Jack's opens fifth eatery and bar, in West San Jose
Who can make a success of a 7,600-square-foot West San Jose restaurant space with seating for 200 inside and 100 outside?
The Marcovici brothers of the East Bay have taken on the challenge, opening their newest allday restaurant and bar, Jack's, at Westgate shopping center. This Saratoga Avenue space was most recently Mextizo Restaurant & Cantina and before that, the Blue Door. And for many years before that, this was home to a Chevy's Fresh Mex restaurant.
Veterans of the restaurant business — their parents operated Eleni's in Clayton (Mama Eleni came from the island of Cyprus) — the trio decided to open their first Jack's in Pleasant Hill in 2010 with a menu of classic American dishes and Greek-inspired favorites. As the website says, “Dave took after our mom and just knew how to cook. Chris and I (John) took after our dad, and just didn't.”
Since then, they have opened other restaurants: in Newark, San Bruno and San Mateo.
The massive menu ranges from pancakes to pot roast and also features five types of breakfast burritos; a dozen salads; 14 sandwiches, including freshly roasted turkey; a lamb burger and plantbased “lamb” burger; seven varieties of mac and cheese; and dinner entrees such as Mama Eleni's meatloaf, sauteed petrale sole and grilled lamb chops. An early bird special is offered from 4 to 6 p.m. daily. There's a full bar with cocktails and 16 beers on tap.
(By the way, those breakfast burritos are available only on weekdays. Why? The hysterical answer involves brothers John, David and Chris failing to enroll in calculus and physics classes in high school. Read all about it on their website; click on “The Explanation.”)
How do they manage to staff up for so many all-day operations? “Our team is attracted to our emphasis on working together to make all our guests feel like this is their second home. And we like to have fun while making sure this is a great experience for everyone who works here and dines here,” John Marcovici said. “Plus we all get to eat delicious food at work!”
DETAILS >> Jack's opens at 8:30 a.m. daily and serves until 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10 p.m. FridaySaturday at 1502 Saratoga Ave., San Jose; www. ilovejacks.com
After 10 years, CREAM in Walnut Creek will close
You have four more months to get your mixand-match ice cream sandwich fix in Walnut Creek.
CREAM, the downtown ice cream shop known for a plethora of cookie, ice cream and toppings combinations, is closing at 1372 N. Main St. after nearly 10 years. The Concord and Berkeley locations will remain open as will the CREAM shops in San Jose, Cupertino, Milpitas and San Francisco.
Walnut Creek CREAM owner Mark Stites says he plans to continue selling ice cream through July before focusing his energy on the Todos Santas Plaza Concord location, which he also owns.
“I'm at the end of my 10-year-lease and based on market conditions, I won't be renewing,” Stites said. “I just don't have enough current sales to maintain this location. I need more foot traffic. My sales have dropped enough that it's just not sustainable.”
While there are several choices for ice cream in Walnut Creek, CREAM was the only shop dedicated to ice cream sandwiches featuring up to 17 fresh-baked cookies, like butter sugar and double chocolate chip, and another 16 ice cream flavors, from salted caramel to chocolate chip cookie dough.
Stites will be selling all of his equipment — an oven, upright freezer, ice cream dipping cabinet, storage racks and a beverage display case — before making the permanent move to 2070 Salvio St., Concord.
Humphry Slocombe takes over San Mateo ice cream shop
A month after taking over a vacant ice cream shop in Campbell, Humphry Slocombe will start scooping at another vacated spot, this one in San Mateo.
To celebrate the opening, the artisanal San Francisco-based creamery has partnered with Fieldwork Brewing, a neighboring business on Delaware Street, to create a new flavor, blackberry parfait. It's described as a tart and creamy ice cream made with blackberry sour beer, blackberry jam and pieces of white chocolate oat cookies.
Both the Campbell and San Mateo shops had been vacated by Tin Cup Creamery, whose owner decided to pivot to grocery store sales.
Humphry Slocombe is known for what its cofounders, Jake Godby and Sean Vahey, call “chef-curated flavors for adults,” including Secret Breakfast, Blue Bottle Vietnamese coffee and peanut butter curry.
DETAILS >> 3081 S. Delaware St., San Mateo; humphryslocombe.com