The Showy New Eos & Nyx Electrifies Downtown San Jose

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An amuse of teeny tuna tartare cones greets every diner at the new Eos & Nyx.
An amuse of teeny tuna tartare cones greets every diner at the new Eos & Nyx.

These days, when you hear of a splashy new restaurant opening its doors, you’ll be forgiven if your thoughts automatically go to San Francisco, Wine Country, or even Palo Alto.

Eos & Nyx, however, is not in any of those places, but rather in downtown San Jose.

Previously a movie theater, the soaring space has been transformed into a glitzy, two-story, 4,000-square-foot Mediterranean restaurant. Fifteen months in the making, it was designed by San Diego’s Basile Studio, which also did California’s Puesto restaurants, including the one in Santa Clara.

The entrance in downtown San Jose.
The entrance in downtown San Jose.
The stylish dining room.
The stylish dining room.
The view from the second floor.
The view from the second floor.

Appropriately named for the Greek goddesses of day and night, Eos & Nyx takes on a different personality from brunch (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays) to dinner (Tuesday through Saturday). During the day, when the weather is warm, the floor-to-ceiling, garage-door front windows can be raised to bring the outdoors in, bathing the leafy dining room adorned with lifelike fake trees and even river rocks underneath the booths with tons of natural light. At night, the vibe is more Vegas-like with moodier lighting that makes the copper accents glimmer and the back-lighted bar stand out.

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Holiday Sips, Part I

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A holiday-ready 2018 Piazza Del Dotto Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.
A holiday-ready 2018 Piazza Del Dotto Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.

2018 Piazza Del Dotto Estate Family Reserve Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

If you’re opting for prime rib or roast duck instead of turkey at the Thanksgiving table, a bottle of 2018 Piazza Del Dotto Estate Family Reserve Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon would make for a splendid partner.

Family-owned for more than three decades, this winery with operations in St. Helena and Napa focuses on small-production Cabernet made from estate-grown grapes. These particular grapes come from the Oakville AVA, known for producing wines of powerful yet smooth textures.

This wine, of which I received a sample, is no exception. Deep purple garnet in the glass, it exudes notes of black cherries, currants, graphite and cedar with a touch of anise, and sage. It has firm tannins, making it a robust wine able to stand up to showy centerpiece meat dishes.

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Dressed-For-Success Polenta with Herbed Oil

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A beautiful looking polenta that couldn't be easier to make.
A beautiful looking polenta that couldn’t be easier to make.

With gobs of butter and a veritable snowstorm of grated Parmigano.

That’s usually how I make and like my soft polenta.

But this recipe for “Polenta with Herbed Oil” offered another variation, one stripped of all that cheese, trading it instead for a copious amount of dried herbs found easily in my pantry that are steeped in a mixture of warmed butter and olive oil. In the process, it brought to the forefront more of that wonderful toasty corn taste.

This easy recipe is from “Cured” (Ten Speed Press), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Steve McHugh, chef-owner of Cured in San Antonio, and Landrace in San Antonio; with assistance from Paula Forbes, a cookbook author, and former editor of Eater and Epicurious.

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Make It A Miso & Nutmeg Custard Pie Kind of Holiday

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Not your ordinary custard pie.
Not your ordinary custard pie.

Me and custard pies go way back.

Back to when I was a tot and my dad would tote home pink boxes of pale yellow custard pies from San Francisco’s Chinatown.

And back to when my older brother started a family of his own and began baking them for his signature Thanksgiving Day dessert.

But I’d never had one that had a sneaky smidge of white miso in it.

Until now.

And boy, is it fabulous.

“Miso & Nutmeg Custard Pie” takes that homespun dessert — and gives it a little more oomph.

The recipe is from the new “I’ll Bring Dessert” cookbook (Hardie Grant), of which I received a review copy. It’s by Benjamina Ebuehi, a recipe developer and food stylist based in London.

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Handcrafted Indulgent Pennsylvania Dutch Pretzels

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(Clockwise from top): Dark Chocolate, Regular, Milk Chocolate, and Extra Dark pretzels from Uncle Jerry's Handmade Pennsylvania Duch Pretzels.
(Clockwise from top): Dark Chocolate, Regular, Milk Chocolate, and Extra Dark pretzels from Uncle Jerry’s Handmade Pennsylvania Dutch Pretzels.

When it comes to snacks, I do love a good, crunchy pretzel.

And Uncle Jerry’s Handmade Pennsylvania Dutch Pretzels are definitely some of the best around.

Founded by Jerry Skolnick in 1988 in Lancaster, PA, it took only two years for his family-owned business to win a “Best of Philly” award, the first time that honor had ever been given to pretzels.

His youngest daughter Misty joined the fold in 2008 to help launch the company’s e-commerce sales. And lucky me was fortunate enough to receive some samples recently.

These pretzels are made with a sourdough starter. The dough is rolled and kneaded rather than extruded under pressure from huge machines, and the pretzels are hand-twisted. They are made without oil, sugar or preservatives.

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