New to the program this year are The Craftsman American Restaurant, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steak, Poor House Bistro and SP2 Communal Bar + Restaurant.

Based on restaurant surveys, Dine Downtown customers come back again and again, trying new places and returning to familiar favorites. In 2014, downtown restaurants served thousands of meals. More dinner offerings:

• Affinity at Hilton San Jose plans menu offering the choice of Chicken Caprese, Mango Swordfish or Sirloin entrée, plus appetizer and dessert for $35.
• The Loft’s $30 meal includes a choice of chicken and broccoli rotini, pork tenderloin, prawn skewers or lamb shanks.
• Morton’s The Steakhouse offers filet mignon, honey-chili glazed salmon fillet, double-cut pork chop or chicken bianco, plus salad and dessert, for $45 per person.
• Grab a Caprese salad with goat cheese, pizza with marinated pork, daikon, carrots, cilantro and mozzarella and turon de banana for $20 at Nomikai.
• San Pedro Square Bistro & Wine’s $35 offering includes crab cake appetizer, pan-seared filet mignon cubed and chocolate torte.

Sysco, the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, will sponsor Dine Downtown for the third year. For each meal served, Sysco will donate $1 to San Jose’s Loaves and Fishes Family Kitchen.

Dine Downtown San Jose is coordinated by San Jose Downtown Association.

Introducing The BIG Lunch:

Take a mid-day break with the downtown community starting at 11:30 a.m. on June 24. Grab lunch from a nearby restaurant, head to the Paseo de San Antonio between Second and Fourth streets, and break bread with fellow downtowners at downtown’s first communal lunch. This event has the makings of a unique experience: socializing, drawings for great prizes, and music from players with Juxtapositions and Cellista Music interpreting classics in their unusual way. The BIG Lunch coincides with Dine Downtown Restaurant Week and features to-go specials from downtown lunch spots, including those participating in the Dine Downtown lunch program. Ordering through DoorDash.com should also make it easier for participants to receive their lunches on the event site. The BIG Lunch is made possible through the generosity of The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in partnership with the San Jose Downtown Association.

Email psa@sjdowntown.com to make a reservation or for group seating.

Photos available upon request Contact: Rick Jensen Communications Director San Jose Downtown Association (408) 279-1775 x 318