The Biz Beat: San Jose restaurant wants to highlight ‘California lifestyle’

There is a studied minimalism in The Club on Post that sometimes gives way to fantasy. Old movies and cartoons are projected on the wall. In the middle of the closed street in front of the restaurant there are picnic tables and umbrellas. A full bar takes up half the length of the place, with owner George González practically dancing while he shakes the shaker. After 24 years in the real estate business, the man is living his dream.

“I have no experience in the restaurant business,” he told San José Spotlight. “But I’m learning very quickly. What they say is 100% true: it is difficult. But at the same time it is very exciting. “When people come in, it feels like they’re on vacation.”

The Club opened its doors last July after overcoming a few obstacles, one of which was finding a cook who fit Gonzalez’s vision of what he calls a “California lifestyle restaurant.”

“The food had to be as diverse as San Jose,” he said. “Each chef we interviewed had a specialty and they wanted to guide us toward it. I said, ‘No, we have to open it.'”

By chance he met Antonio Lara, who was delivering some products to the Laberinto Restaurant next door. Lara had worked in restaurants on Santana Row for 20 years, since he was 15, but had been in the produce business for the past three years.

“I asked George, ‘When are you opening?’” Lara told San José Spotlight. “He told me: ‘I’ll be honest, I don’t have a chef or cooks, so I don’t know.’ I said, ‘We should make a plan and a tasting menu.'”

One of the first dishes they developed was truffle fries, a popular starter dish. Tossed with copious amounts of Parmesan cheese and drizzled with truffle oil, the fries are served with a delicate garlic aioli, but ask for a side of house-made cocktail sauce. Bright red in color with a rich, vibrant flavor, the sauce enhances an already fantastic dish.

Another is braised pork belly, glazed with pomegranate sauce and a little cardamom for earthy balance. It’s topped with fresh pistachios, tangerine segments and golden pears for a mix of flavors and textures.

“A lot of beginners come and see pork belly on a table,” Gonzalez said. “They’ll ask us what it is and that’s our goal, you know? To get them out of the box.”

Grits are another specialty, served with jumbo shrimp and Cajun butter, accompanied by cherry tomatoes, English peas, corn and bacon bits. It’s a favorite of longtime customer Monique Falconer, who was having dinner with her family.

“It’s an unusual dish on this side of the country,” he told San José Spotlight, “but the grits are creamy and have a lot of flavor. I also love the atmosphere here; “It is difficult to find places where children are so welcome.”

Another must-try is miso-glazed Chilean sea bass on a bed of coconut quinoa, served with apple salad. Pickled onions add tart notes and a wonderfully delicate ginger beurre blanc sauce completes the dish.

The menu always includes some basics, as regular dishes and specials are rotated periodically, but Gonzalez said the kitchen is always ready, upon request, to cook anything they’ve offered in the past.

“I like it when people ask about those things,” González said, “because you’re telling me that you’ve been here, you know what you’re looking for and you know what you like.”

The club features a full bar with seating and showcases Gonzalez’s skill as a mixologist. A drink not to be missed is the Oaxaca on Post, which combines the tropical flavors of papaya and lime with an undertone of smoky mezcal with a relaxed feeling of watching the Baja sunset.

The signature cocktail is the Club Espresso Martini, made with vanilla vodka, Irish cream foam, chilled liqueur and espresso, but the G’s Way Espresso Martini is a bolder option. It has a deeper chocolate shade that will open your eyes and keep them open.

Brunch is available on weekends with some of the same options as the dinner menu, such as appetizers and salads, but adds a few touches like crab cakes Benedict, Belgian waffles with berries, and chilaquiles with sour green sauce, queso fresco and pickled onions. .

In his concern for customer service, González even went so far as to have his employees photograph the dishes returning to the kitchen to see what customers eat and what they leave behind.

“If we see someone returning a lot of food,” he said, “we’ll say, ‘Hey, you didn’t like it or is something wrong?’ Let me fix it for you. The most important thing we want to offer is excellent service and excellent food, the best we can offer.”

Contact Robert Eliason at [email protected].